Am I the only one who gets a little morose when October arrives?
A text arrived early this morning from one of my beloved sisters-in-law: “Don’t you have retreats coming up? How can I be praying for you?”
So many of my friends proclaim fall to be their favorite season that it seems almost heretical to feel otherwise. Cool, crisp nights, leaves crunching underfoot, pumpkin spice everything, football games, the mountains ablaze with color - I totally understand the love.
But when the tenth month arrives, it feels as if the year is dying, and me with it just a bit. My friend Cindy nailed it the other day when she asked her Facebook friends whether we were feeling a bit “Autumnal” in our souls: “Less light, the falling away of some beauty that once was there, perhaps even the death of a dream.”
Yep, all that.
AND YET.
Fall brings with it something that gives me great joy – it’s retreat season! I’ve been on two recently here in western North Carolina, and I’m packing to head to New England on Friday for the first of two consecutive women’s retreats at Camp Monadnock in New Hampshire.
I’ve had the privilege of teaching at Monadnock every couple of years for the past three decades, but this will be the first time in five years after Covid shuttered its doors for a long season.
For me, driving into the conference grounds at the base of Mount Monadnock is like going home. Much as my mother used to pencil my height on a door frame, the past 30 years at Monadnock have served as a sort of spiritual growth chart for me.
And I know I’ll see some of you there!
I shy away from using this space for personal needs, but I’d be so deeply grateful for your prayers for the weekends in NH as well as these upcoming events.
Here’s where I’ll be speaking or team-teaching for the next seven months.
October 14-16 Camp Monadnock Women’s Retreat Jaffrey, NH
October 21-23 Camp Monadnock Women’s Retreat Jaffrey, NH
(Space is still available! If you live in New England and would like to attend either weekend, please call the office at 603-744-6344.)
November 12-14 Redbud Writers Guild Retreat Darien, IL
November 17 Osterville Baptist Church Women’s Night Cape Cod, MA
December 9 Longs Chapel Festival of Tables Clyde, NC
January 10 Atlanta Gift Show (tentative) Atlanta, GA
January 13-18 Private writers retreat Round Top, TX
February 24-26 Asheville Christian Writers Conference Asheville, NC
April 27-30 reNEW Retreat for Writers & Speakers Speculator, NY
May 28- June 1 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Black Mountain, NC
Several of you have asked if I’m working on any new books these days.
Last Friday, I hit SEND on six essays from Job and the Psalms for The Message: Women’s Devotional Bible, a collaborative project for NavPress. I’d also love to write another gift-book devotional, but the way is not clear for that yet.
My first book, This Life We Share, did not release until I turned 67. If you feel a tug towards a calling as a writer, it’s never too late! Please join us at any one of these upcoming conferences where you’ll meet hundreds of other aspiring and established authors.
Which is why I have a giveaway today!
The Courage to Write is a compilation of 62 devotions to encourage your writing journey. Edited by Rachel Britton and Lucinda Secrest McDowell, The Courage to Write
will give you the confidence that your story matters, and you can share your words knowing that “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
I’ve already sent out several copies to younger women just starting their journey, and I have one set aside for one of YOU as well! Please leave a comment below if you’re interested, I’ll draw a name on Monday, October 17 (in between retreats).
We write – and read – to know we are not alone. Please tell me in our Comments section below why you love fall, or even why you might be feeling a little “Autumnal” in your soul today.
And know you are deeply loved!
- Maggie Wallem Rowe
Maggie Wallem Rowe is an author, speaker, and dramatist who writes from Peace Ridge, her home in the mountains of western North Carolina. She is the author of This Life We Share: 52 Reflections on Journeying Well with God and Others, and her new book Life is Sweet, Y'all: Wit and Wisdom with a Side of Sass.