The Journey That Inspired Stretching Forward
Sometimes, an experience touches us in ways we don't fully understand until much later. Places hold memories of who we were, what we discovered, and the possibilities that opened before us. And sometimes, when we return, we find that those places still have something to offer. For me, Iona is one of those places.
In 2017, I traveled to Iona, a small island off the west coast of Scotland, for a retreat led by Joan Anderson, author of A Year by the Sea. Two years earlier, I had attended a retreat with Joan on Cape Cod. That experience had prompted me to begin thinking about what I might do when I retired. By the time I arrived on Iona, I had retired and was beginning to imagine what the next chapter of my life might hold. The island's beauty and serenity gave me space to reflect, discover more about myself, and consider what mattered most to me.
During my time on Iona, an idea began to take shape. In this new phase of life, I wanted to offer retreats for women who were ready to care for themselves in a new way. Women who had spent years caring for others and meeting life's many demands might welcome time to pause, reflect, and consider what they wanted for the next chapter of their lives. That idea eventually became Stretching Forward.
I returned to Iona with my husband in 2026 to share the beauty and serenity of the island with him. As we explored the island, memories of my first visit began to surface. We attended a candlelit service at the abbey, walked inside the ancient St. Oran's Chapel, took in the weathered crosses and nunnery ruins, and walked along the north shore. So many cherished memories came flooding back.
As I revisited these places, I was reminded of the woman I had been on that earlier visit and the ideas I had carried home with me. Iona was still beautiful and serene, but I returned with nine more years of living behind me. The seed planted during that retreat had grown into something real. Stretching Forward had become a way for me to offer other women some of the time and space I had found so meaningful.
Sometimes we need to return to a place to appreciate not only what it gave us then, but also how far we have traveled since.
We may not all have an island like Iona to return to. But perhaps each of us has a place, a memory, or an experience that reminds us of something important about ourselves.
