In the IC Room

There I was quietly sitting on the sofa waiting for my retreat guide Riza. It was my first meeting with her and this happened on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. She smiled when she saw me and she directed me to the IC Room. IC stands for Individual Consultation. It's a small tidy room overlooking the gardens and there was a chair and sofa and a table. On top of the table was a crucifix and a candle. The room was conducive for a heart to heart conversation and instantly, I felt relaxed and calm. The IC Room is where meetings between retreatants and the guide were held.

The first of the series of 14 consultation meetings started with a prayer which was led by Riza. It has been a while since I've been in a situation like this - in prayer and opening myself up with a "stranger". The next hour brought me back to the past and it was a very good recollection of moments when I was struggling with my faith. Riza listened intently to everything that I said and threw questions at me to guide me through my spiritual journey. As I recalled those crucial moments in my life, I felt very grateful that even during those moments when I was spiritually lost, He was there.

My life is a series of events and they are never fragmented. One thing leads to another and it forms part of the bigger picture. Wherever I am today, the journey started as early as 1994. Fourteen years later, here I am, recalling the past and how I arrived to make it to the IC Room. I was truly amazed at how He has always been there even when I thought He wasn't. I was moved to tears but they were tears of joy upon realizing that I am guided by Him. Nothing can ever describe the peace that I felt during that one hour in the IC Room. I know that as I closed the meeting with a spontaneous prayer, He was there. O:-)