Ramadan begins in early May. My church buddy Marie has offered to fast with me for a week of it this year. Yay Marie! Yay Ramadan! I ordered a book about fasting. It’s one thing to fast on your own, as you were taught by a devout Muslim. It’s another to pass along the properContinueContinue reading “Best Offer I’ve Had in Months”
Category Archives: Religion
Spiritual Direction I: December
This week I met via Skype with JMD, the spiritual director from The Hermitage. We’ve agreed to meet monthly through June with an option to renew for another six months. I’m very much looking forward to this process. I’m still recovering from a bad flu this week and I was too worn down to getContinueContinue reading “Spiritual Direction I: December”
The Hermitage X: Making Plans for Progress
So, I’ve been back for about a month now and I wanted to check in on my progress. After I returned, a Muslim friend of mine who recently went on her own retreat advised MAKING PLANS when you got home to keep up the momentum. PrayerDaily prayer is again a part of my life, whichContinueContinue reading “The Hermitage X: Making Plans for Progress”
The Hermitage IX: Arriving Back in Lansing
The weekend after I got home, I had a dinner date with my friend Dragon. We met on Saturday at bookclub at the library where I work. She’d texted me that she was interested in hearing about my time at The Hermitage, but I was feeling shy. I didn’t want to sound like I’d goneContinueContinue reading “The Hermitage IX: Arriving Back in Lansing”
The Hermitage VIII: Winding Down My Retreat
As my last few hours wound down, I spent more time in the company of others. Silent company, but community nevertheless. I took my knitting to the common area after packing up my room and changing the sheets to begin to reaclimatize. After lunch, I said goodbye to my friend, thanking him for being theContinueContinue reading “The Hermitage VIII: Winding Down My Retreat”
The Hermitage VII: Me and Islam
I spent some time at The Hermitage thinking about where I stand on Islam, my religion of three decades. For the last year I really thought I was on my way out of this faith. But I’m still here so I wanted to evaluate my situation. I am easily able to overlook aspects of theContinueContinue reading “The Hermitage VII: Me and Islam”
The Hermitage VI: Spiritual Direction
On my second day, I met with JMD for a period of spiritual direction. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I did have some experiences that I was both eager and nervous to explore with someone. I was hoping she would know what to make of them. I was partially worried and partially expectantContinueContinue reading “The Hermitage VI: Spiritual Direction”
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