Tag Archives: Retreats

RELAUNCHING A BEAUTIFUL MESS!!

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Posted by kritzau on January 4, 2012 – 9:04 pm
Filed under A Beautiful Mess, Art Journaling, Home.Food.Garden, Poems and Blessings, Spiritual Direction

Well the site never got “turned off.”

This may have been providential in the midst of shifting my focus to my new site kristinritzau.com (which still exists).  As I have been doing some vision planning for 2012, something became quite clear… TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER. Through the workshops, events, and open mic nights, this has been so evident and so refreshing.  As I thought about it, this is what ABM was birthed out of – a safe space to be yourself, authentic and true.  Why not have a blog where we can continue this community?  Where others can join when they want to and contribute.  Where we can find our voices and share our gifts as well as honor and respect other people in the space.

So here we are in 2012, with a website that never got shut down, and a philosophy to support it.  So why the heck not?  I am over the moon about this idea so here it goes: Each week, at least to start with, a different voice will be featured sharing an original essay, photo, collage, art piece, or poem.  These ideas will revolve around a seasonal prompt which will change every four months.  So for example, if the prompt for this winter is “Finding Hope,” then you would use that to create something to share with this community and your own of course.  It could be just a short poem to a picture that inspires that prompt in you to a story to a painting (which you would take a picture of)… hopefully it will make sense as it begins.

I have contacted a handful of people to initiate the blog which will start next week, but as we get the ball rolling if you feel like you want to contribute something, send me a message and I will send you the prompt for this season.  And remember TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER! Happy New Year everyone.

A Tale of Disappointment & Hope

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Posted by kritzau on July 13, 2011 – 3:29 pm
Filed under A Beautiful Mess, Spiritual Direction

These past two weeks have been full. Full of travel, hospitality, reconnection, and relationship. The literal journey took me and Nate up to Oregon for a week-long contemplative prayer retreat, followed by another seven days in Washington with family and friends.

Computers were sparse; phone service scant, and time was of the essence. Time to read, walk and breathe. Time to taste, feel, reflect and connect.

This annual week in Oregon is a sacred time of intentional prayer and slowing down. Each year I need it more and this year was no exception. It is always difficult to put into essay or spoken form what happens. Contemplative prayer is gentle, but it is a spiritual discipline that requires all of you.  The phrase “handle with care” is completely appropriate.

To be in a space where you know you are beloved in a world that constantly tries to contradict that is hard work. To show-up to your surroundings and find God is in everything is all-consuming. To have room to digest a year’s time, to peel back more layers, to find more beauty and delight in the inner parts of your soul is overwhelming. Read More »

Making a Mess in Colorado

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Posted by kritzau on May 23, 2011 – 6:25 pm
Filed under A Beautiful Mess, Art Journaling, Workshops/Retreats

A lot of paper was ripped in the past four days. And with every tear, I pray that something in the world was stitched up.

I flew to Denver last Thursday.  It was the fourth trip I’ve been on in a month.  This spring has encompassed another country, another county, another state, and all different kinds of amazing events and people at every stop.

The three events scheduled for this past visit flew by, but not without moments to pause, to meditate, to share, to laugh, to rip, to cry, and to heal. I met over 30 women this past week (and even more up north in Modesto) who are longing to find depth, connection, and growth in their communities and with themselves.

(centerpieces for the event at Big Valley Grace Church in Modesto)

A trend is emerging at these workshops of women being reintroduced to the right side of their brain: the creative, intuitive, fluid and often ignored or undervalued side. Through ripping up magazines, finger painting and throwing “normal” structure out the window, we began to breathe a little easier, deeper, and truer together — all at different rhythms, but side by side nonetheless.

It wasn’t without rules though.

“Rules?” You might ask, “I thought perfectionists were trying to recover from those?”

These were different: Read More »

Inspiraton and updates

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Posted by kritzau on April 19, 2011 – 9:37 am
Filed under A Beautiful Mess, Workshops/Retreats

It is holy week in the Church.  This time always brings about feelings of anticipation mixed with grief and hope.  I felt a need for some inspiration and in light of it being holy week, I wanted to pass on this amazing short video with an incredible spoken word performance by Sarah Kay. Her storytelling ability captures one’s attention as we are in a week of a most memorable story. Be inspired and pass it on in this season that is also about sharing.

Additionally, I wanted to make you aware of a few updates on the calendar:
> May 2nd, Big Valley Grace Church in Modesto, California is hosting a Perfectionism Workshop from 6pm to 9pm.  Would love to see you there.  Check out their Facebook Event page for more information.

> There are still spaces for the Colorado Workshop on May 21st. Check out the EVENTS page for more information.

> June 18th is the first Beautiful Mess Open Mic night. You can see details on the EVENTS page or on the Facebook invite.  This will be an amazing evening to share your gifts with a wonderful group of supportive people.  Whether you write a poem, an essay, want to sing a song or display an original painting or photograph, we would love to have you come.  Even if you want to just take in the night and support others, it would great to have you come as well.  Tickets are $5 a person.  More details for those who are participating coming soon! (Fan ABM while you’re there- would love to see us hit 300 fans!)

> Lastly, if you have read the book, would you consider writing a review on Amazon? Thank you for you love and support of this book.  May the message come to those who it need it most.

I will be taking a little time off, but after the Modesto event, I will be back!  May grace meet you today.

Perfectionist Pictures

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Posted by kritzau on January 24, 2011 – 9:01 am
Filed under A Beautiful Mess, Art Journaling, Workshops/Retreats

Saturday I had the honor of hosting a workshop at my home.  I was excited even before these seven women came over because I knew a little bit about almost all of them and also predicted that they would get along splendidly.  Lucky for me, I was right.  They came in ready to slow down, relax, breathe, and share and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day with them.

We all need permission from each other once in a while to show the true colors of our souls and our colors came spilling out.  They merged with one another and what seemed unbearable and lonely before transformed into something with hope, messy yes, but beautiful because honesty was present.  So enjoy these pictures of our day together and I hope at some point, I can share this experience with more of you.

(Become a fan too!)

Cypress Book Tour Stop

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Posted by kritzau on December 13, 2010 – 3:38 pm
Filed under A Beautiful Mess, Living Room Tour

Last night I had the absolute fortune of meeting a lovely group of women in Cypress, Calif.  I was greeted by my wonderful hosts, Jamie and Kasey, where I was also introduced to these -

Exhibit A:

Yes those are cookies, but they are very special and I can honestly say that this is the first cookie that practically made its way up my nose because this is what you do with them -

Exhibit B:

(so hot right now) Read More »