Solitude

I recently returned from the Diocese of South Carolina clergy retreat at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island just south of Charleston. Bishop Lawrence structured the first evening and the next morning around four meditations and the experience of silence and solitude. After the meditations we were sent off to any place we chose to be alone with the topic and our Lord. For me the beach was my first choice. Walking along the shore with the gentle sound of the waves and the beauty of the sand dunes always helps me be quiet in God's presence. I don't know why I need to be reminded again and again of the value to my soul of solitude. I have a regular prayer time in the morning, but often I busy that time with Bible study, specific prayers or reading agendas. Solitude is without any agenda except God's agenda. We are trained to be so task oriented that we feel as if this solitude is a waste of time, but over and over again I have found that my soul is enriched by solitude and it influences the quality of my whole life. Living alone I have so much time that could be available for solitude and yet I seem to get pulled back into this cultural message that my time needs to produce something. I wonder how long I can resist this task oriented pull this time.