A Soft Landing Place

Brenda Wallace and I were meeting in her office when she abruptly stood up and said, “Some balloons just fell out of the sky.” We hurried down the stairs and opened the front door. On the welcome mat, a balloon bouquet waited for us – regular helium balloons and football shaped balloons. These accoutrements of revelry broke free from someone’s celebration and drifted over to Well of Mercy. Was it a championship celebration? Or maybe a birthday celebration? Or a retiring coach’s celebration? Whatever their origin, these remnants from someone else’s celebration found a resting place here.

When I walk our prayer trails, I wonder about the guests who walked before me. How many celebrations have they dropped along the way as they strolled these paths with God? Or, how many bottled up tears have been released into the creek and swim silently beside us? How many resentments have been abandoned and are pressed into the dirt with each step we take? In short, what remnants have been left in the wake of all the prayers that drop in and out of this sacred place called Well of Mercy? Those remnants come together like a grandmother’s quilt giving each soul a soft place to land – if only for a few restful days. 

That makes us a unique community. While our guest list changes each week, we are in fellowship with each other. We do not have to be together to BE together. We don’t have to know each other to KNOW each other. Our joys and our sorrows, our prayers and our longings, oh, these join forces and tie us together like that balloon bouquet. When you pray your joys, those joys celebrate with all the other joys that came before you. When you leave tears in our dirt, those tears find kinship with all the others that have fallen before you. Well of Mercy is a place that unites us in our quest to walk with God.

Spiritual homes are built in many ways – sometimes by gathering regularly, sometimes by shared service, and sometimes by leaving our earnest prayers to accompany others as they walk with God. Whether you are celebrating or grieving or just trudging along, come visit. You never know what might drop out of the heavens and welcome you home.

Lea Slaton

Executive Director



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With Open Hands

June 11, 2025

WAIT LIST

Finding Rest in God's Creation at Well of Mercy

As we navigate the rhythms of daily life sometimes it is easy to feel untethered and anxious. Yet, God’s creation offers us a timeless sanctuary, a place where worries are gently laid to rest. In Matthew 6:26 (NIV), Jesus draws our attention to one of God’s simplest creations:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

At Well of Mercy, birds are a wonderful reminder of the beauty of God’s creation. Some of the visiting and residential birds heard and seen at Well of Mercy lately are: migrators-indigo bunting, red eyed vireo, wood thrush, gray gnatcatcher, and the Louisiana waterthrush. We are listening for others like the northern parula and the summer and Scarlet tanagers. Favorites seen all year are pileated woodpeckers, barred owls, and whippoorwills. Hummingbirds flitter at the feeders and hover to allow a glimpse of their brightly colored feathers. Birds fly from branch to branch, singing freely at dawn and at dusk. Nests are built and reveal the wonder of new life. They remind us that life’s essentials—food, shelter, beauty—are provided by a loving Creator who delights in all creation. When you pause to watch a sparrow hop along a fence or marvel at the precise pattern of a migrating flock, you encounter a living testimony to God’s faithfulness.

Well of Mercy is not only a sanctuary for birds but is a sanctuary for you. We welcome you as God’s wonder and creation just like we welcome the resident and migrating birds. Consider a visit to Well of Mercy as a time to slow down, rest,  reflect and restore. A time to notice the little wonders of Creation all around you.  As you reflect on the truth in Matthew 6:26 that the Creator cares for you. Trust that God sees you, knows your needs and cares for you. 

Matthew 6:26 challenges the worry that so often plagues us:

“Are you not much more valuable than they?”

If the Creator cares for the sparrow, how much more does God care for you—body, mind, and soul! In this truth lies our deepest comfort and freedom from fear.

A Quiet Way to do Something Big

You’ve spent a lifetime investing wisely. What if your IRA could help others find rest, healing, and hope?

If you’re 70½ or older, you can make a tax-free gift directly from your IRA to Well of Mercy. It’s called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), and it’s a simple way to support this sacred space without increasing your taxable income.

For those 72 and up, your gift can even count toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

Thanks to the new Legacy IRA Act, the $100,000 annual limit is now indexed for inflation—meaning your generosity can stretch even further.

A quiet gift from your IRA could be the reason someone else finds peace this year.



Talk to your IRA custodian or financial advisor to get started.

Well of Mercy's Core Values



Well of Mercy, a retreat ministry sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, grounded in the spirit of hospitality, provides quiet sanctuary and time in nature for reflection, rest and renewal for those choosing sacred time apart, enriching their spiritual and emotional wellbeing.