The Best Part

The sun glimmered off the lake outside the window while we listened to a dynamic pastor pack a lot of information into amusing stories and thought-provoking examples. Beautiful surroundings, great food, and wonderful people provided for an amazing weekend. The sixty-some-odd of us ate, learned, and worshipped together during our time there...becoming more community than a hodge-podge of lay ministry retreat attendees. 

Beyond the inspiring learning experience, I treasured waking up before the sun and curling up in a chair on the beach to watch the sunrise, wrapped in a blanket, a cup of coffee in hand. And sitting with different people each meal, sharing our lives and our faith with each other as well as stories shared around the campfire. And enjoying the peace and freedom of kayaking on Lake Ossipee with a friend. 

But the best part of my entire weekend happened because someone needed a ride. 

A phone call from my friend and retreat roommate at 8PM the night before the retreat prompted me to make a call, offering a ride to a first year student. We seemed to hit it off from the moment their suitcase landed in the back of my van. We learned a bit about each other as we drove to camp, and my study group adopted our new friend into our group for the weekend, as the only other person geographically close enough to them to form a study group couldn't make it to the retreat.  

During evening prayer on the first night, the leader instructed women to say one part, and men another during a particular part of worship. My new friend leaned over to me and whispered, "What if you identify as both?" I smiled and replied, "Then you say both." My soul did magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoiced as I said those words with all the women in my group...as my new friend read both parts without hesitation.

The splendor and peace in the sunrises and surroundings, the community of faith, the wisdom imparted, the meals and the Meal shared with all knit themselves together into a beautiful tapestry that I hold very dear. But the best part was meeting this person of deep faith and deep love, who embraces who God made them to be - and getting to call them friend.