Weekend Retreat

I spent the weekend at a scrapbook retreat in the Texas Hill Country. What a delight. The surroundings were unbelievable. It was quiet; the stars were magnificent; the hundreds of butterflies magical. We were there to scrapbook – an opportunity to scrapbook for 24 hours a day, if you want. Now, if you’re not into scrapbooking, you probably can’t appreciate the concept; if you are, it was “over the top.” My friend Patty convinced me to go. It wasn’t really all that difficult. But, the women from Memories Across the Miles – Kay and Lori – set a new standard for retreats. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The real topic here is friendship. Someone once said “my friends have made the story of my life.” And what a story it’s been. It’s amazing that opportunities for friendship pop up in the strangest of places – well, maybe not really so strangely. Having never scrapbooked, I sort of thought, how hard can it be. So, I had about four weeks to make a scrapbook of my daughter from birth to age 16. I checked the web for stores in the area and found Scrapbook Cottage. I’d found my home away from home. And, some really incredible women (OK, Fred’s pretty good, too). Patty, one of the owners, became a special friend. I love her to death as she listens to me vent, never criticizes, tackles my tiny problems as her own and has wonderful suggestions.
There is no greater treasure than the women friends we find – no matter where. But, you have to make time to invest in those friendships. Patty and I scrapped til late, ate chocolate without much guilt, ate again and suddenly it was Sunday.