I went on a retreat for spiritual directors last month. I've been to dozens (if not hundreds!) of retreats or conferences but none was quite like this one. Silence. A Jesuit Retreat House. Silence, but for the one room where we attended the conference. Even then it was the Franciscan leading the conference who did most of the talking. Three days of silence. I reveled in it. The freedom, the permission to only engage with God and not those around me. As a very public person by profession and a pastor's wife by vocation, it was a slice of heaven to lay down the need to be "on and available." This picture, my favorite from these three days, reminds me of the permission we have daily for quiet. It seems I am always on a quest for quiet.
I love this place. Getting away to be completely silent, alone and open to hear God speak is something I find hard to achieve in our daily routines of life where there are always distractions, but a place where solitude and quiet are prerequisite for attendance is like honey and vinegar for a sore throat.
ReplyDeleteEnthralled with the idea of a silent retreat. Lovely
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