A Prayer on a Visit to a Monastery – November 18, 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
Please take a moment to pray with us.
Father-Mother,
I spent the weekend on a retreat at a monastery in Kentucky. It was in a rural area, and after leaving the outskirts of Lexington, Kentucky, the rolling hills and disappearance of subdivisions made me feel the separation from the urban area of my home. It began the process of “retreat”.
It is good to take time to “stop” and see where you are in life, instead of continuing to repeat the same unsatisfying actions day after day. It allows one to examine the curent state of things, and decide how to change and what to change to promote a fuller, happier, and more spiritual life.
I was grateful for Sue and the children, for giving me this chance to look, review, and refocus my life.
A Prayer on a Visit to a Monastery
Father-Mother,
I have been filled
with a desire to change,
With hope
That I can make a change,
And gratitude
For the potential of Becoming
A better husband and father.
The hills of Gethsemani,
Crowned by statues,
stood as they have
for a hundred years,
sentinels of all that
passed in front of them
on a lonely country road.
They also afforded
the restless soul a place
from which to view
The tree-filled horizon,
and listen for the Divine whisper
In the wind that blew.
The rhythm of the “Hours”
began to sink into my soul,
the chants of monks
echo in my memory.
The sound of silence
Surrounded most,
Offering quiet
within which one could listen.
Bless this treasured time,
The dreams that emerged from it,
And the monks that provided
the oasis
in which lives are turned.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Peace,
Tom
