Spring Soul Cleaning

I returned from my six days of silence by the sea on Thursday. I didn't realize how much I needed these days away until I was home. I needed the physical rest and down time, but more than that I needed to clean out the spiritual clutter that had over some time begun to fill the corners of my soul. It happens much like material clutter happens~ very slowly and gradually to the point you don't really notice until you step back and take a good look at your surroundings.
So these days with Our Lord were days of some spiritual spring cleaning. With His help and by His grace, I was able to see the parts of my spiritual life that needed a bit of tidying up. Some things simply needed to be put back in their proper place like regular spiritual reading and saying a Rosary more often. Other things I saw needed to be just plain old thrown out! Case in point here: Leaving the blasted television on just for the sake of doing something or more to the point~ nothing. I don't miss it while I am away, so I certainly don't need it when I am home. That time can be spent reading, writing, praying or getting up off my duff for a walk.
I am truly blessed in that I am able to take these days for silent retreat once or twice a year; not everyone can, I know. However, you don't have to be on a retreat to check the tidiness of your soul~after all, it is God's dwelling place within each of us. We have to check every now and then to be sure the clutter we allow in is not squeezing Him out.
So I have returned to my life here at home, but I have been trying to keep the spiritual routine of the retreat as much as possible. When I am home and not at work or in any situation where I have to deal with the world, I am keeping the silence (since I live alone this easier for me than for the mom or dad with kids around). In the three days since I have arrived home, I see the difference this is making already. With Our Lord's continued help, I will be able to continue. It is a lot easier to deal with the clutter, material or spiritual, as it starts rather than wait until it has become unbearable.
So no matter what your state in life, go ahead and open up the windows and let the Holy Spirit breathe His fresh air into your soul.

*For those of you not tired of my pictures of sea and sky, the slide show of the few pictures I did snap is on my right side bar. It takes a few minutes to load.