When I think about retreats, I think of three things, rest, relaxation, and relationship. The next thing that comes to mind is St. Ignatius of Loyola. His feast day July 31st and he is the founder of the Jesuit order and the Spiritual exercises. Many retreats use the exercises to help retreatants deepen their relationship with God. The golden rule is silence. Have you ever been silent for any period of time? Two days? Three days? If you talk to trees in the woods, do you make a sound?
I’ve never been “quiet” in my life. My mom will tell you that I came into the world hollering and my sister will tell you that I start talking as soon as I wake up in the morning. Two days in silence?? Seriously? In the fall of 2005, I sat in the parking lot of the Ignatius retreat house thinking of ways to get out of it. It happened to be my friend’s birthday and I texted that I would just come to her birthday dinner. I can’t write the text that came back to me…..let’s just say it was tough love. I went inside.
Those two days started me on the path that led me here. In the beauty of the trees surrounding the retreat house, the waterfall, and the humor of the two religious sisters giving the retreat, I felt like this was the perfect place to just be and listen. In October, the leaves are changing and when you are outside, you can hear them fall. Trust me, it drowns out the screaming voices in your head…eventually. When you get really still, you can hear the voice or feel the nudge that is there to guide you and if you are lucky, you can rest in that place a little while. (Thank you Holy Spirit!)
Since that time, I go on retreat at least once a year, it’s my needed quiet time to “figure it out”. Delicious meals appear like magic at mealtime, there are no interruptions (except maybe squirrels), plus there is unlimited naptime- what’s not to love? I oddly feel close to the women on retreat, even though we aren’t talking. We are in the midst of a wondrous experience together and at the end, when we are talking again, we share what we have discovered, let go of, or the blessings we received during the weekend.
Blessings and answers abound when you take time to rest and relax with our Lord. That’s how you build the relationship. I encourage you to begin today. Start with 10 minutes of quiet. You pick the spot and just listen to what you hear. Some of my favorite “quiet time” is out on a walk.
Before the end of the year, or your next birthday, find a place where you can be quiet for a whole day or even a whole weekend. Who knows? It may be just what you need.
