One of the highlights of my year is attending the five-day Mindful Writers Retreat in Ligonier, PA with a stellar group of writers that I’ve had the honor to call friends for the past seven years. Our retreat takes place at the Ligonier Camp and Conference Center (LCCC) nestled in the Laurel Highlands region of the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania.

LCCC is a kids’ camp during the summer. Off-season, they rent out their facilities to various groups. Each room at the Lamont Lodge has three sets of bunk beds. In years past, I enjoyed sleeping on the top bunk but on this occasion, the ceiling fan was a bit too close for comfort when climbing atop any of the three bunks so I took the lower bed this time.

As I’ve written in years past, everything about our retreat is magical from the location to the hours of quiet writing time to the fun and camaraderie we share during our five days together. Attending the Mindful Writers Retreat for the first time in 2018 was one of my best life decisions for my soul as well as my writing career.

The first two days were sunny and clear. Clouds and rain rolled in for Wednesday and Thursday, but my sunrise walk through woods and along the mountain on Tuesday offered an opportunity for spectacular views, as always.

As for writing, my goal for the retreat was to finish the outline for the sword and sorcery story and write at least the first two or three scenes.

Also, I wanted to take at least a half day to review a paranormal mystery novella that I started in 2022 and worked on sporadically for about a year in between short story projects. I picked it up again last year’s Mindful Writers Retreat and had not looked at it since. It needed more work than I could give it in the few days at the retreat so I turned my attention back to the S&S story and wrote 2,100 words. The limit is 5,000 per the publisher’s submission requirements. Once I finish this story, I plan to turn my attention back to the novella and finish it by summer 2026.

It has long become tradition for many of the writers  to gather by the fire and chat on Thursday evenings as it is our final night together. We do have social time during lunch and dinner, but many of us only see one another once or twice a year at the retreat so the fireside chats permit us more time to catch up.

After our 9AM brunch on Friday, it was time for final hugs and goodbyes. This a group of writers I’ve have come to miss when we’re apart but fortunately, I will see three of them in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in a few weeks as we gather at Browseabout Books on Saturday, November 8 from 11AM to 1PM to sign copies of our Mindful Writers anthologies.

On my way from the retreat, I visited the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA. Every autumn, when I drive Route 30 on my way to or from  Ligonier, I consider stopping here and never do. Friday was a damp, cold, windy day but nevertheless, I was determined to visit the memorial. Although the visitor center was closed due to the government shutdown, I walked to the overlook and then drove around to the Wall of Names.  My last stop was the Tower of Voices, a 93-foot tall wind chime near the entrance and exit. All told, a sobering experience and reminder of how much we should cherish our friends and loved ones.