a weekend away

i had the pleasure of spending a weekend away with four friends at an idyllic rural retreat center.  we stayed at the loretto motherhouse, a monastery for nuns, in nerinx, kentucky.  set in the rolling hills along old buffalo trails, it was founded as an order for education in the late 1700s.  from it more than 200 schools have been established across the u.s. and the world.  these sisters were the first to settle and occupy the famous property of gesthemene (home of thomas merton).  it was quaint, serene and holy.  it reminded me of why i love kentucky so much.

we were hosted in a seven-bedroom house built in the 1800s.  it was like staying in the home of a grandmother with antiques, radiator heat, and old quilts.  we dined with the sisters and shared lovely conversation.  we toured the property and met an astounding 70-year old resident artist.  in the evening they invited us to join them in the chapel for a concert by the pianist for the louisville orchestra.  apparently the acoustics of this building are so renowned they have 2-3 concerts a week.  we were mesmerized by this musician as she played beethoven, brahms, liszt, debussy and chopin.

as a small group of women, we relaxed in one another's company and had long talks.  we ate cookies and junk food.  we also gave each other license for lots of rest and reading and quiet.  it was a perfect retreat.