Helen Martin’s Blog

I think it was because I finally had time to look at my notes before I started that the Saturday evening session was the best one of the retreat. Friday night I found myself at the check in table (I wasn’t scheduled to be there, but stuff happens). A third of the guests were three hours late (due to a communication problem) and that included the pianist and the trailer with a lot of our stuff. Another third were late for check in, for whatever reason. So instead of starting session one at 7:15 pm, we started at 9:15 pm.

I couldn’t sleep that night. Just couldn’t. I don’t suffer from insomnia, so I guess it was all the excitement. My mind wasn’t racing, but it was wide awake. At 3:20 am. At 4:00 am. I don’t know when I drifted off, but I used every minute I had in the morning to sleep; so no going over the notes before the Saturday morning session either.

Out of sheer fatigue I was pushed into my room on Saturday afternoon to rest and found myself able to get a good refresher on the notes I had taken–notes that exceeded the simple outline I had passed out for the ladies and upon which I had been depending for the first two talks. The topic for Saturday evening’s session was my favorite, the one I was most interested in and the one I had best prepared.

I sang a song that I love just before I spoke; a song I have wanted to sing since I heard it eight years ago. It was easy. The first easy thing I had done in weeks. I hope it sounds that way.

Here is me singing Awakening, a song beautifully written by Sara Groves.

Ken has almost convinced me to post Saturday night’s talk. Maybe tomorrow.