Now, understand, I was born and raised in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Hence, I consider myself a city kid for the most part, at least in comparison to my wife who literally grew up in a "village." Anyway, last year at this time and nearly 7 years since we left Grand Rapids, Cara and I and our then four children (we now have five) made our way back to Grand Rapids to pastor a church in Grandville, Michigan.
I've always loved the opportunity to get away and get spiritually recharged for the tasks and challenges that lie ahead. Most recently, I tried to do this with little initial success. First, I went to a place with plently of walking trails and plenty of benches along the way. The only problem is that every quiet bench I found was amidst the blazing sunlight. On this day, shade was no where to be found. Not to mention that the benches felt like sitting in the most uncomfortable church pew imaginable.
After hanging out here for an hour or so, I got in my car and began to think on some other places I could go. A lake in another suburb setting came to mind and so I made my way in that direction. When I got there, scores of people lined the shores and I quickly realized no "quiet" place would be found there. Again, I got in my car and slowly began to realize that the "old faithful" would have to do. I then made my way over to the local library where I found a "quiet" corner and studied. When in doubt, the local library is still a great place to find a quiet hour or two.
I would be curious where you've been able to get away to find some quiet time? Was it a library or somewhere even more reclusive? For those of us in the city, it's a bit of a challenge to say the least.
