Friday, I returned from serving as the Retreat Director of our 108th Kairos retreat; it’s a job that I’ve done for maybe 6 years now, and every time is different and every time is special. Directing requires a ton of work for more than a month leading up to the retreat, and then it’s four days of near round-the-clock focus. I always come back utterly and completely drained, with my emotions worn raw and ragged. I always come back with a greater understanding of the particular students that I’ve worked so closely with, and a better general understanding of the general moods, beliefs, and values of the graduating class.
I’d like to go into more detail on this particular Kairos retreat because it was so unique, but confidentiality demands that I not. It will suffice to simply say that some students suffer from great spiritual and psychological pain, and that there is only so much that we teachers can do to help them — the rest remains in the hands of others and our God.
PS
As an aside, I lost five-pounds this year during Kairos-prep — as opposed, for the record, to the 10-Lbs that I lost during a similar time period last year.