April 1st - After the Retreat

The 'snowy' photo was the view outside my bedroom window (mercifully, the screen wire doesn't show up) on the first day of our Retreat. I was hoping the quite-large snow flakes coming down would show up, but you can't really see them. It is supposed to be spring, as I have mentioned earlier, and the environment is getting geared up, so this was not really expected. We had two subsequent days when we had snow - once it was too light to stay on the ground, but only yesterday we had a light snow cover until lunchtime, although it was melting all morning.
If you wonder why you are being shown a photo of a cloud on the right, look closer! There is a common black eagle near the centre and another one in the left hand corner - click on the photo to enlarge, if you are curious. I put the photo in really to show that the weather wasn't all snowy.

Even on the snowy-at-the start days it was possible to get out, so on Wednesday I did a fairly long walk after lunch along the road that goes deep into the mountains in the Santa Fe Forest. There are houses as you go along, and well into the hills, there is a sign that there is private land beside the road and people are to stay on teh road for half a mile. I walked to the snow gate, which is still shut, and then on a little way to where the snow was still on the road, although you could have driven there. I met another participant, Anne, who took a photo of me (looking VERY charming!) and then as I went past the private land there were buildings of various sizes in what appeared to be a 'colony' - perhaps of artists. Santa Fe is full of them. Then there was a genuine-looking Indian tepee right beside the little stream. I'll put the photos below:

The Retreat was a very good experience and it was a great group to be part of. With all the participants being either priests, brothers or sisters, there is a common background which makes our living together very easy. It is inspiring to see the sincerity of life and purpose of those around me, from so many different areas and backgrounds. Each person here has made a personal commitment to Christ in their lives and is still keen to live that out to the best of their ability after many years of living in a great variety of places and ministering in a wide variety of ways. No photos of that.

There was plenty of time for reflective walking and I had time to notice many things: all the trees are not budding at the same time. The Juniper and Pinyon got going first, and the Juniper caused major hay fever episodes for all the local population. The flowering trees have come out, and now the Sycamore?/Oak trees have finally shed all the brown leaves they carried throughout winter and are putting little shoots out on the ends of their twigs. Other trees such as Willow and Aspen down near the Rio Chapungo which flows throught the propery, have very green-looking branches by now. I haven't taken pictures of all of this. Today a crowd of us are heading off to town to a Beethoven Concert at 4 pm followed by an evening meal. That should be good.

This is a great place to celebrate Holy Week and Easter. Being in the Northern Hemisphere has its advantages for everything in the Liturgy reflects the seasons, which are all upside-down in Autralia - not that I mind. May you all have a very Happy and Blessed Easter.

Bye for the present. You will hear more of me. Rita