10/20/2025
What a beautiful weekend full of transformation and healing. I dont even know where to begin with this group. Strong willed is what comes to mind as I sit here reflecting. These women are STRONG! What an honor to serve such strong willed women! I watched them come into the space with such courage and strength, not at all knowing what to expect. These women are all leaders in their homes and in their careers. They are warrior women who nurture, lead, take care of, organize, plan, and make things happen. They are like ME! I watched them come into this holy sacred space and ALLOW someone else to nurture, lead, take care of, organize, plan and make things happen. I watched them let go, surrender, release; I watched them submit and trust another human being with their body, mind and souls. And I watched a “ripple” effect happen. I honestly am blown away by their obedience this weekend. Obedience is not easy when you are a strong willed woman. It’s not easy to go into something not knowing the plans. I gave them an itinerary and they were certainly curious. “Where are we hiking? What movie are we watching and why? What are the plans and why?” These ladies loved asking questions that sometimes we answered and other times we gently redirected them and asked them to wait patiently to receive the answers. Why? Because we didn’t want to spoil the surprises! We didn’t want to interfere with all God had for them, what God wanted to reveal to each woman individually. This morning my scripture study was from 1 Corinthians.
“Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?”
1 Corinthians 3:16 AMP
The words collectively and individually both stand out to me. We are one body, what one person does or doesn’t do greatly impacts the whole. The whole or one body could be your family, your work environment, your spiritual church body, it could be your relationship with your spouse, a friend, even a stranger. What we do with ourselves impacts ourselves AND also impacts the whole. Hawaiian culture uses the term lokahi to express this truth. “Lokahi is a Hawaiian word that means unity, harmony, agreement, and accord. It represents the principle of being in harmony with oneself, others, and the environment. This concept is applied to various aspects of life, including traditional healing, social practices, and environmental stewardship.”
This weekend I witnessed a lokahi. You can’t see it anymore, but Lokahi was my word, the word I put on my rock at the first retreat I led. I watched these courageous strong willed women enter individually into a space where they would allow healing and transformation through the collective whole, one body. We need both the individual and collective just like we need both the dark and the light. I myself know I struggle with the whole. I can lead and give to the whole, I still struggle to receive nurture, healing, care, organization etc. I have learned to make this a regular practice despite my tendency to be resistant. This weekend God illuminated “the mother” figure for me. I believe God is both mother and father, both friend and sibling. I watched God reflect His image through each woman individually throughout the weekend. I witnessed her care and empathy, her helping nature and lending hands, her healing touch through hugs, I watched her be vulnerable and share and bear her soul while also holding space for the others. What I got to witness and be part of was motherly love full of such grace, mercy and tenderness. I saw so much of God this weekend it took my breath away. Thank you ladies for being so strong and courageous. Thank you for stepping into the space and opening yourselves up to the collective whole. Thank you for mirroring and reflecting the image of God this weekend, especially through the mother. Much love and light to each of you 💜🙏
