Home from a long weekend away on silent directed retreat, there are a couple of directions I oould go in this new post on Monday of Holy Week 2010. On the one hand, I could pontificate about the contrasting voices of Palm Sunday's jubilant crowd shouting, "Hosanna...blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," and the loud cries of "crucify him!" which are ramping up for Good Friday.
But, on the other hand, this morning, I want to hold onto the silence of the weekend and share some other kind of reflections. One thing about a silent retreat is that there are hours and hours to do absolutely nothing - except wasting time with God. Seventy two hours of silence invited me to revel in a couple of my favorite things -reading and walking.
Friday dawned clear and bright. After a morning of reflective study and a session with my Spiritual Director, I took the opportunity to drive the short distance from the retreat center in Conway, Michigan, to Petosky State Park. Hiking into the campground and along the shore of Little Traverse Bay, I could hear layers of echoes from past summers - shared camping experinces with family. Saturday I drove a bit further into Petoskey - parking the car at Bay View and walking down the bike trail to the clock and the dock on the bay - sittin' there - praying for each dear family member and simply wasting time with God.
Sitting here, just now, basking in the memories of the weekend and beyond, my heart is stired with gratitude. I'm so grateful for the refreshing and renewal that this annual retreat brought me. Grateful for good memories of family and fun camping experiences. Grateful for time to reflect - for time to simply waste time with God.
When have you simply wasted time with God? When was the last time you you took time to simply be? Give it a try - I'd love to hear how this stirs up gratitude in your heart.
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