In the introduction Val shares about three personal retreats she has taken: the first was 15 years ago at a retreat center close to home where she spent the night at a Catholic retreat center reserved for quiet, prayer, and listening, the second was a year ago in Sedona Arizona where each day she met individually with compassionate caring women devoted to spiritual healing, and the third was just a few months ago with a small group of women at a retreat center in the Catskill mountains.

She realizes that not everyone has the time or resources to get away - one can feel refreshed with quiet time at home, a big mug of coffee and a Hallmark movie. Others cherish watching their  children perform in a play or athletic event or helping them move to a new apartment.  Val loves those things too, but knows that getting away from her familiar environment and meeting new people renews her energy and it gives her strength.

Share shares a quote from Albert Einstein: ‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’ –  Her retreats were about discovering a different way of thinking.

After her husband of 25 years passed away from leukemia, she realized that "today is all we have."  She awoke to the reality there is so very little she has control over. She felt herself spiraling down, and allowed herself to get away from everything at home and ponder her new life at a Catholic Retreat Center a few hours from home.  She read the book, Practicing the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence. The story she remembers most was about how Brother Lawrence  lifted an uncomfortable situation to God, and God promised to take care of Brother Lawrence's reputation. 

She shares that April 2022- to April 2023 was a  year of full of losses:  a job, her 30 year-old son, 93 year-old father and a 10-year marriage.She searched the internet for "A retreat to get back on my feet” and found the Sedona Soul Adventure. After an interview with program representatives to determine her goals, she chose a 3-Day program where she would meet individually with two practitioners each day. 

A life coach helped her set the following intentions: 

-I am living fully and trusting – as my life unfolds as it should.

-I am accepting of and healing from all the loss I have experienced this past year.

-I am allowing myself to grieve the loss of my son, knowing it was his time to go.

-I am taking the necessary steps to rid my body of emotions and physical pain.

-I am feeling balance with my desired success and being nurturing to myself and my family.

One practitioner at the retreat shared about the Soul Theory. This practitioner believes souls choose to be born into a human life in order to grow and change. The soul chooses the challenges it will have. The soul chooses this to evolve and overcome trauma and find spiritual peace and joy, even though the tragedies. The retreat helped Val see the tragedies of her life in a new way. 

The third retreat was organized by two Reiki practitioners to give their clients a place to heal in the presence of other caring women. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes energy healing. The retreat was a gathering of eight women at a yoga retreat center in the Catskill mountains. This time gave Val confidence to get writing on the scripts for caregiver tea time! 

Val's special message is this:

Have you ever wondered what your soul came here to accomplish? If you feel something is holding you back from your soul finding joy and peace, the love and support you need is out there.   

Val still has times of quiet and tears almost every day. To her, this just makes peace and joy in life all the more wonderful and an amazing adventure.

Additional information and links can be found at:

https://www.caregiverteatime.com/

Look for the full version of Val's theme song, Nothing But the Good Things on your favorite music streaming service now!