Ep. 24: The Grateful Gathering with Richard Micklson

For this episode we visit Richard Mickelson.  

Richard is a spiritual director, nature lover, husband, grandfather and has served on the board of directors here at Retreat House.

About 30 years ago, Richard was around 40 years old, in the thick of it as some might say. Raising a family, serving on church council, working in a corporate leadership role. He  describes feeling disenchanted with some of the systems he was part of. He had a feeling that there was more.

He describes his body knowing before his brain. He noticed that he found Solace, found peace, found the Divine e in nature, on walks, noticing the flowers, being outside. This was the beginning of his journey into a more contemplative way of life. He still serves and he still leads, but he says there’s more of a peace and a grounded presence that he brings to these circles. And this journey has taken time.

Beginning April 2025, Richard will begin leading Grateful Gatherings at Retreat House. The group will gather every third Tuesday from 10:30 am to noon. Using the Circle Way meeting style, this group will explore the transformative possibilities of grateful living, and discover

greater meaning, purpose, and joy in life through conversation and spiritual practice. 

Grateful Gatherings will draw from a format created by Grateful Living – a worldwide organization.

The Grateful Living organization supports daily life during challenging and joyful times with programs, resources, and skills for being more fully alive.

In our conversation, Richard shares that his personal gratitude grew out of a daily Examen during his morning prayer time. He didn’t plan it, but instead through carving out time to be with the Holy through this practice kind of realized how much he had to be grateful for and now he’s enthusiastic about sharing this passion with others.

To learn more about Richard you can go to www.retreathousecommunity.org and visit our listing of spiritual directors. You can also head over to our calendar at the same website to discover more and sign up for a Grateful Gathering.