The power of sacred spaces
When nature takes your breath away and feeds your soul
Though it’s hardly appropriate for this particular image, the Norah Jones love song Come Away With Me comes to mind as I look at this photo. Perhaps it is the woods calling to me?
I stepped into this piney woods recently and stood in awe of the hush and the beauty thinking “I never want to leave.” The soft pine needle carpet that covers the floor of this space muffled my footsteps so that all I could hear were the birds and the wind in the treetops.
I was at The Hermitage, a retreat center in southern Michigan, with a group of about a dozen other contemplatives preparing to enter into the spiritual practice of silence and solitude. We had begun the retreat with an hour-long, afternoon hike to locate and explore all the spaces carved into the hilly Michigan property. Our last stop was the Brother Francis T. Wildlife Sanctuary. My first approach to the cluster of pines was in the presence of the other retreaters. I promised myself I would come back alone.
No no one was with me when I returned to walk quietly through the sanctuary on a crisp October morning, which is exactly what I wanted. Silence. Solitude.
It would have been delightful to encounter the sanctuary’s namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi, hiding amongst the slender towering pines. According to the many books written about Saint Francis, he had a deep connection to nature, particularly to animals. Stories abound of his love for God’s creatures. He often called animals “brother” and “sister.” He preached to birds. In one of his most famous works, Canticles of the Creatures, Saint Francis praised the Lord for His creation of nature, specifically the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, and the water. Francis died in 1226 in his hometown of Assisi, Italy and was recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1228. Today, Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals, ecology, and the environment. The church calendar celebrates St. Francis’ Feast Day on October 4, two days before I stood in his wooded sanctuary.
About the practice of silence and solitude
I work at home, mostly alone in our “empty nest,” so why would I seek out silence and solitude? As I’ve leaned into this spiritual practice I’ve found there is a world of difference between being home alone in the quiet and choosing to be alone and quiet in the presence of God. For me, the difference is silence and solitude with intention and attention. In our empty nest I can find plenty to occupy myself — use your imagination. When I intentionally set everything aside and step away from daily demands to be quiet before God I can give him my full attention.
It’s like going to meet a friend for coffee and considering whether to bring your grandson along. Maybe not. Face-to-face and one-on-one with a friend or with God, allows BOTH of you to be present. (Of course, God is always there, but do I hear him?) I recently heard someone describing the posture of silence and solitude before the Lord as “beholding”. I like that.
If you’re curious about learning to be still before God, check out this excellent guide by author Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Silence and Solitude. Explore other transformative practices with her book Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation.
What’s saving your life this fall?
Author and podcaster Emily P. Freeman asked this question on the Next Right Thing podcast this week. As I listened to her list of 10 things, I decided to cultivate my own short list of five Autumn lifesavers. I encourage you to do the same and share them with us!
Yourclassicalradio.org has been saving my life, or at least my sanity, for a couple of years but I’m especially dependent on it this fall. A squirrel has taken up residence in the walls of our kitchen. Streaming classical music to drown out his scramblings is the only way I’ve been able to focus on writing.
Terminex is saving my life. At least I hope so. We’ve tried every natural means possible to deter the above mentioned squirrel(s) so it’s time to call in the professionals. They’ll be here in 24 hours.
Yorkshire Gold black tea from Taylors of Harrogate is giving me life this chilly autumn. While in England a year ago I rediscovered my love for strong black tea (with sugar and cream). This intense blend takes me back to The Cotswolds every time. From their website: “A proper brew – pure and simple. We pay fair prices for really good tea from farms in Africa and India, to make a lovely blend that’s big on flavour, seriously refreshing and kind to the people who grow it.”
Berkenstocks have been saving my life since college but because I had to have a toe removed last spring (long story), my five pair of sandals and clogs have been in constant rotation. This month I’ve added warm socks from Feetures and Smartwool.
Old cookbooks are saving my life. I’ll often search online for recipes but it’s just not convenient or efficient. Besides, I like turning the pages of a book. Since we’ve declared this The Winter of Soup, I’m digging through my favorite old cookbooks for tried and true recipes. Here they are (all published in the 1980s): Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (well-worn), More-with-Less Cookbook and two rich and juicy editions of Home Cooking by the writer Laurie Colwin.
I love the books by Colwin because reading them is like being invited into her kitchen. She is no longer with us, but her memory lives on. Colwin was a prolific writer known for her portrayals of New York society and her food columns in Gourmet magazine. In 2012, the James Beard Foundation inducted her into its Cookbook Hall of Fame. I’ll share a few favorite soup recipes from this stack in future issues of Story Teller.
About that novel…
National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner and I’m warming up for a month of solid writing by joining author and writing coach Mary Adkins in the 10K Word Challenge starting Monday, October 23. The goal is to add 10,000 words to my novel by November 1. If I’m successful, that will leave 40,000 words to write in November and December. I’ll be co-writing each weekday with others who are joining the challenge. Look for ways to be involved in the writing of my novel beginning in 2024.
I keep a stack of writing books in my work space to inspire and challenge me. I’d like to share with you a quote from Robert Benson’s little book Dancing on the Head of Pen: The Practice of a Writing Life.
“Every writer goes through stretches of time when it is hard to get up in the morning and go sit down and write. Some will not admit the difficulty, others will outright lie, but when you can get a writer to tell some semblance of the truth, you will learn there are more of those days than days when a writer can hardly wait to get to the board and sit down and try to write.”
This has been true for me. So, I’m setting goals and accepting challenges because the story that lives in my head deserves to be on the page. Thanks for joining me on this journey!
Until next time, be creative…and get outside! ~ Ingrid