fearless

We retreated this weekend. A large percentage of women at "my" church got together
and invested in each other,
our relationship with God
and in the fellowship.
We ate.

We laughed.
We listened and talked.
We prayed.
We pulled practical jokes. (Some of us experienced them anyway.)
We played games.

We DIDN'T sleep, or at least, not much,
but it wasn't a sleeping retreat, I suppose.
I feel quite privileged to get to know
the fantastic women in our community of believers.

Some of these women I know a bit more. And after the retreat, we just HAD to go to the Lake. Because the temperature had fluctuated so greatly, we knew that the waves would be large. And the surfers were there, too, donning wet suits, attempting to tackle the waves.

Surprisingly, at first, the sand wasn't cold on our bare feet. Mostly because we were blessed with some 70+ degree weather during the week. Thus the water and waves so lulled my friend that she decided to swim.
I might mention that the air temp was about 47 degrees.
And yes, the water temperature was also about 47 degrees.
She's my new hero.
She not only jumped in, she really swam.
Like dove back into the water, without hesitation.
It was amazing. Perhaps crazy, but definitely amazing.
This was after she walked on the beach with her sleeping bag around her.
I know, it doesn't quite fit, does it?
From a sleeping bag to the cold water.
But, so it was.

It didn't feel like the start to summer,
but it LOOKED a bit like it!

In other news, it's birthday week!
Today is Lori's birthday!
Happy Birthday dear Lori. You are missed.
You are loved!