Retreat into poetry

Editor’s note: The recent Providence Associate spring retreat served as inspiration for Providence Associate Cathy Lamperski Dearing to pen the following poems.
See photos from the retreat here.
Find your inspiration as a Providence Associate! Apply today.

Inhale

Go away.
Set yourself apart.
Stop gasping.
Stop grabbing.
Stop elbowing your way
Through life.

Retreat.
Retreat.

Do you not hear it calling you?

“Hurry is greed”
Someone once said,
So slow yourself down
To a gentle stop instead.

It’s time to explore
What deep breaths give.
Go on, do it now,
B R E A T H E   S L O W L Y   I N

That’s life,
That’s God,
Nourishing body, spirit,and soul within.

Retreat.
Retreat.

Do you not hear it calling you?

Charism

Gift and Grace
The Spirit energy
Within;
An energy pulsing
With life and joy;
An everconstant awareness
Of God’s presence
In all;
Of God’s Providence
Breathing
Sustaining
Embodying
Flourishing
Both from within
And from without.
This Charism
Grounded and rooted
In the soil of Justice, Mercy, and Love
Blossoming into the flower of
I to We to One.