Radio Free Week

I love to listen to the radio when I drive.  I mostly listen to news on NPR or new music on the pop radio stations. Even at my age, I still enjoy some of that top 40 music!  Last week, however, I felt I was to take the week for complete silence while I was in the car.  Simply to be alert to anything that God would want to speak to me in the silence and the space created by turning off the radio.

I can't say that I got a big download, but it was a way of creating wide open spaces in the midst of the day to just be, listen, and think.  I found myself in more conversation with God throughout the day than usual.  I found moments of inspiration and encouragement as the silence afforded me opportunity to be reminded of the things in life that are true, and that matter most.  I found that I was calmer, more centered and more at peace.

The pictures were taken during an extended personal retreat I took in the Washington DC area and at the Jesuit Retreat Center in PA.  While it was amazing to have so much time and open space to meet God, its not always possible to get that.  I think of my no-radio week as a series of mini-retreats in the midst of usual life. Wide open spaces, free of the  noise around me, to experience and encounter God.

Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide open spaces, he answered. (Ps 118:5)