Bill Leslie: Savoring silence
It seems strange. Someone who made his salary talking every day is now savoring silence.
Actually, my respect for silence began at age 13. I was attending Camp Kanuga in the mountains. I was a part of a lively (pretty wild) group of young Episcopalian boys camping in the woods when our counselors declared we would observe silence from 8 p.m. until 10 a.m. the next day.
Are you kidding me? Silencing a group of young teens is like trying to muzzle the nightly chorus of frogs in the Everglades. It’s pretty much impossible!
Our counselor challenged us to listen for the sounds of nature and in those sounds we might hear the voice of God.
It was a life-changing experience for some of us. I can’t say that I heard the voice of God during those 14 hours of quiet, but something profound did stir inside of me.
Ever since that humid summer night in Hendersonville years ago I have tried to honor the call of silence.
Last weekend I attended a silent retreat sponsored by Cary Presbyterian Church. It was a small group. Just eight of us. We gathered at Cedar Cross near Louisburg. This is a beautiful 52-acre retreat center with winding trails, creeks, ponds and hardwoods.
It’s amazing that you can drive just an hour north of Raleigh and be in a totally different world. Cedar Cross is not the place to go if you are hopelessly addicted to social media. There was no WiFi here and cell service was spotty. There was no TV in the lovely cabin I shared with my wife Cindy. Just books and beautiful views outside our windows.
I think it is important to unplug from time to time, reconnect with nature and as John Hilpert at Cedar Cross puts it: "Reflect and deepen your spiritual life.”
