I stand beside the river in the blazing cold morning sunshine, with a dead phone in my hand and an unasked for deep rich silence encircling me…. inviting me…. drawing me deeper.
“Come Away with Me ….”
Only 30 seconds earlier I had been on a walk AND on a group zoom call (via headphones and my phone). The zoom call consisted of a group of peers I love and esteem, and I was fully committed to our meeting as we continued to learn and pray together…
…. until my phone battery went dead. Suddenly. Without notice or warning. The abrupt zoom-exit leaving me feeling bereft and a little guilty.
“Come Away with Me ….”
And … breathe. What to do?
I was at least an hour’s journey away from a plug socket…. so I admitted defeat and sat down. Beside the river. Nursing my frustration and annoyance.
“Come Away with Me ….”
And ….. breathe. What will they think of me, leaving so suddenly, without explanation or excuse…? Well, there’s nothing I can do. Not right now. I can’t even message to apologise! So I look around and take in the beauty.
“Come Away……
… with Me.”
OK, OK, I’m here. I’m here. I’m listening …. I hear the rest of the Scripture, in the voice of my Beloved, calling to me:
“Arise, my love, my dove, my fair one, and come away”
OK, OK, I’m here. I stop looking around for things to do. I relax into the morning, snuggle into my coat, get a more comfortable seat beside the river. I’m here….
… with a dead phone and nowhere I need to be anytime soon. I’m here. Listening to God’s invitation to me …
“Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away….. let me see your face, let me hear your voice”
… and I enter into that most amazing gift. That gift of extended seemingly-unending deep rich silence. Of being with God. Of being surrounded by the care and love and gift of our Resurrected Lord.
And I nearly missed it. I nearly missed the invitation. Allowed it to be muted by my busy-ness, squashed by my “shoulds”. So today, I thank God for my dead-phone-battery-situation. For the river. And the cold sunshine. And this is my Easter prayer for you, that you can also be gifted the space and time and focus to relax into the same rich life-giving Silence.
Because it changes everything…. from the inside-out.
Wishing you many Easter Blessings,
Kate Cavanagh,
P.S. Scripture quotes are from The Song of Solomon, Chapter 2 (RSV translation)
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