How I Spent My March Vacation

I forgot to tell you!  I got away in March.  It was lovely – the getting away.  I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it – just GET AWAY – just for me – not because I had to go take care of something for someone or fix a challenge – but for ME.  Since before the adoption, I cannot think of another time I got away or got to BE just for me.  I was long over due for some self-care.

It was heavenly.

Well, okay, the delayed planes and the totally screwed up flights home that the airline never bothered to tell me about and that I had to take care of on my own – not so heavenly.  Not feeling well and not getting the sleep I needed – eh, I was physically okay and caught up on sleep in a day or two.  But the getting away – the being with other mamas who walk this parenting trauma road with me – THAT was heavenly!

The Mamas (Yeah, I'm in there.) - ETAAM (now BeTA) Retreat - March 2013 - Orlando, Florida

We laughed.  We cried.  We ranted.  We ate.  We ran, or walked, or sat and cheered one another on.  We talked and talked.  We gave each other gifts.  We received the care and the understanding that so many of us trauma mamas have a hard time finding.  

We talked of times to come and changes to be made. 

Next year – March 7-10, 2014, we plan to do it again – only a bit different – but still, the same.  We plan to still get together – all of us wonderful, amazing, knowledgeable, fun, loving, smart women – and do all this and more.  It does not matter that some are from one country or another, or from the east coast or west coast, north or south, meat eater or vegan, fluffy or hard-bodied, young-ish or old-ish, liberal or conservative, single parent or co-parent, gay or straight, or what our faith or personal beliefs.  What matters is that we come together to love on one another, and “be there” for each other because we all “get it” in a way that folks not parenting a traumatized or attachment disordered child can.

Registration for next year will begin soon.  If you’ve never come to the annual retreat in Orlando, I hope you’ll join us next year at Emerald Island Resort in Orlando (Kissimmee), FL for this weekend that is all about YOU – this weekend that gives YOU a break from trauma and renews and restores YOU.  Come talk with us, laugh with us, cry with us – even pray with us if that's your thing (there are plenty of us that do!).  

I'd really like to meet you there.

Check out the Beyond Trauma and Attachment (BeTA) website at http://www.momsfindhealing.com or click HERE to check out the FAQ’s about next year’s retreat.  Registration for newbies starts on May 1^st.  Just follow the directions there to email fellow trauma mama, Rachel and let her know what kind of room you’d like, who you’d like to room with (if you know), etc.  You can also message me if you have any questions and I’ll post generalized answers here.  Otherwise, use my gmail account with the same name as the blogspot address identifier you see up there in your browser window.