SEVEN

H E A R I N G

S I L E N C E

God was not in the windstorm, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but

in the still small voice.

Elijah was not able to hear God until it resounded

in the sound of sheer silence.

My extroverted friends go on about the value of silent retreats.

I've only been once, twenty years ago.

I found the excessive body language and note passing distracting.

This was not a silent retreat, but a week of work.

But I relished the quiet that accompanied the work.

The mind wandered:

into good and not-so-good places;

through reflection and creativity.

I don't think there was an A-ha! moment.

Other than it was quite obvious from time to time

that I was not alone in my thoughts.

From morning chapel to the quiet of my lopsided bed I was not alone.

Even in the drama of my dreams.

The sound of sheer silence:

the time when it is so silent I can hear.