My sacred connection to this special community
Karen Hoffman offering a teaching and meditation over interfaith lunch at Retreat House
By Karen Hoffman
It was summertime, 2021, and one of my first social gatherings in more than a year. When my friend asked what I’d been doing recently, I replied that I’ve been facilitating workshops and doing a deep-dive study into mindfulness and living our core values. She slapped her knee and said:
“Oh, you’ve got to go see the walking labyrinth I helped create at this spirituality place in Richardson.”
She gave me the address and I went there the next day, strolling the outdoor labyrinth on a quiet afternoon. I was magnetically attracted to the space and disappointed that I hadn’t called for an appointment or tour; but I wasn’t sure what it was, and my friend had only told me about the labyrinth outside.
Fast forward less than a week and I had conversations with both Lil and Emily. And I found myself entering this sacred space for my first program: a silent retreat. I met some beautiful souls that morning, toured the interior space, savoring the moments of silence in each of the uniquely designed rooms. I shared and soaked in the prayers, text, poetry and later the sounds of the flute meditation. Sharing a lunch and then some additional reflection time sealed my commitment that very day to this sacred community.
“Retreat House is so much more than a physical or spiritual space. It’s more than a learning or gathering space. It has truly become a home-away-from-home for me.”
It’s comforting, warm, welcoming, aromatic, aesthetically soothing, tranquil. It’s a home I can enter for personal time, reflection, writing, meeting with a group or an individual, eating, drinking, talking, painting, sharing, building community, sowing seeds of new friendships, exploring multifaith and multicultural journeys and sharing my own with others as well.
When filled with the vibrant personalities and varied groups of people gathering, Retreat House reminds me of a song my kids introduced to me for their wedding song, called “Crowded Table,” written by Brandi Carlile and Lori McKenna:
“You can hold my hand, when you need to let go.
I can be your mountain when you’re feeling valley-low
I can be your streetlight, showing you the way home
You can hold my hand, when you need to let go.
I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire, for everyone.
Let us take on the world while we’re young and able.
And bring us back together when the day is done.
If we want a garden, we’re gonna have to sow the seeds
Plant a little happiness; let the roots run deep.
If it’s love that we give, then it’s love that we reap.
If we want a garden, we’re gonna have to sow the seed.
The door is always open; your picture’s on my wall.
Everyone’s a little broken and everyone belongs.
Yeah - everyone belongs.
I want a house with a crowded table
And a place by the fire, for every one.
Let us take on the world while we’re young and able.
And bring us back together when the day is done.
”
Retreat House is an integral part of the sacred journey I am on. My entry point started at the entrance to the labyrinth; and now, going into the new year, I look forward to discovering the many more ways my soul will be touched and transformed through my connection to the people who make up the crowded tables and beautiful spaces within this special community.
Karen Hoffman is a mindful living guide. You can read more about her ministry and work here. On December 15, Karen shared a mediation and teaching based in her Jewish tradition. Watch here.