From last week

Silence... One of my favorite Pandora stations is the relaxation radio station. All around you always hear people talking it is nice to break it up with just some relaxing music for a change.

Hi All,

Hope everyone has had a good two weeks. First, I want to apologize for not getting this up last week. Last weekend I went on a campus ministry sponsored silent retreat. It was really nice to escape the routine and head out to the country for 24 hours in silence. The fall colors had just started to turn so it was picture perfect to say the least.

My birthday was last Friday so this retreat was in a way my birthday gift to myself. It was something I had never done before I figured what the heck give it a try. I was able to do some reflecting on what I am being called to do next year and reflect back on the past 4 years here at Rockhurst. When people say college flies bye they are not kidding.

The place we went to for the retreat was called Christ's peace out in Easton, Kansas. I have to admit as we were driving out there I have never before seen numbered streets get as high as they did out there. I think we got up to 212th street before we finally got there. The retreat center is on 60 plus acres and each of the 6 of us that went on the retreat had our own cabin. It felt like a scene out of a story book, a little private cabin out in the woods.

I really enjoy the variety of retreats that campus ministries puts on. This was my third different type of retreat that I have been on through campus ministries. Freshman year I went on both the "Frosh Get A Away" which a freshman retreat giving freshman a chance to hear from some upper classmen and meet fellow freshman. The other retreat I went on my freshman year was called Retreat on the Rock. It is a smaller in terms of group size retreat consisting of longer personal talks and small group time.

I personally encourage all those at Rockhurst to go on at least one retreat while they are here. Campus ministries subsidizes them to  make them really affordable. :)

Here is a quote about silence:
“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.”
--Blessed Mother Teresa