this moment of retreat
Listening to the Birch, the Milkweed, and
the Healing Song in All that is Now
Heather Lee
Foreword by
Arthur Boers
This Moment of Retreat
Listening to the Birch, the Milkweed, and the Healing Song in
All that is Now
Copyright © 2014 Heather Lee. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
Resource Publications
An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3
Eugene, OR 97401
www.wipfandstock.com
ISBN 13: 978-1-62564-855-6
eISBN 13: 978-1-63087-401-8
Manufactured in the U.S.A.
Except where noted, Scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society.
Used by Permission.
Songs for chapters 1, 4, 5 and 7 are from the CD, She Stands, Copyright © 2010 by Heather Lee. Used by Permission.
Songs for the preface and chapters 2, 3, and 6 are from the CD, Into the Light, Copyright © 2012 by Heather Lee. Used by Permission.
“This book convinces me that this sister and I have much in common. I can learn a lot from her. In fact, I have learned a lot from her. I benefit from her hard-earned wisdom. I am inspired by an eloquence that grew from her own healing. And you too are in for an experience of healing,
learning, and inspiration.”
—from the foreword by Arthur Boers
“This book is so rich, and I find myself whirling with the fullness of it. I want to spend time working with it—reflecting, chewing, digesting, being challenged and nourished, and held by it—slowly. For me, each chapter has been an invitation to seek, to listen deep inside, and to find the ways in which God reaches out to me.”
—Dawn Zak, retreat facilitator, Milwaukee, WI
“An excellent facilitation guide on growth and healing for small group retreats, book discussions, or self-guided reflection and contemplation.”
—Brian Stahlkopf, licensed professional counselor, Milwaukee, WI
I dedicate this book to
my family:
Wes, Mollee, and Andy,
my friends:
by God’s grace, too many to name,
and to my God:
in faith that I am doing Your will by sharing
my writing, my music, and my experience.
how to access song files
Readers can access the songs in the following ways.
1. Author’s website or Facebook page
free mp3 files and links to YouTube
follow these links:
http://www.heatherleeonline.com
https://www.facebook.com/heatherleeonline
2. Purchase on iTunes
at the following links:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/she-stands/id413774802?uo=4
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/into-the-light/id509383758?uo=4
3. Purchase on cd baby
at the following links:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/heatherlee
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/heatherlee2
foreword
By Arthur Boers
Full disclosure: Heather Lee is a friend twice removed. My good friend Daniel introduced me to his good friend David, who in turn told Heather about me and me about Heather. (All this without the benefits of Facebook.) While I was more than happy to read the manuscript—and listen to the songs and music—of a friend of a friend’s friend, I had no idea what to expect. I did it on faith and was richly rewarded.
I quickly discovered a kindred spirit. Heather Lee has an eloquent way with words, shown both in the prose and the poetic songs in this book, not to mention the epiphanies she experiences along the way. And her music is heartening, hopeful, and healing.
Soon, my reading of Heather’s manuscript was not an assignment or a commitment. Rather, it became a way for me to enter into prayer, to reflect on my own life, and to connect with God.
I admire Heather’s sense of self-deprecating humor. As someone who is an off-the-scale Myers-Briggs “J,” I love her line about being a “recovering planner.” Her poems speak deeply to my own condition and yearnings. And her countercultural take on what it means to thrive and grow is one that I cannot hear too often.
In fact, many phrases here that brought me up short and invited me to ponder, “the discipline of the shift,” “grounded gently,” “the washing of our souls in song,” “the largeness of each moment.”
As a hiker, an aspiring pray-er, a music appreciator, I was heartened by this book. I trust that you will be too.
Heather and I have never met. We live in different countries. She has talents that I can only envy from afar. And yet this book convinces me that this sister and I have much in common. I can learn a lot from her. In fact, I have learned a lot from her. I benefit from her hard-earned wisdom. I am inspired by an eloquence that grew from her own healing. And you too are in for an experience of healing, learning, and inspiration as you explore the
following pages.
As we have never met face-to-face, I would likely not recognize Heather if we happened to bump into each other on the street. Yet her distinct voice is one that I suspect I would recognize anywhere. I hope we hear a lot more from her.
Arthur Boers
Author of Living into Focus:
Choosing What Matters in an Age of Distractions
and
The Way is Made by Walking:
A Pilgrimage Along the Camino de Santiago.
preface
There isn’t a cloud in the sky on an early summer afternoon as I sit