Practicing Solitude (Part 2)

I can only sit still for so long. I get bored every 7 1/2 minutes. I truly do. It’s kind of like having Adult ADD, except that I can concentrate really well when I’m interested. Just entertain me and I’ll be good.

I couldn’t Solitude the entire day away sitting in my rocking chair in my little room at the Jesuit House. I’d go absolutely insane! I needed to stretch my legs. I decided to do a little exploring. I had the entire 2nd floor to myself, so I began there. A beautiful painting of a young mother and baby was hung outside my door. It was probably supposed to portray The Madonna and baby Jesus. But the model in the painting reminded me of my daughter. In a huge way. So the picture felt familiar, and comforting, and like a little sign from God that I was supposed to be in exactly that room. (The picture I took does not do the painting justice. It was taken by my cheap digital which I replaced when my expensive digital died…but I digress.) The rest of the floor was filled with little private rooms.

I wandered all the way down the stairs into the basement. I ran into no one, and loved the intriguing sensation of having an entire monastery to myself. I felt a guilty pleasure, like I was Mary from “The Secret Garden”, drifting through the halls of Misselthwaite Manor. I passed the simple workout room filled with treadmills, rowboats, exercise bikes and a few hand weights. (If I’d thought ahead and brought my sweats….) I strolled though the new conference center with it’s polished railings and leather couch. I enjoyed someone’s collection of shells in a little book case. I adore the beach.

I wandered into the chapel, admiring its stained glass windows and hand-carved stations of the cross. I sat on a bench, and breathed deeply. The fragrance of incense permeated the room. I sat for a while on my smooth bench and was still.

I meandered through more halls and feasted my eyes on more beautiful religious art. I stopped in the kitchenette for a refreshment of hot tea and graham crackers, and then made my way into the cozy library. A book of poetry written by one of the Jesuits lay on a table. I curled up with it in a comfy chair, and enjoyed the priest’s gift of beautiful words woven together. His verses grabbed my soul deeply. I read until satiated, while listening to the rain patter outside the window.

A glance at a nearby clock informed me that my Solitude day was already half over. I hadn’t even opened half of the books I’d been planning on reading. But yet I felt rested, refreshed, and innately peaceful. Had God, in His incredible resourcefulness, been able to minister to me through the exploration of an old building with its rich history? Through the unexpected gifts of poetry and a hot cup of tea? Through sea shells and art? Incense and polished railings? The tranquility that transcended my soul proved He had.

The noon bell rang. Time for lunch. My stomach growled in anticipation…..