In the summer of 2021 certain personal and external factors led me to start looking for a country property. I wanted a large acreage with a small house. I ended up with a large house on a small acreage but accepted this as Divine Providence. The first thing I did when I arrived on my new farmstead, was to consecrate the whole thing to God through Mary.
Seeing (or at least trying to see) the Will of God in all things, I tried to be patient and to figure out what I should do with a large, 4 bedroom century farmhouse. The house was built in 1896, is solid and well built but is not modern in any way. I considered opening my home to people with developmental disabilities or seniors wanting to avoid an institutional setting at the end of life, or to city dwellers looking for a country remote work spot. But my dream was for a prayer retreat house. There is an unfinished third floor that would make a perfect oratory and I began to explore renovation options and contacted a structural engineer and contractor. But nothing seemed to be really working out.
A suggestion from a friend in January of this year prompted me to consider Airbnb'ing the house as a short term rental. The house layout works perfectly to create a little bachelor apartment at the back of the home that lets guests have the entire 'main house' to themselves and allows me to live on the property and tend to my animals and gardens. A friend helped with an interior decorating makeover and my dear sister helped me with DIY bathroom renovation and within a few weeks I was listed on Airbnb.
Before the paint was even dry on my bathroom renovation, I had an Airbnb booking. Literally, I came downstairs after putting the final coat of paint on my bathroom tub, turned on my computer and had a booking request for the next day. It killed me, but I had to decline. I was so apologetic and the guest was super cool and told me they were in Pembroke for work and would be coming back the next week as well.
I did get the booking the following week (by then the paint was dry) and I've had bookings each week since then. It's been a steep learning curve but I have been blessed with amazing guests. I have this thing, where, as soon as someone books, and I know their name, I start praying for them. I hope that they will experience some peace and the grace of God tugging at their heart strings when they stay at GlenMary. The whole work is such a pleasure- air drying the laundry on the clothes line, making the beds with great care, leaving out local coffee and hand-picked eggs- and thinking of the individual souls, each so precious, who will be staying at the house and sleeping in the beds.
Here's to warm hospitality, fresh linens, hand-picked bouquets, quiet evenings and peaceful getaways- may there be many more for the guests of GlenMary.
About GlenMary
GlenMary is a farmstead and retreat house nestled in the heart of the Ottawa Valley. Inspired by the Catholic Land Movement, the farmstead aims to produce food in a sustainable small-scale way using permaculture methods and to produce a 'cottage line' of handmade products. The Retreat House is available for long- and short-term rentals in the whitewater region and available for prayer retreats for those seeking silence and peace and time with God.
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