This week I had overnight guests. I was the bed and breakfast for the night. These friends are walking, not biking, The Katy Trail across Missouri. The Katy Trail is a 225 mile (365 km) bike path stretching across most of the state. Over half of it follows Lewis and Clark’s path up the Missouri River, where you can ride beneath towering river bluffs. After leaving the river, the trail meanders through peaceful farmland and small-town Americana.
Walking the trail for these two seniors has been quite an experience. They have questioned their sanity, “Why are two people our age doing this? Whose idea was this anyway?” I was almost the halfway mark in the 21-day trip and by now they will have completed half of their journey. They were keeping a daily journal and taking pictures of people and mile markers. It includes incredible stories of homegrown characters, and of animals or happenings. Some days this was an endurance test and they fell into the seats of my air-conditioned car as they had completed the15-mile journey that day.
As they recounted stories, they often referred to the silence. As they walked along the trail, away from the noise of traffic and people, even the sounds of nature – the wind, birds, animals – was calming and peaceful. Sometimes, they talked, but mostly they got in the zone and walked in the silence. For many people, to be in nature brings a deep peace. Last week we took a road trip through a rural area and felt the silence as we drove beneath the trees, seeing the herds of cows and the farm fields. This is a sanctuary, a connection to spirit and to all creation. It is as if the scramble of daily life ceases and you find a part of yourself that has gotten lost in the chaos.
For many of us, silence is not a daily part of our lives. It may not come naturally to many of us. However, it is a practice worth learning. Why? It is a spiritual practice that allows us to truly communicate from our heart, with God. It connects us to a place of love, peace, understanding and comfort. For many of us it is a new, deep experience. John O’Donohue, Irish teacher and poet, writes that, “Silence is the most effective way to come into God’s presence.”
If this is a new experience for you, experiment with silence and notice your reactions. Turn off all noise and avoid talking for a brief time each day (five minutes or longer) From this time, what does your body feel like, and what are you feeling? Try a silent walk or sit in nature. In the silence do you notice God in new ways? Author Barbara Howard from the Community of Christ Herald, says that in the silence she is always in God’s arms and God is saying, “I will always be with you. I love you.”