The Gift of Stepping Away

The greatest gift I was ever given wasn't advice. It was space.

About fifteen years ago, my life felt like it was coming apart.

I was navigating the pain of divorce while also facing some health concerns. Every day seemed filled with questions I couldn't answer, emotions I couldn't untangle, and an endless stream of thoughts that only grew louder the more I tried to make sense of them.

Looking back, I realize I wasn't just overwhelmed. I had lost touch with myself.

Friends and family saw something I couldn't. They knew that what I needed wasn't more advice.

It was enough distance from the noise to hear my own soul again. So they gave me one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. They gave me the gift of stepping away.

Just west of Crested Butte on the Slate River

They sent me to beautiful places where I could leave behind the constant demands of everyday life and simply be. Places where I could reconnect in nature, with myself, with God, and with others.

Those retreats didn't erase my circumstances. They changed how I walked through them. In the quiet, something remarkable happened.

I rediscovered who I truly am. I remembered why I'm here. I began reconnecting with a deeper purpose that had been buried beneath fear, grief, and uncertainty.

But perhaps the greatest gift wasn't what I discovered. It was how I discovered it.

I finally had enough space to pay attention, and paying attention changed everything.

Paying Attention Is a Practice

One of the greatest gifts contemplative practices have given me is learning how to pay attention.

That sounds simple. It's not. Most of us spend our days reacting.

Reacting to emails.

To news headlines.

To other people's expectations.

To the endless commentary running through our own minds.

When life changes, that inner commentary gets even louder. Our minds naturally begin creating stories to explain what's happening. Sometimes those stories are true.

Many times they aren't. We assume the worst. We question our worth. We replay conversations. We imagine futures that haven't happened.

I've discovered—again and again—that many of the stories creating the most anxiety aren't actually aligned with Reality. They're simply fear trying to protect us.

Contemplative practices don't help us escape those stories. They help us notice them. And once we notice them, we can gently ask:

Is this actually true?

That simple question creates space.

Space to return to the present moment.

Space to notice God's loving presence.

Space to remember who we are.

Space to respond with clarity and love instead of reacting from fear.

The Courage to Step Away

Our culture celebrates doing more. Moving faster. Working harder. Figuring everything out.

But what if the most courageous thing we can do is something completely different?

What if we stepped away...

Not to escape life—but to become more present to it?

Because transformation rarely happens while we're rushing. It happens when we slow down long enough to pay attention.

To our breath.

To our bodies.

To our relationships.

To what is actually true.

I've come to believe that paying attention is one of the most courageous spiritual practices we can cultivate. Because what we pay attention to ultimately shapes the way we live.

Why I Created the Staying Grounded Retreat

The Staying Grounded Retreat exists because someone once gave me this gift. Now I want to offer it to others.

Whether you're navigating a life transition, feeling overwhelmed, longing for deeper spiritual practices, or simply sensing you've drifted from yourself, this retreat is an invitation to step away for a few days and pay attention.

Together we'll explore simple contemplative practices that quiet the noise and help us reconnect with ourselves, with one another, with God's presence, and with what matters most.

My hope isn't that you'll leave with all the answers.

My hope is that you'll leave with a different way of living.

A way of returning, again and again, to practices that keep you grounded no matter what season you're walking through. Because the goal isn't escaping your life. It's returning to it with greater clarity.

Greater peace.

Greater courage.

And a deeper awareness that you're never walking alone.

If your soul has been longing for that kind of space, I'd love to welcome you to the Staying Grounded Retreat. Not because a weekend will solve everything.

But because sometimes a few intentional days away can change the way you walk through everything that comes next.

A Question Worth Sitting With

Maybe the invitation isn't to figure out your life. Maybe the invitation is simply to pay attention.

To your body.

To your thoughts.

To your soul.

To God's quiet presence.

To the places where fear has written a story that Reality never did.

Because when we learn to pay attention—to ourselves, to God, to others, and to the present moment—we often discover that the next step has been there all along, quietly waiting to be noticed.

So let me leave you with one question worth sitting with...

When was the last time you gave yourself enough space to remember who you truly are and why you’re here?