I can't remember what the weather was like, nor the sounds or the smells of that summer's day. The week had been much wanted and anticipated. In the midst of the pandemic we had kept our ears on the news, and hope in our hearts for it to happen.
The Asha Centre is special, magical even, whatever the weather. Nestled in the bowl of a valley of the greenest farmlands and the ancient Forest of Dean. Our home for the week is a collection of stone cottages that rise from the same place as the roses that envelop them, sitting on the smallholding that provides food for our tables tended by young hands from all over the globe.
It is brimming with beauty.
It had been a strange year with much loss, but during that week we stopped searching for what was missing, and started appreciating the abundance and possibility that was on offer even with the limits. Together we learned how to listen to that voice in our heads that can stifle us and let go of the beliefs that had gotten in the way. Free from those doubts and insecurities, came relief and clarity, giving space to explore the deeper purposes and wants for our lives. Covid had insisted on us staying at home and away from others. Conversely, this time together was a journey away to connect with new people as well as a coming home to ourselves.
As each person departed and stepped back into their lives, I felt lifted. The retreat had planted acorns of hope and light to us all, cultivating a strengthening to the roots, an unfurling of spirit that reaches far beyond the rose gardens of Asha.