Solitude
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My Face
My face,empty at the table like a white china plate,waits for supper.From the kitchen,silence. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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Summer in the Desert of Solitude
It's summer in the desert of solitude: naked sky, scouring wind, relentless sun.My pores open;Truth drips like sweat. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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It’s Still Christmas!
It's still Christmas…the 6th day, to be exact. I don't want to lose the Christmas spirit. I like the feelings of generosity, warmth, wonder and goodwill I've welcomed all December. And I find, after the actual day itself, that in… Continue reading
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Christmas Greetings
"May you allow room for God to speak this holiday season." "May you draw close to God–and God draw close to you–this Christmas." My final Christmas card had been sent when I discovered these two lines in an old journal… Continue reading
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Core Word #1: Stillness
Just saying, hearing or reading the word stillness quiets me. I'd say I strive for stillness, but that's a contradiction. Stillness isn't something you go after, but something that descends on you when you stop striving or going after. To… Continue reading
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On Silent Retreat
"There is nothing in the world," says Meister Eckhart, "that resembles God quite like silence." All I hear, at this moment, is the sound of my pen tip rolling across the paper. It's that quiet. I sit up in the… Continue reading
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Hush
Slow down. Listen. Hush. There may never beSilence.But there will beStillness.And with stillness,Awareness.And with awareness, the opportunity forPeace. Breathe your lungs,Beat your heart,More slowly. Cease speaking, inside and out.Resist thinking.Stop writing… Text and image © 2010 by Dirk deVries. All… Continue reading
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Creator Spirit
Creator Spirit,in this moment,present with you,help me to be. Text and image © 2010 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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The Great Encounter
What do we seek in silence and solitude? First, we seek self-knowledge and self-acceptance, to know and nurture ourselves, for "only in still water do we see our reflection." Henri Nouwen writes: "The greatest gift of solitude…is the gift of… Continue reading
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Noisy World
We live in a noisy world, a world that keeps us from knowing ourselves, knowing each other and knowing God. A world whose uproar erects a barrier to solitude and intimacy, to authentic connection. Such it has always been. Why do… Continue reading