| A Cottage by the Sea |
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 LISTEN. That's what I learned from my silent retreat this week at the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE) in Cambridge. How obvious. Learn by doing. In silence we listen, to others to ourselves, to the Holy. That's all I have to say right now.
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 We often read about people who go off for a few days or a few months to be in silence. I've done that and have written about it. I've tried to be grateful for these opportunities but I know that I've taken them for granted because so much of my life has been filled with blessing.
Right now I am off again for a few days of solitude. This time to the monastery of Saint John the Evangelist in Cambridge, a 45 minute drive from my home. This isn't my first time on a silent retreat at the monastery. I know the rule: silence. I also know the routine for the guests. We have a single room-- our cell; we can attend services (the Daily Office) with the monks; we eat lunch and dinner in silence with them. We can walk along the Charles River, sit out in the guest garden, read in the public rooms, visit the Fogg Museum…. If we have tickets to a Red Sox game, we can cross the river to Fenway Park. The only rule, silence when on the monastery grounds. Silence does not include writing and sharing on a blog. And so, here I sit, looking out my cell window, sharing the silence with you.  Sometimes I have to make a big reach in choosing a photo to accompany the quotes or messages on my blogs. I consider not adding one at all, and only offering words. But that feels to cerebral, defying the mood and message I want to convey. Today is definitely one of those days. And so I have chosen photos from my July 2022 visit to Iona, photos that I included in the little booklet I created about Hope.
When times are challenging, let us remember Emily Dickinson's message- “Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all -  The five winters I spent alone in my rented cottage by the sea was the most intense solitude I have ever experienced. All week, alone in the house, day after day, knowing that no one would knock at the door, no one would talk to me during my walks on the beach. I didn't know a soul up there in York, Maine, and I made NO effort to meet anyone. I miss those cottage by the sea days, those years. I miss my daily routine of watching the sunrise and walking on the beach. And yet, they were never meant to be held onto, never to be repeated, never to be extended. Almost a decade has passed since I experienced this gift of solitude, this rare treasure of time alone. I still have plenty of solitude, but people are around. It's not the same, but memories abound and I have over a thousand photos.  #9 Self-control. Safe to say that we all can benefit from this gift, or if you prefer, this fruit. The array of ways that self-control goes awry is vast, tapping into every possible corner of our being--physical, verbal, emotional, mental….. We all have particular issues that we are working to control, some visible, some stuffed away gnawing into our private being. The self control I ask for is not be judgmental.
Well, I did as promised, commenting on each fruit of the spirit as listed in Paul's letter to the Galatians. There are other similar lists., all self-help books in summary! … the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, patience, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Galatians 5:22-23.  # 8 Gentleness. Gentleness feels like a very particular fruit, particular to a particular situation. I am gentle when a situation is loving, when a person is loving, when things suit me well. I am gentle with particular situations, and with particular people. To me, gentleness is a self-serving fruit, difficult at times, easy at other times. I am gentle, except when I'm not.
 #7 Faithfulness. Faithfulness is often associated with religion, but we can be faithful in other ways. We can be faithful to people--a spouse, family, friends. We can be faithful to a job, a pet, a commitment for our wellbeing. I try to be faithful in going to bed at a usual time, to emailing a friend every week, to walking every day. I am very faithful in getting the coffee ready before I go to bed.
Faithfulness can be trivial, but when it is profound, we know it and do our best to stay faithful. And that is when faithfulness slips over to that spiritual realm and we hear someone say, "I'm spiritual but not religious," or go even further, confessing that they are religious. And with that, the spiritual becoming implicit.  I'm past the half way mark fulfilling my commitment to make a few comments on the fruits (or gifts--take your pick) of the spirit--random thoughts that speak to me on the day I write. It's another hot day so perhaps I can say that the heat is being generous, and leave it at that. You can see it how easy it is to come up with something to say on any of these fruits. And, yes, the bananas in the bowl have ripened before we had time to eat them. Was I generous in buy fresh ones at the market today? I don't think so!!
#6 Generosity. It is easy to be generous when I want to be, when I have enough, when I give to the cause I support, when I like a person, when there is no sacrifice called for, when, and when, and when…. If it's easy to be generous, is that really generosity? Over to you….  Paul Cezanne Kindness, the fifth fruit of the spirit.
Kindness is fruitlike. When it is ripe, we are kind; but sometime our fruit is tough, mushy, or just plain rotten. I believe we all have some kindness in ourselves that shows forth at different times--empathy, compassion, be it for a loved one or for humanity out there in the world. Also, it is easier to be kind to some people than to others--we agree, resonate, feel affinity for... To quote Br. Curtis, a monk of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, "I am kind, except when I am not." We can all claim that. Early morning walk up the street to the Wadsworth Cemetery. |