wonderful wigwams

Bonny and I have just returned from 3 days in the wilds of Worcestershire. We met up with some Church Army friends to practice 'mindfullness', talk together about our spiritual journeys and drink wine. We stayed in 'wigwams' (actually small chalet type huts) on farmland and Bonny had utter freedom for the first time in her young life! She made friends with a 12 year old sheepdog, Jed, and followed him around slavishly. He tolerated her and when she got a bit too excited, he taught her some manners in a more effective way than I ever could.
The weather was glorious and we spent a lot of time outside - even having a bonfire one evening which Bonny was fascinated by.
I love belonging to this group. Although we all have Church Army in common, our paths have diverged and so now, although some are still working as Church Army evangelists, others have been ordained as priests, some have not been able to secure posts and have had to return to secular jobs and one is going through the process of retirement (and then there is me!). Our spiritual lives are equally rich in variety, and yet we have developed the ability to listen to each other without judging, without trying to convert the other to our way of thinking, but still with much empathy. We can also argue passionately for something one day and then change our minds the very next day without censure. I also laugh more when I am with these people than anywhere else. We also spend some time in silence - being mindful of the present moment - the current breath in our bodies, and allowing our minds to quieten. The experience of being silent in a group feels deeper and more rich to me than being silent alone.
All in all it was a precious time, the first time I have been off the boat since February! I am now back in the marina and back in work and Bonny is back on the lead, but the experience will stay with and shape both of us for some time to come.