The natural setting itself had a mystical quality, rich with sensory details to stimulate our writing. Every night we gathered in rocking chairs on the patio for reading and community time . Late September concerts featured cicadas, crickets, katydids and frogs in resounding symphony around the lake. Early morning, a wispy mist moved over the water and deer fed silently on grassy banks. Sunny days, the mist vaporized early, and dozens of birds flitted tree to tree. One floating heron shone blue and green as it hovered near the water on the hunt. Wind rustled through sycamores and swayed the tops of pines while hawks circled silently overhead. Horses grazed on gentle slopes. People cared for them by day, until sunset graced them with the stillness of night. Other days, fog hovered, inviting introspection.

For me, this retreat became a celebration of what writing is about and a place for quiet transformation. The valley cradled my spirit and rocked my imagination toward a more creative dream-like state. The looking-glass lake called for reflection, throwing new light on familiar faces. Trails through the woods, a labyrinth of discovery, led to new plots and helped untangle old ones. And, the ancient burial mound, like any sacred mountain, commanded a climb for perspective. After only one long weekend, I returned to my life refreshed and infused with new vigor for my work.

For the group, the time and space to write caused a surge of prolific work. Some finished chapters, others started new pieces from images found there. But the deepening of the bonds between writers must not be underestimated. Without each other, most of us would not be still writing, but would have yielded to rejection long ago. Together, we endure and improve. It is no surprise, then, that when we left Kathleen and her Center for Spirituality, Healing, and Wellness, we committed to return, for an annual infusion of all that good stuff. We couldn't have found a better place.

© 2000, Diana Renfro
Used by Permission

Editors Note:

Diana Renfro writes about people, places, food, art and travel. In the Feb/Mar and Apr/May issues of The British Virgin Islands Welcome Tourist Guide (www.bviwelcome.com), she writes about motorboating from Virgin Gorda to Anegada. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two daughters and is currently working on plans for her own writers retreat center in the mountains of Ashe county, NC.