Seeds of some sort arranged to form this word - JOY - greeted me
almost immediately upon arrival,,,
harbingers of what was to come.
Times of rest, reading (LOTS of reading), and refreshment of body and soul.
Simple, clean and comfortable sleeping quarters,
trails for walking,
sensible, nourishing meals,
ALWAYS cheese - the monks make it there...
and views sublime, everywhere the eye turns.
And silence.
Ne'er a word - from arriving on Monday till leaving Friday morning.
except for the hours of prayer in the beautiful church
that carried the chants of the psalms and hymns...
(no picture taken there),
Silence.
I returned home with two heart-shaped rocks I found while hiking and three "JOY SEEDS".
My intention is to write the letters J-O-Y on them to remind me of the blessings of this past week
at the Abbey of Gethsemani, New Haven, Kentucky.
JOY
Oh my what a wonderful peaceful time that must have been. I would love to find some place like that locally, for a weekend of nourishment.
ReplyDeleteLook at your lovely heart rocks. :-)
FlowerLady
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to the world of sound. That sounds wonderful, and amazing, and bet it is much easier to hear from the Lord with no sound or interruptions. What a refreshing place to be..........never heard of any place like that around here.
We have camps that you can go to, and a lot of folks like that, my experience with
that wasn't the greatest, so I usually don't go, plus it is usually the weekend of
my hubbies birthday too. It isn't quiet like that most of the time, you have some
short periods at times, but that is all. Anyway, sounds like it would really be
neat, cause bet you talk to the Lord a lot cause there is no one else to talk to........but that would be a very good thing...
Hope it refreshed you the way you had hoped. Loved your heart shaped rocks and your joy stones too.
Blessings, Nellie
That sounds like an amazing time to hear from God! I would love to try something like this.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, you might look into monasteries near you (or check out this one). It is totally unstructured time (except for meals). Attending their 7 hours of prayers (primarily recitation of the Psalms)and a "lecture" each morning for less than an hour are strictly voluntary. I didn't get up for the 3:15 A.M. prayers, but other than that attended many of them... I was there 3 years ago and hope to go again next year. (I guess not everyone can handle the silence....but if you enjoy your solitude, this is a wonderful experience.)
DeleteWhat an amazing retreat from the world. May the blessings you received stay with you.
ReplyDeleteBean
Thank you, Martine. You would have liked it. I know.
DeleteWhat a beautiful place to be replenished in body and soul, Rebecca,.... your solos and songs post spoke to my heart in a very special way! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteBlessings Sue
Thank you for saying so, Sue. (And yes, it IS a beautiful, beautiful place - and I was very "replenished".)
DeleteRebecca I'm so happy that you got to go and loved getting to see a little bit of your experience there.... I think it sounds amazing and hope I get an opportunity to do something like this someday. Loved your rocks n joy seeds.... xoxo
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious and beautiful gift you received ~ time away and little reminders of that time. Oh, to be able to get away for quiet reflections... Thank you for sharing. It blessed my spirit indeed.
ReplyDeleteSuch a special place, Rebecca. I grew up not far from there and have visited. I've never done a retreat before, but I so long for the season when I'll be able to purposefully pause, rest, and listen in such a sacred space. Love your rocks!
ReplyDeleteI want to go!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing week! My sister has a monastery close to where she lives in Oregon, they love to go up there and visit. It's always such a peaceful place. To stop and just listen, it sounds like something I do way too seldom. I think you were blessed to be there Rebecca.
ReplyDelete