Tell About It Tuesday -- While We're Waiting Moms' Mini-Retreat

On Saturday, my friend Janice and I hosted our seventh While We're Waiting Mom's Mini-Retreat.  Once again, the day was an indescribable blessing.  The strep throat/stomach bug kept a few of our moms from coming, so our group was small ... but, as always, God brought exactly the right group of women together.  Why am I always so amazed that He does that?  I really should be used to it by now.

Our moms had a range of stories ... some of us had lost sons, and some had lost daughters.  One had lost her child seventeen years ago, and two had lost their children less than six months ago.  Some of our kids were lost in car accidents, one on a foreign battlefield, and two to long-term illnesses.  But all of us agreed on one thing ... that our children weren't really "lost" at all.  We knew exactly where they were.  And because of that, we were able to smile and laugh through our tears.

The story of the day is always best told through pictures.

We always have a sparkly winter theme for our January Moms' Mini-Retreat.  Our wonderful decorating ladies always do such a fantastic job, and are we so thankful for what they do to make the day special.

 Look at our beautiful table...

And look how pretty these little birds are, perched throughout the wintry branches...

And hanging on the back of each chair (you know I love these)...

We spent the morning sharing our kids' stories and the afternoon discussing topics relevant to bereaved moms.  The moms thoroughly enjoyed the massages they received from our amazing massage therapist.  Then it was time for dinner, which is always the highlight of the day.

Our appetizer was a mini chicken enchilada...

The salad was Bibb lettuce with mandarin oranges and almonds, drizzled with an orange poppy seed dressing...

Then, to cleanse our palates, an intermezzo of blood orange sorbet...

The appetizer was a traditional Italian chicken parmigiana on a bed of angel hair pasta, with real shaved parmesan on top.  I have to tell the truth here ... I forgot to take a picture of mine until I had nearly polished it all off ... so I had to take a picture of my neighbor's plate.  She had already eaten a good bit of hers also, but we managed to turn the plate to where it looked somewhat presentable...

And, the piece d' resistance, the dessert.  This dessert was actually created by our chef's daughter, and was some sort of combination of brownie, cookie, chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and baklava ice cream.  Oh yeah, it was every bit as good as it sounds, and even better than it looks.

Finally, a picture of our moms.  Women who have endured unimaginable pain, and by the grace of God, are surviving.  Courageous women, whose greatest fear has come to pass, and who continue to trust God.  Strong women, who carry an immense burden, yet still reach out to help others.  Broken-hearted women, who still find a way to smile because of the promise of eternity with their children and their Savior.

With permission, I share this quote from one of these moms ... "I felt more healing yesterday than I have since July 29, 2011, when my son Matt went to Heaven.  God has blessed those of us who have found While We're Waiting."  I couldn't think of a better way to sum up the day.