Dr. Kathleen Hall, Director of the center, welcomed us with open arms, providing meals, comfortable surroundings, and most important for writers, serenity. She and her husband, Dr. Jim Hixon, whose passion is Tennessee Walking Horses, developed the center. A natural storyteller and writer, Kathleen clearly believes in the healing power of telling and retelling stories. Using guided imagery, she helped us focus and become centered. An ordained Weslelyan-Episcopal minister, she has worked with people in hospitals dying or recovering from cancer, AIDS, or heart disease and with families facing death and grief. She is a gifted nurturer.

For our retreat, each of us had a small bedroom with two single beds, one shelf, one chair and a window. Southern quilts added local color to an otherwise monastic simplicity. We gathered at mealtimes for restorative vegetarian meals served in a sunny dining room overlooking the lake. Times between, we each found a quiet nook for scribbling inspirations. One time, I chose a screened porch near the horses, and the next time, a library with an intriguing span of titles on science and religion. Another time, I found a warm bench in the garden. An interfaith chapel open at all times for meditation, and an intriguing collection of ritualistic Native American objects created an atmosphere of spiritual accessibility.

© 2000, Diana Renfro
Used by Permission