A few hours ago we returned from our fourth visit to Fitzroy Falls for the Catholic Homeschool Retreat. Once again it was a wonderful week with daily Mass, confession, rosary, spiritual talks for adults and children, time for making friends, sports, and no cooking!
Below is a photo of the rosary procession with Bishop Porteous (who visited on Tuesday) carrying the Body of Our Lord.
Without fail I return from camp feeling spiritually refreshed and uplifted. One of the highlights for me are the spiritual talks for the parents, which are given by clergy while the children have their own spiritual sessions. It is a wonderful blessing to have such holy priests to encourage and teach us. This year we were blessed to have two such priests. Pictured below with Bilby is Fr. Joseph Mary.
In previous years Roo has not come to camp with us, but this year we thought he was ready. I was a little apprehensive about bringing him along. I was sure that he would be fine, but at another camp a few years Roo stationed himself in the laundry watching the tumble dryer go round and round. Unfortunately we noticed that he regressed a little once we returned home, so naturally I was a little worried. To help Roo, I took along some visuals and a schedule strip to place them upon so that he could see how the day would progress. I took along some stickers for good behaviour. Once he had collected five stickers, Roo received a chocolate which proved to be a great motivator. All this worked a treat as, Roo, had a fantastic time which was such a relief. He is certainly growing up, and fitting in beautifully with the other children.
The highlight for Roo was the mini athletics carnival. He loved the races, long jump, javelin and so forth. He even came home with the 5-6 years age championship and several other certificates!
So now it's back to the reality of family life with it's daily challenges, blessings and mundane routines. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to take time out with Our Lord to reflect, learn, and refuel. I am sure that the insights I have gained will serve myself and my family well in the months to come.
3 comments:
Hi Tricia, I was so pleased to meet you at camp! Now we are face-to-face friends as well as internet friends. I wonder why we hadn't met before. I was certainly at Fitzroy Falls last year and the year before...! Though only for a day each time. I was spoilt this year with 3 days of friendship and spiritual input. God bless!
Hi Sue, Yes it was lovley to meet you in person. How I can read your blog and hear your voice!
Hi Tricia, I must have missed this one. It was a great homeschool retreat. It was great to see all 3 of the boys at the camp. Esp., Roo being involved.
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