Dallas in the month of August is almost unbearable. It is usually the hottest time of the summer. So who would think that going to far west Texas in August would be such a renewing experience? Suzanne and I planned a "silent retreat" for ourselves at Casa de la Rosa, a retreat center between Marfa and Ft. Davis, Texas. It is a small yet beautiful Center of prayer and quiet under the wide-opened spaces of the Texas sky.

The men who run the retreat center are lay affiliates of a community of monks who are part of the Episcopalian church. They stop all activity four times a day to pray and they observe the "great silence" from eight o'clock at night until eight o'clock in the morning. They eat simple yet very nourishing food and do their daily work and life without the distraction of radio or television.

It is a long way to drive from Dallas to Marfa; however, it is an important drive for those who wish to reap the benefits of the prayer and silence. For as you leave the noise and much ness and many ness of the city, you gradually settle into the vastly different environment to which God is calling you. Little by little you speak more softly, fill your mind with less radio chatter, and view the glorious beauty of God's nature and not the clutter of buildings of glass and stone.

In the midst of the quiet and peace of Casa you can once again allow your soul to settle into the peace of God's presence and hear once again the still small voice within that lets you know that indeed you are "beloved of God". The nights were cool and the days at 5000 feet not as oppressive as Dallas. The coyotes sang us to sleep each night and the birds woke us up each morning with a song.

The time away and the time of silence allowed us to get back in touch with the great chain of being that our gracious God has created. And once again we could see and feel that indeed God is in everything, even in us and even in the honey bees that came to draw nectar from the flowers in the garden.

We have returned home to the duties and responsibilites of everyday life. Our souls have been renewed and our relationship with God has been nurtured. Our peace is restored and we are living in gratitude.

Dallas is still oppressive in August. There are way too many cars, buildings and people rushing around in a hurry to have more and more of whatever it is we think will satisfy us. And, eating out in a restaurant the other night was so noisy. But then I remember that I believe that God is in everything . . . yes, even Dallas.