Today was quite literally a Quiet Day. I was up early this morning, showered and dress and after some porridge for breakfast I set off on the 30 miles journey to Melbury Abbas near Shaftesbury for my retreat/quiet day with fellow Lay Minister candidates at a wonderful Grade II listed farmhouse with its extensive and quiet gardens containing many water features - streams, ponds, and a large lake. We spent the morning reflecting on Genesis 2 (the Garden of Eden) and the passage where the first couple hid from God. As I wandered around the garden I reflected much on this and when sitting down in a very secluded area of the extensive grounds reading my bible, two swans paddled across the whole of the lake to come and view me as though God's love was being sent across to me. During this time we were not permitted to speak to anyone else but at lunchtime we all made up for it with much chatter talking quite a bit about our different parishes and training incumbents. The afternoon followed a similar pattern - this time reflecting on a number of passages in the New Testament. I stayed in the sitting room reading my bible and my daily devotionals with a few others, all of us remaining silent. The day ended with some information being provided to us about the admission and licensing service on Saturday and we went away feeling quite refreshed. I have to say that when I got home I did feel quite drained - not through physical exertion but the day had been quite mentally challenging - keeping quiet and reflecting for such long periods. However, I do think that I would have enjoyed and benefitted from a longer session - perhaps two days. Listened to the Liverpool v. Southampton match on the radio and the day ended perfectly with a 1-0 win for the Saints.
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