A walk in the woods
Each season brings a new perspective
to woods. I can see so much further in the wintertime when the trees
are bare of leaves. Yet it is in the summer when the leaves are at
their fullest that I am more aware of all the life that lives in the
woods. In the fall when sudden waves of cold wind embrace the trees,
the path is full of crisp leaves that mark my passing with silence
punctuated by the crunching of the leaves. When spring comes to the
woods, I am in awe of the incredible wonders taking place daily. It
is true resurrection from death in every direction. It is no wonder
that Easter marks the true beginning of spring. A walk in the woods
has always been a way of God's renewal for me in every season.
When I was a young woman and life
crowded in on me and the weight of the world seemed to lie on my
shoulders, sometimes I would seek out my little patch of woods.
Sitting on the trunk of a long dead tree, I would let my mind empty
of all it's daily cares, breath deeply and the realization of the
brevity of my life would pour in. All that seemed so urgent took on
a more relative importance. The eternal renewal of nature taught me
that my moment of strutting on the stage of life was not long, not
long at all. In the midst of the ever renewing and eternal peace
reflected by the woods, I was renewed, refreshed and able to return
to the chaos of a house full of children and never ending needs that
I felt inadequate to fill. The sense that there was much more to
life would permeate me and being closer to nature made me know how
close and loving my Creator God was to me. One day when I went to my
little patch of woods instead of quiet and serenity I found a chain
link fence cordoning it off and saw a yellow bulldozer tearing up the
land. All the beautiful old trees were gone. I was filled with
anger. I wrote a letter to the owners, Christian Brothers College,
that I never mailed. I realized the futility of the situation.
Nothing would return my little patch of woods. Now years later there
is a track and parking lot where my woods once stood. Remembering
the time I spent in those woods helped me to realize that the peace I
sought really wasn't from outside myself even through the place I
came to did help me get in touch with it. I knew in my heart that
God really wasn't any further away from me than when I sat in the
woods. I had only to find another path within myself to the woods of
solitude.
So on my own, I sought though prayer
to sit in the presence of God as there was no woods to run to.
Eventually, I found Contemplative Prayer. It was a good answer for
me. I found I love to sit in silence with others, let my mind empty
and center on God. My prayers is “Come Holy Spirit, fill the
hearts of thy faithful with Divine Love”. In these moments of
praying I find the peace I once had in my little patch of woods and
more.
The peace I have found is in all parts
of the world for me now with or without woods. I found it in a tiny
ornate church in a mountain village on the island of Santorini. I
found it in the ancient St. Mary's Undercroft at the Cathedral of
Canterbury and in the quiet of silent prayer with my sisters by my
side.
It may take some effort on my part. I
have to make time to sat in silence. I have to make myself available
to the Holy Spirit, but now I know the truth, God's peace dwells
within me. I have only to stop and listen, and ask. Especially I
have to ask
