Priceless4Purpose, Part 1

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Our weekend at Mystic Views B & B – no agendas, no stresses, no expenses.  To us, it was Priceless!
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Mystic Views, just north of the Tension Zone

Mystic Views Bed & Breakfast is the perfect place to get away with your loved one.  It sits on 25 densely wooded acres, down several less traveled roads, and overlooks private Lake Omen.

Cindy Bartlett, who runs and owns this B & B, also runs Priceless4Purpose, a nonprofit that grants a 3-night stay at Mystic Views for adults undergoing active cancer treatment in Minnesota alone or with an adult loved one of their choosing.

My wife Tracy and I got away to Mystic Views a couple weekends ago. Our stay was filled with a peaceful quiet and serenity only found deep in the woods. No traffic buzzing by or passenger planes screaming over us. No fighting traffic at rush hour or scrambling to make doctor appointments.
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A weekend free of tension; free of agendas.

​Cindy greeted us at the front door with a warm smile.  

Cindy Bartlett

The room was spacious, with a king-sized bed, a futon couch, a large bathroom with a whirlpool tub, a microwave, a TV with Netflix, Hulu, Dish Network, and a small fridge. All the essentials you need to get away for a while.

She offered breakfast and dinner every day (just outside our door). We set the time for coffee in the morning (7 am for us) and breakfast (we decided on 7:30 am). For dinner, 7 pm worked just fine.  

Each meal was different. For breakfast, she served omelets, French toast, bacon, breakfast sandwiches; for dinner, she had a small menu, and we had steak, sandwiches, veggies and potatoes, and some great desserts.

A Mystic Views Meal

No sounds other than nature.

Our deck overlooked a long, wooded lawn that led to the dock on the lake. I didn’t see anyone on or near the lake during our entire stay. I didn’t hear any sounds other than those of nature.  No boats or jet skis flying across the lake. A hiking trail circled the lake. A paddle boat and small kayak were tied to the dock.

We spent some time in the woods and when we decided to venture out, we drove into Nisswa and Brainerd - wherever we wanted to go at the time. We stopped for dinner at Bar Harbor on Gull Lake one night, drove around Gull Lake, and checked out some of the bigger resorts on the lake.

We slept in late, after early morning coffee and breakfast, so Tracy could take her medicine. We watched movies in the middle of the afternoon and late into the night. We got to know Cindy and she told us about herself and shared her cancer story and how she dedicated her life to bringing peace and respite to others who were going through what she knew so well.

Mystic Views – just what we needed when we needed it

Our time at Mystic Views was about more than the food, which was delicious.  It was about more than Cindy’s generous hospitality, which was top notch.  It was about more than the peace and serenity we enjoyed while tucked deep in the Minnesota North Woods.
 
Our time at Mystic Views was about the two of us getting away from the chaos of everyday life, sharing a calm and relaxed weekend together – no cares, no agendas, no appointments to make or carpools to drive. 

Nothing but the peace and serenity of the woods and a carefree weekend with my wife. 
We didn’t do anything important during our weekend at Mystic Views - but none of our time was wasted. 

It was all just right – it was perfect!
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It was just what we needed!

The author Mike and his wife Tracy

Part 2 of this series is an interview with Cindy Bartlett where she discusses how and when she started Priceless4Purpose, her experience with cancer, and her drive to fill her rooms all year long with cancer patients and their loved ones.  In speaking to Cindy recently, she mentioned that there are still open spots at her B&B and welcomes Jack’s members and other adults affected by cancer and their loved ones to visit the Pricess4Purpose web site at http://www.priceless4purpose.org to find out more about staying at this priceless gem just north of Nisswa, Minnesota.

By: Mike McGarry

Mike is a caregiver for his wife, Tracy, who has multiple myeloma.  Mike and Tracy have 2 boys, Joseph, 13, and Jacob, 11.

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