Thanksgiving Week WWMW

The weekend retreat was marvelous, inspiring, refreshing, meditative, prayerful, any uplifting adjective you would like to insert here. The "hills" north of Tucson were our setting. This is the view from the door of our little room. The first night we got in there was a large family group of javalina feeding in here; I heard a sudden rustle and when I stepped on some rocks outside of the door, they all took off in a mad dash. Made my heart stop for a moment. It was pitch black at the time and quite spooky.

The Redemptorist Renewal Center is a very well known center for retreats and various spiritual trainings. One need not be Catholic to attend one of the many programs. The center is even open to individuals who would simply like to take a couple days or weeks or so to spend in quiet and meditation. There are inspiring views all around and also a hidden Zen garden. Many groups hold programs there in addition to the offerings of the resident staff. We were there ostensibly so that Joe could attend a program sponsored by the diocese, but we both felt very free to come and go as we wished. In the mornings we spent some quiet time at the outdoor chapel.

The main church in the first morning light. It sets so perfectly into the surrounding landscape.

The labyrinth. I'd walked this on our one previous stay here. This time it was Joe who walked it on Sunday morning.

Behind the main buildings of the center is this fairly good sized hill of rocks. The rocks and an icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help adorn this east side of the hill.

Walk around the hill, however, and you can see a far different view.

Can you see them? This is why the Renewal Center is locally referred to as "Picture Rocks".

The picture rocks are cherished and protected just as much as the religious site that has grown up here. The late afternoon is the best time to see the petroglyphs. The higher rocks are nearly covered with them. Fortunately there has been very little graffiti on the part of hikers and horseback riders that regularly pass by here.

There was not much knitting done this weekend. I spent a good portion of my free time wandering around the grounds, as well as delving into the library. A while back there was a large fire here that destroyed one of the main buildings and many of the irreplaceable, out-of-print books that were here. I really missed seeing some of the works that I had enjoyed reading in the past. The current library, while quite interesting and informative, certainly is the poorer for it. The building has been rebuilt, however, and one could almost think that nothing had ever changed. The bookstore is also in a new building and furnished me with a few new tomes for spiritual study.

What knitting I did do was on Abigail's Apres Christmas Sock Swap socks, the "Mystery Socks". Perhaps they soaked up some of the spiritual renewal here! What knitting wouldn't soak up something good when worked on with such a view as this? "I lift up mine eyes unto the hills..." Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!