God Winks

I have a friend who calls coincidences that seem divinely inspired, "God Winks." Yesterday, I got a big wink from Him.

I'm running another retreat at Vision of Peace the weekend after next. I'm looking forward to it. They are a very interesting mix of women, and I look forward to sharing this experience with them.

This week, I am starting to work with three sixth grade girls on their Marian Medals. This is a pretty intense program, requiring a major volunteer project, sixteen 2-hour meetings, 2 field trips and a significant amount of homework/prep for each of our meetings. I'm impressed that three girls are interested in this level of commitment, and I am really looking forward to getting to know them. I am certain my faith will be deepened through this process of guiding them.

But, coming off a rough winter, and jumping into these two projects, I am finding myself feeling drained. I've been making time every week this Lent to sit with our Lord in Adoration, and last Friday, as I was praying, I was struck with the thought that I need to attend a retreat. The next morning, a friend asked if I'd considered attending a retreat sponsored by our parish in April. Both times, I brushed off the suggestion, assuming that this spring was just too busy for me to get away for a weekend.

Yesterday, I found out that the hotel was booked in late May when I was planning to attend a conference. Faced with the disappointment of losing an overnight (which was never really going to be a retreat; just a spiritual conference), I began to consider the April retreat more seriously. Looking at the calendar, I saw that that particular weekend was actually a very good weekend for me to get away. I even had a sitter lined up to watch the kids on Friday afternoon already, allowing me to leave before DH got home from work.

But, when I called to get more information about the retreat, I quickly realized that it was a very bad fit for me. I thought about going anyway, and even tried to convince a friend to go with me. All the time, I knew in my gut that this was not the right opportunity.

Last night, I asked DH what he thought. We agreed that this was the best weekend in our entire spring, but he expressed in words what I was feeling in my gut. The parish retreat was not the right one for me.

I clicked onto the internet, and did a quick search of the retreat centers in our area. Imagine my joy when I saw that a retreat center I'd been wanting to check out has a women's retreat scheduled that same weekend. The format of the retreat is exactly what I was looking for, and the theme caught my interest. My emailed request was quickly returned this morning. There is space available, and I am registered.

The way that everything came together so smoothly, the little nudges I'd gotten in prayer and through my friend, and the sense of peace that enveloped me as soon as I saw the words "you are registered" makes this a "God wink" for me. It all spells out Divine Providence.

And it is absolutely amazing how anticipation goes a long way toward stemming that "drained" feeling. Knowing I will be fed that weekend next month encourages me as I prepare to feed others through the retreat and Marian Medal activities this month.