When the world is too much with me, I get in my car and drive 12 miles to Mount Alvernia, the 32-acre site of the Millvale Sisters of St. Francis.

There, atop one of its grassy knolls, sits a former convent, one wing of which holds my hidden haven, Tabor House, a retreat center. For 10 years now, it's been my refuge from the noise and nuisances of daily life.

My secret "spa" of the spirit was founded 11 years ago by a dynamic duo of nuns: Sisters Jane Schmitt and Mary Jo Mattes. Both exude warmth and excel at hospitality. Sister Jane is a fascinating fusion of Martha Stewart (well, her cooking and decorating skills only!) and Mother Teresa; while Sister Mary Jo is a Reiki master with a healing presence and skills to match, should one desire a Reiki session while in residence.

As hotel rates rocket up, my getaway package remains within reach. For $35 to $50, depending on how many home-cooked meals requested, I'm the smiling beneficiary of: a private room, monastic yet cozy, those lush grounds for walking where I may encounter deer and always encounter beauty, and, best of all -- by sojourn's end, a renewed spirit within a refreshed body.

I sleep deeply at Tabor, then awaken to the aroma of coffee brewing. Aware now that I'm an unrepentant "caffeine queen," Sister Jane plugs the pot in promptly at 6 a.m.

"Sometimes we don't know what we need until we come to a place of solitude and allow ourselves to hear the soft whisper of peace," a Tabor brochure notes. (The retreat is open to both men and women, and to people of all faiths. See www.millvalefranciscans.org/Pages/Tabor.htm for details.)

Season after season, I've found what I need in the silence of this sacred space. Kahlil Gibran captured my experience ages ago when he wrote, "For in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."