Would you call yourself an introvert? These days, I think I would. Taylor definitely recharges her batteries by being alone. But not me.
Years ago I would get this time by going on a short day hike in Greensboro- there are plenty of trails around lakes on the north side of town to hike a few miles.
If you go back even farther, I used to go on hikes along the blue ridge parkway during my years in college, a couple times even camping by myself. In hindsight, that was pretty stupid.
In high school, I would go on wandering drives by myself around the outskirts of town, in my 1989 dodge ramcharger.
These days, it is harder to find that kind of uninterrupted time. And Taylor was taking note of that (I married a good one). So for my birthday, she gave me a night away, at the St. Francis Prayer Center. If you have a minute to read the story about how it was founded, the story is amazing.
It is 40 minutes north of town and is open to all; they serve three meals a day, have a library, a walking trail, fireplaces, gardens, and an outstanding, quiet facility.
It was the ideal place to be quiet, and pray through some of the craziness from this past year.
I’ll keep it vague- but there have been a few stressful things weighing on me, and I don’t quite know how to navigate them. The stress has been surfacing in different ways. And the only thing I know how to do is pray through it, and this song just kept coming to my heart.
That afternoon hike gave way to some great conversations with strangers at dinner who were visiting St. Francis for another event; they shared about the various ministries they were involved in around the Durham/Raleigh area, and an hour-long conversation passed in no time. It was delightful for two reasons:
- There was no where to be. There was no schedule to be anywhere, and no kiddos that needed a potty break. I don’t remember the last time I was able to slow down this way, and just engage with someone.
- It was great to get out of my own head and hear about some amazing things being done by ordinary people around the state. This lady was 70+, and shared about 4 different non profits she manages reaching underserved teenagers in Raleigh.
With that much silence and peace around, it is hard NOT to get a great night’s rest.
The next day I spent some time reading up on things NOT related to prayer (there is only so much reverent time I can muster in 24 hours), had a wonderful lunch, and made it home in time to watch UNC play (and lose) to Duke.
So what is the takeaway from this night away?
- It is going to be ok. Just pray through some things, and let them go.
- My family is special. Taylor is awesome, and I am lucky to have her.
- It is good to re-charge my batteries every once in a while.
It is a great place- highly recommend.
Unrelated, but fun
Here are a few other pictures and videos from the week.
