Dear Dakotah,
Tomorrow, I will drop you off for a very important event that may very well change your life forever. You will join 500 other teenagers as you Journey to The Father.
Having been on retreat before, I know the power of these experiences, and I hope (and pray) that you will open yourself up to the beauty of the weekend, that you will fully embrace all that you are about to experience, and that you will come back a richer, fuller, more beautiful young lady than you already are.
You have been one of my greatest joys, my best blessings, and I thank God for you every single day, when I wake up in the morning, and before I close my eyes at night. I have so many hopes and dreams for you as you go through the next phase of your life...being a teenager is exciting, challenging, and tough at the same time.
You will have so many choices to make, and I hope that we have given you the foundation you need to chose wisely. I hope you will leave your heart open enough to love deeply, and that those who you allow in will treat you with great respect and do their best not to hurt you.
Still, there will be times when you are hurt - when a friend betrays you or a boy rejects you. You will feel like the world is ending.
Remember, though, that Our Lord never, ever abandons you. Reach for Him in the quiet of the night. Talk to Him. More importantly, listen to and for Him. I have found that has been the biggest lesson for me. I will pray and pray, and be frustrated that He is not hearing me, and not answering my prayers, and then, I will take a deep breath, and realize that I just need to be still, to sit in silence, to relax, and then...suddenly, I feel Him, and know He is there.
This is a very unique experience, one that teenagers travel for hundreds of miles to attend. We are very lucky that we are just 15 minutes away from The Retreat.
This is just a part of what you will see...
4 comments:
What an amazing journey~ I so loved the retreats of my teenage years.
I've been thinking of you Miss Betsy Bisket!!!!!! and Missing you.
Bets, this is exactly why I've nominated you for yet another reward. I love you sister! You are truly my sister in so many ways. We HAVE to get together!
Sounds like a wonderful experience for your daughter. I love all the music in the video, too.
Betsy, please tell Dakotah that I, too, believe she is an amazing person. Whenever I see her, she makes me want to celebrate her presence on this earth. Paige is soooo lucky to have D in her life. There is a glow about her, I believe she is happy. She is so easy going. Yet, at baseball, I could see how, with the corner of her eye, she keeps track of her sister. I can see the caring, the pride and the love she has for Paige. I have faith that Dakotah's journey will be bountiful, enriched by meaningful experiences. Do not fret, dear friend, you are giving each your daughters, a very solid foundation for them to take their flight from. Enjoy watching their trip!!!
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