Women from Neighbor to Neighbor enjoy a day of perfect imperfection

Manna House of Prayer was host to a dozen women from Neighbor to Neighbor this morning — but prayer was just the beginning of the second annual retreat for regular guests and volunteers at the downtown center.

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Sister Janet Lander, one of the staff members at Manna House, led the retreat day, which was designed to help the women take time to appreciate simple joys in their lives.

Sister Lander used a variety of crafts and writing exercises, as well excerpts from a book and video titled “Gifts from the Mountain: Simple Truths for Life’s Complexities.”

In addition to principles from the book, Sister Janet introduced the idea of “wabi-sabi,” which in Japanese roughly translates to “humble beauty” or the idea of finding beauty in imperfection. “It takes the pressure off,” she told the group and they began a simple art project. “It is even more beautiful if it’s not perfect.”

Also taking part in the retreat were the three women who founded and now operate Neighbor to Neighbor  — Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina. The women invited to come to the retreat were all regular guests and volunteers at the downtown day center for women.

The day retreat included lunch provided by Manna House staff and volunteers.