A waking drenching rain, a rhythmic longing rain, a mindful rain all night, rain through walking, rain through yoga, rain of goodbyes and departure, rain of driving the 101 back to LA –

wondrous, lustrous, slapping, heavy, soul cleansing, splashing puddling, flooding, rain so steady, rushing, a lush and long desired downpour. A retreat of soaking and drenching, stretching and hiking, writing and resting, climbing, descending, settling, sharing, connecting.

A lovely closing sharing: in a circle, all of us gathering to share and say how the retreat enriched us; the lovely young couple who are longing for a child

struggling with fertility, yearning for the blessing of a baby in their lives, sharing their initial fear of attending the retreat - will we be outsiders? In this political

climate of being un-welcomed? Of course they've feel welcomed, included! One of us says emphatically, we will not build a wall!

Rain, breath, renewal, return, resume, refreshed.

All photos and text copyright Kelly DuMar 2017.