| 9:45p |
I went on a retreat this weekend, and it was really good. Maybe not the best I've been on, but really good. It's a retreat that the OSU Newman Center does at least twice per year, and it's called Fragua. This was the 5th installment.
Fragua is very secretive. If anyone's heard of retreats such as Journey or Encounter, this is the same sort of thing. You don't really know what it's about til you get there, and little surprises pop up all through the retreat. I hesitate to say more lest one of you experience one sometime. I don't want to ruin it for anybody.
I was disenchanted with Fragua for awhile. It's geared toward people who haven't been active in their faith for some time, or maybe never, and the first Fragua, people who were active in the Newman Center were banned from going on it as a participant. They asked some of the very involved, leader-oriented people to help out, and while a LOT of my friends got asked to help out, I did not. I realize that was a really prideful thing of me, but I just felt so overlooked. Fragua is put on by this religious community that moved next to the Newman Center my second year at OSU, and I felt very overlooked by them in general that year. It seemed like they were really taking over, and while I had really worked to do good things at the NC, I felt kind of outcasted.
Anyway, Fragua after Fragua went by and I was invited to go on each one, but still felt very disenchanted. I was going to go on one last fall (Fragua IV) but it was the day of a home football game. That sounds like a very petty reason but there are only 6 per year, and I knew I'd have another opportunity to do Fragua. So this time I did it. And it was good. I didn't learn anything new, but I did gain some refreshment and insight and strength for the journey. One really cool thing is that one of the leaders on the retreat gave her testimony and included her struggle with anorexia. It wasn't the main focus of her testimony, but since it played a significant role in her life, she included it, and did a very effective job. I was so impressed. In the past, I've practically broken out into shingles if I so much speak the "a"-word. But she got up and bravely bared her struggle. I hope that someday, if I'm ever called to share my testimony, I can do so without leaving out that piece. And I hope I can do it effectively. Sometimes hearing about other people who've struggled with that makes me feel threatened, but this girl didn't at all. I'll have to think about what the difference is. Probably that she didn't seem proud of it, like it was an accomplishment.
On another random note, I decided that I want to make a soundtrack to my first year at OSU. It was such a hallmark year for me, and I randomly came to realize that there are a lot of songs I relate to that year. Not necessarily for their lyrics, more for the mood of the melody and what I associate them with. I'm kind of excited about this project! |