Today I returned from my writing retreat at the Ft. Caswell Coastal Retreat and Conference Center in Oak Island, North Carolina. I appreciated that even though I'm not of the Baptist denomination, the facility is open to folks, like me, who are not. What a gorgeous setting on the 250 acres that was part of … Continue reading Artist’s Retreat: Ft. Caswell
#stepforwardfromcancer
A Twenty Dollar Chain Reaction
My friend, Delores has an empathetic heart; one way she expresses this is by sending her homemade cards. She delights in taking breaks to retreat to her "She Shed," her RV camper in the backyard, where she has her table set up with all her card-making materials. She also takes it upon herself to encourage … Continue reading A Twenty Dollar Chain Reaction
Camino Journey: Opening the Door
It was a year ago when I completed my journey on the Portuguese Coastal Path of the Camino. In reliving those fourteen days, I've looked back at my pictures, journal entries, and printed pages of maps and directions. Throughout my travel in Portugal and Spain, like on other trips, I was fascinated by doors and … Continue reading Camino Journey: Opening the Door
Sedona: Twenty-Four Hour Reset
This week I received a treasure in my mailbox; it was an unexpected letter from a former neighbor and walking partner. We'd last exchanged Christmas correspondence three years ago. She came across my letter when she was cleaning out her chest of drawers and looked up my website. After reading some of the drafts that … Continue reading Sedona: Twenty-Four Hour Reset
Camino Adventure: Red Car in Ramallosa
It was my eighth day of walking and I'd need to cover 16 miles starting in Oia and ending at my night's lodging in Ramallosa, Spain. When I was preparing to leave my room in Oia, I felt restless, out of sorts, and my doubting voice asked, "Can I do it another day?" I'd looked … Continue reading Camino Adventure: Red Car in Ramallosa
Cancerversary: The Things You Carry
Yesterday I celebrated twenty-four years since being diagnosed with breast cancer; how grateful I am to be saying this again. Over the years, I've made friends with others who've gone through treatment like me, as well as women that have either not survived or had to deal with ongoing metastatic breast cancer (MBC). A woman … Continue reading Cancerversary: The Things You Carry
Focusing on the Goal: Camino Bound
Last Friday, I stepped forward and made my deposit for the eighteen day, Portuguese Coastal Camino trip. I'll go with a group of ten with the company Prayerful Path https://prayerfulpath.com---headed up by Mary Maddox from the Atlanta area. It will be in August instead of June, as I originally posted. Looking at the calendar, I was … Continue reading Focusing on the Goal: Camino Bound
Hike Over Bluff Mountain: Friendship Continued
I hadn't seen Paula in six years. How did we go that long after years of spending so much time together? She and her husband, David had been my friends since I met them at Evergreen Church when my sons were in high school. They helped with the youth group and David was also one … Continue reading Hike Over Bluff Mountain: Friendship Continued
The Camino is Calling
This past week was my third of training for the journey I want to take next June. I was talking with my younger son, Ross and described my travel plan. I told him I'd written a blog post and referred to taking a journey with more walking than I've ever done. Then I confessed, "I'm … Continue reading The Camino is Calling
Training for Pilgrimage: Getting Started
In last week's post, I introduced my idea for going on an upcoming pilgrimage-- a journey that would involve a lot of hiking. I ended with the plan to develop a training program to follow over the next few months to see if it's a reasonable goal for me--for the level of fitness I can … Continue reading Training for Pilgrimage: Getting Started
Connie Rosser Riddle 