* Begin each day feeling your intention for your retreat. Let your desire for more peace, God's love, or simple being be your first thoughts. Your intention will keep your retreat focused in the direction you want. Remembering your intention for your retreat will keep the busy world away as you look inside for your spiritual path.

* Practice being present. Catch yourself when you are speaking or thinking about things in the past or future. Be present. Here is peace.

* Simplicity. Keep a big simplicity during your retreat. Do not make your time complicated. Simplicity will always keep you close to the silence, yourself, and God's presence.

* Feel your open heart and bring it directly to God. This is your time to be with yourself and God. Let the love you find in your retreat be more for yourself and God inside of you. The open heart naturally seeks new friends and companions. Do not be busy with new relationships. This is a time for a new relationship with yourself.

* Do not be concerned about what you will do after the retreat. How do I continue this experience? How do I find this peace in normal daily life? Live in the present. Receive as much as you can now. Live a good retreat. Let tomorrow come and a way will be found. Today is your day to be in retreat.

* Don't let distractions keep you away from going deeper in your retreat. The personality by its nature is busy with likes and dislikes. Recognize your likes and dislikes for what they are. They are not so important. The personality wants to be comfortable. This is a time for your soul. Be true to your retreat. Don't be distracted by unnecessary small talk, business, intellectual discussions, shopping, activities which keep you separate from your heart, your deeper self.

* Look at the choices you are making. This is the essence of the retreat. Look at the choices you are making moment to moment about where your awareness is. Where is your heart? What are you chosing to think about and do? Practice being in the retreat as you would wish to live your life in general. Make choices that nourish your heart and the hearts of others. Notice how you spend time. Time is precious.

* Give yourself to the retreat. Let go of judging yourself or others. Allow for a new way of being. Instead of complaining or reacting as you routinely might, practice compassion, patience, or gentleness. These intentions can lead to wells of inner peace and contentment.

*This is your retreat. There is no right or wrong retreat. This is your time, your opportunity to be more with yourself and God. May simplicity, gentleness, and truth be your guides. The retreat is your gift to yourself. Open it. Receive it. A retreat is not something to accomplish or master. A retreat is simply time with less distraction or work, a time to be more with your heart, your soul. May you find the special peace in the silence. May this peace be your best friend.