Today was an amazingly beautiful and wonderful day for me. The majority of it was spent helping out with the Confirmation I retreat. I loved hearing the difference between how the kids perspectives of what they thought the retreat would be like before they came and how they thought about it once they were on it. I heard a lot of the say they thought it would be boring and spent mostly just sitting and listening to talks and nothing else really. I was glad to hear that a lot of their opinions about the retreat changed from that while on it. In fact towards the end of the day a few girls came up to me and told me they wished the retreat went on longer, and I also heard some other kids talking amongst themselves also wanting to stay longer. I was glad to hear them telling each other that. It was very nice.
At one point during the retreat we split of into guy/girl groups for a chastity talk. I personally think in a way the girls group focused more on the aspect of modesty. We talked a lot about how the way a girl dresses helps imply in a way the kind of man she is looking to receive attention from. If a girl wants to really be respected then she has to portray that through the way she dresses and carries herself. We mentioned how men/boys will respect a girl who dresses modestly way more then a girl who dresses immodestly; yes, a girl dressing immodestly may seem to get more attention from the opposite sex, but it is not really the right kind of attention....
One thing I liked about this particular retreat was that there were only two girls helping out with facilitating it, all the rest were guys. I don't know what it is with the retreats I've been helping plan this year, but that seems to be popular this year with guys. The retreat team I've been working with for a retreat next week is also made up with mostly guys. I am not gonna lie. I think it is really cool to see that and for the high school youth to see it as well.
After the retreat the majority of the facilitators said evening prayer together up in the chapel. It was a nice way to end my time at church for the day. After that we all went to eat dinner together. It was a great time and I think it was the highlight of my day, other then the girl's chastity group talk.
While in the car with a dear friend of mine on the way to dinner we entered into a discussion about how incredibly lucky we are to have the great guy friends that we do. These guys really are amazing men who do know how to treat a lady with respect and that is sometimes very hard to find in today's society. She mentioned how she felt guilty about not remembering to tell them all thank-you for being the men they are, and I had to agree. I probably don't tell them thank-you enough either. I figure if I want more men like these friends of mine to continue to be the way they are towards women then I need to do my part and remember to let them know how much I appreciate them. I am very blessed to have them in my life!
Tonight I spent the evening with another group of friends for a birthday celebration. We spent a lot of time playing euchre and apples to apples. After that we all went over to The Upstairs for a few drinks and then I called it a night. I am now very tired from a busy day and am ready for a good night's sleep so until the next time....
3 comments:
I am so happy that it was a good retreat..I am in total agreement that those men should be acknowledged. Yes, they should always do the right and best thing anyway, but we are supposed to uplift and support one another and these young men are so important to how things should be that we need to let them know ..just in case noone else does! :) God bless them and ALL of the young women too! Absolutely!
You do have alot of very good friends and I want nothing less for you..you deserve that because you are a true and good friend, Teresa!
Teresa, what a terrific day. I can't tell you how glad and grateful I am that you were there! It means even more that you wanted to be there! Our youth group is very lucky to have so many people who want to be there; who want to share in their formation of faith.
I was also just happy to see you and Jess and John and everyone again! I think I can speak for the gentlemen you speak of, that we are grateful to have women like you and Jess in our lives!
Thanks for sharing the remarks you heard from some of the girls. I am very glad to know the retreat was a positive experience for them.
Mom and Mike, thanks for that! :)
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