Click here to view a slideshow of 74 photos from the Family Retreat.
The quiet sweet voice of four-year-old Joshua Hayes calling in the Light marked the opening of the PTS Family Retreat at Lake Arrowhead on June 27, 2003. In that precious moment when the loving expanded, the families became on-purpose to the nurturing that is the foundation of the retreat.
Our facilitators, Margalit and John Ward, held a focus of relaxation, renewal, and discovery. They were quick to follow the presence of Spirit, and the spontaneity of our families, shifting the focus many times over. I experienced that the loving was well attended too, and fun the natural result. In fact, it’s no surprise that participants dubbed it the “Doughnut Retreat”, given the volume of jokes, many of which focused on doughnuts.
Cuddles, the sounds of laughter, the joy of a toddler dancing, and the freeform contribution of children, made each moment one to savor. Moms and Dads, assistants and facilitators became the eyes of loving that watched over each child as if they were their own. Indeed, the sense that we are all one family pervaded, as did the appreciation for each individual and their contribution.
Parents and children expressed their gratitude for the safe space that was created for communicating with each other. Some of the sharing included: what they like best about their family, what they want more of, and less of, as well as what they were willing to contribute to move in that direction. The profoundness of that experience was expressed many times over as a prayer answered.
Family Expression Night was a favorite for parents and children alike. The evening was filled with performances of dancing, singing, poetry reading, and story telling. Some of the performances we were treated to included: Sara Powell singing an excerpt from her performance as Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls”; the Marvis, Lurie, Boyington clan singing the Christian rock song “Breath”, accompanied on guitar by Julie Marvis; Skyler Patton singing “The Prayer”; and the Gildea family reading Lydia Gildea’s story about their trip from Michigan. The evening closed with dancing as the Bionic chairs turned into Sanctuary surfboards, and parents showed us the magic of slow dancing. It was an evening to remember.
We were also blessed by a visit from John Morton and his family. John took sharing Saturday afternoon and stayed with us for dinner. In one sharing, John talked about how our kids are designed to be explorers and adventurers, certainly this was demonstrated at the Family Retreat. The next day J-R arrived with John and joined us for an impromptu evening of charades. At the close of the evening John shared a bedtime meditation. For me it was a blissful sleep that followed. The next day, John and J-R returned and J-R took sharing. It was amazing how quiet the Sanctuary became in the presence of the Travelers, as children, parents, assistants and facilitators listened with rapt attention.
As an assistant it was precious to stand in support of our Light families, to observe the learning, healing and expansion that comes from communion between mothers, fathers, and families, and to hear children’s voices calling in the Light and the silence that follows as we take in that experience and chant together. Small, sweet voices intermingled with ours. For me, assisting at the Family Retreat was about serving the foundation of the Movement — our families.
If you are interested in assisting at the Family Retreat in 2004, please contact Linda Searle at the PTS office. PTS telephone number is 323.737.1534 or email to linda@pts.org
Click here to read the article and view the photos from the IIWP BlessingsFest Fundraiser 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of the Initiates Meeting at Conference 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of the Ministers Meeting at Conference 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of Workshop Day 2 at Conference 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of Workshop Day 1 at Conference 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of the IIWP Seminar at Conference 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of the PTS Graduation at Conference 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of the Representatives Meeting at Conference 2003
Click here to read the article and view the photos of the Prana Open Day at Conference 2003
