Wow, what a remarkable weekend and thanks so much for being a part of it. We had six families arrive on Thursday evening for the weekend and what an amazing group for this, our first retreat.
Friday morning began with a fantastic breakfast and then off we went. We held a session for veterans, a session for spouses, and the kids began their programming. Kids had intentional time with one of our staff member’s horses – Cherokee and Thunder – on both Friday and Saturday. It was AWESOME! The most amazing part was when a four year old with special needs met one of the horses nose to nose. We captured the introduction on video and I have tears in my eyes every time I see it. The younger kids worked to process some of their experiences with having a parent deployed and then the changes since the return. The older kids did tons of team building and all of them participated in the low ropes course.
Kids are resilient but it was great to introduce some new tools to pack in their toolbox that could help the communication at home. So off the kids went, hunting in the woods for the perfect stick to make “talking sticks”, a Native American tradition. They adorned them with feathers, leather roping, beads, etc. They were fabulous. It’s a perfect, simple way to let other family members know that you have something you’d like to talk about and deserves attention. Our family is going to use this tradition now too. To see kids laugh, smile, and interact was awesome but it was also great to see kids open up about the stress of the separation and to understand what makes it so difficult for them.
The adults also had a lot going on. In the veterans group we learned about the difficulties in seeking and receiving counseling and care as well as other issues they face. Although we knew about these things, to hear their individual stories had some heartbreaking moments. They were also surprised to discover that we had small group encounters specifically for them. One of the guys said, “I thought we were coming to have family time but I did not know that we would get opportunities to talk and learn from each other too. This is great!”
We spent a lot of time talking about how to find ways to let the stories out. We worked to help them repack their family toolbox with communication techniques, and did high adventure team building and trust-building activities to strengthen family bonds.
Spouses worked on understanding the ways family roles have changed and understanding how to renegotiate those roles. It was fantastic to see the bond develop between them as they learned from one another too. The understandings that came from hearing their stories, concerns, and hopes helped us gain deeper understanding of the difficulties that deployment creates here at home.
Teaching spouses and veterans alike to look at the compass as a tool for helping your family navigate their way was terrific. They each learned how every direction holds new adventures and learnings for them individually as well as a family.
The weekend was packed full but when it was time to wrap it up we got the best feedback ever, “Can we do this again?” The desire to meet again and get back together is powerful. I loved that we all took so much away from the weekend. Now we are working to begin the follow-up.
We had an amazing group of volunteers staffing this weekend including a remarkable set of people from SpringHill. The strengths and gifts here were amazing. The food, adventure courses, and location was perfect. SImilarly, the cold weather didn’t deter us. Families smiling, laughing, and playing together was awesome! One of the therapists that was with us this weekend said, “It was truly a Healing Community.” I couldn’t have hoped for a better compliment.
Thanks for your prayers, love, encouragement and support. We look forward to more opportunities in 2010.  Please continue to pray for Compass and for these six families. Thank you so very much for the strength you have given us.
Blessings,
Lisa