Velvet Ashes

Until about four weeks ago, I'd never heard of Velvet Ashes.

It's an online community for women doing life around the globe. Its name is derived from a tree of the same name, and has a fascinating story about how it connects to women like me.

Through a post I happened to see on Facebook, I clicked into their website and found it to be an absolute hidden gem with a winsome, humble, godly spirit, full of helpful stories, tips, information and resources.

And they were advertising an online retreat.

Having absolutely no idea what to expect, I signed up, put it on my calendar and set aside a personal day at home to participate, curious what it would be like.

Little did I know what a special impact it would have on me today.

This morning I woke up with a sense of anticipation, having never done anything like this before (I'm usually the one planning these kinds of things!), but excited for someone to lead me in receiving what the Lord wanted to give today.

While the retreat is going on for three days (you can still sign up if you have time!), today was my day to spend eight hours with the Lord through this guided online retreat experience.

It was everything from a speaker, to extended time in the Word, to prayer, to testimonies, to creative activities and even to a wonderful session of Pilates!

And I can't remember the last time I used CRAYONS for an activity! Glad Claire's were still in her room!

It was deeply personal, spiritually enriching, creatively fun, and obviously bathed in much prayer if my experience was anything like anyone else's! WOW. It was just so nourishing to my heart and soul.

I read on their website that last year's retreat saw women from over 90 countries participate. I hope they had/have women representing even more countries from all over the world this year. It was so worth turning everything off today, focusing on the Lord, and being intentionally led in time with him.

I'm already looking forward to next year's retreat!