Retreating is fantastically rewarding for Rob. Particularly retreating outside of Mississippi. For this provides an opportunity to get out of my familiar setting and engage with Samson guys who're not within - to any degree - my sphere of influence.
The Blue Ridge Samson Society retreat will be co-lead by my first Silas, Mr. Chris Inman, who now resides in Mobile, AL. Chris and I weren't privy to Samson Society +/-10 years ago (when we were each others' Silas), but nonetheless, we developed a friendship that was tantamount to any Silas relationship I've experienced since.
What I look forward to the most is melding into the background of the retreat setting, and from there, observing the guys. Watching their interactions, listening to their dialogue, learning who they are as we're all combined together over the weekend. That to me is a setting for solid healing work. Plus, it provides me with a methodology for capturing emotional memories. Of which I'll draw upon long after the retreat is concluded. Too, I may actually meet a new someone who's willing to dialogue into the future (beyond the retreat weekend). We'll see.
Community is so rare these days. Especially community that's intentionally warranted from the standpoint of neediness.
I realize most men hankering for community do so by hanging with other guys on the golf course, sitting at a sports bar, gambling in Vegas, etc. That's just not for Rob. Instead, I'd rather support a ministry like Samson Society via my attendance to retreats like these, and ultimately receive - again, due to my neediness - far more in return.
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