Saturday, February 7, six women arrived in Fredericksburg for a relaxing weekend.  All of these women have very special, difficult jobs.  Each one is a caregiver for her spouse.  For those of you who do not know what being a caregiver is, it’s a 24/7 job of taking care of someone who is wounded, injured or ill.  If there are children at home then that just adds to the difficulty and stress.  Getting away for a weekend with others in similar circumstances to talk about what’s going on, exchange ideas and getting a little pampering helps.  It lets them know they are not alone which is very important since some are new to San Antonio having recently moved, leaving their families and support system behind so their loved one can receive the treatment he needs.

So after checking into a guest house in the beautiful hill country the ladies met Rene Pennington, a local Christian therapist who moderated some ice breakers while dinner was prepared.  She would also be meeting with them Saturday morning.  Saturday afternoon the ladies were treated to a manicure or pedicure then spent some time exploring main street before meeting at Hondo’s On Main for dinner.

When asked if they felt the weekend had been beneficial they all said an emphatic yes.  Prior to the retreat three of the women had never met any of the other participants. All six left as friends who plan to support each other and reach out to friends who are also caregivers.  They also stated at one time or the other that they rely heavily on God to help them through this difficult journey.  What a blessing it was to have several of them join us for church Sunday morning.

This is  the second retreat in our new Caregiver Retreat program.

Click on Photos at top of Home Page to see more picture of the event.