I started a new chapter in my life over the weekend. I have enrolled in a Spiritual Companionship Program at Lindenwood Retreat Center in Plymouth, Indiana.
Our class meets every other month for the next 18 months. Each session includes an overnight stay, and there are two sessions that will meet for five days.
There is nothing like starting a new adventure and knowing in your bones that this is the direction you’re meant to go in. I have said from my first day on staff as a Pastoral Associate here that being with people in the thick of their lives is what excites me most about my work, and this program is a natural extension of that.
The curriculum so far has been about silence and solitude (two things I treasure more and more as I get older), listening, heeding your call, and discipline. The readings, reflections and discussions were uplifting and so insightful. The time spent getting to know other classmates was a joy. I am truly looking forward to sharing this journey with them.
The best part of my experience this weekend though, was the time spent alone and outside. There were multiple opportunities for intentional time spent somewhere besides the classroom, and I took full advantage of every single one of those!
In fact, after dinner on Friday night, there was an option to watch a movie, but I chose to extend my time in the silence and solitude outdoors. As a married mother of two teenagers (and a husband who can be a pretty big kid as well!), my opportunities for this kind of alone time are few and far between!
The grounds at Lindenwood are simply lovely. There is a lake nestled in the center of the property, surrounded by lush trees and greenery. There are gorgeous flowers and gardens along scenic walking paths. The brick buildings on the property lend to the character of the whole place: especially majestic is the Motherhouse where the bells peal at 12:00 noon, and the chapel inside beckons with its peace and tranquility. There are statues of saints scattered throughout the grounds, a walking path of the Stations of the Cross, and a crucifix planted in the middle of the cemetery where several generations of Sisters of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ are buried. For me, the presence of God is palpable in this place.
One of my favorite quotes from Father Richard Rohr is about creation being the first Bible. Think about that. The Bible as we know it today is perhaps a few thousand years old, but creation itself dates as far back as 13.8 BILLION years ago. God didn’t just drop into our lives when the Bible came to fruition. God’s been around for a long time, and creation was the first expression of God’s love and goodness. How easily we take that for granted, or just don’t think about it at all!
There is so much we can experientially KNOW about God by paying attention to the natural world, where there are crimson colors painting the sky at sunset, ripples of a lake lapping onto the shore, and butterflies landing perfectly in the center of a coneflower. These were all experiences I had while savoring my time at Lindenwood over the weekend, but the one that really stands out for me was the one I had with a cow. Yes, you read that right: a cow.
Across the street from Lindenwood is Ancilla Beef and Grain Farm. As I took one of my walks, I passed a row of probably 10 brown cows, shoulder to shoulder in shallow water, getting their drinks in the mid -afternoon sun. I stopped to watch, and ended up in a staring contest with one of the cows, who turned her head over her shoulder to look at me, and then never looked back. I half expected her to actually say something to me!
There was something about her gaze that was reminiscent of how I imagine God sees us: open, curious, and full of love!
Silly as it may sound, it was a mystical moment for me. The recognition that we all share in creation together is humbling, and hopefully, inspires us all to see how God is made manifest in everything and everyone we encounter.
Take the time to notice.
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