A "New" Thin Place

Thin Place (def.): A place where the gap between heaven and earth, God and myself, feels a little bit thinner.

God is omnipresent, yes.

But there are some places where I can feel him a little bit more. Where there are fewer distractions, in whatever form they may be, that get in the way of me hearing, feeling, or understanding Him. Where the memories and the tears can flow. One of these places is Tilikum (how can it not be, with the open sky, joyful memories, pristine nature, and overall serenity?). But I just found a new one.

The prayer chapel. That sounds SO cliché. Of COURSE the prayer chapel would be a place to feel close to God, right? Just like church or something. But there is something unique about the prayer chapel. I don't even think I can put it into words. Obviously, it's not the building itself, but lately (this year more so than any other), the prayer chapel has offered a place for me to get myself away from the million things fighting for my time, energy, emotions, and attention, and focus on God. I wish I could put these feelings into better words. Oh well. But I have come to really love, and crave time there.

It is warm, and most of all, quiet. Not just lacking in noise, but in the prayer chapel, there is a serenity. A DEEP quiet, for lack of a better word. I feel at peace. Intimate with my Father. Ready to listen. Eager to think. Ready to break.

The prayer chapel is where I go when the back burner of my soul is full. I was trying to figure out how to describe the feeling I get that screams and begs for solitude, and that is what I came up with. I think it fits. I am off the charts extraverted, believe me. But sometimes (it seems to be happening more frequently), I feel like I'm about to explode. I can't focus. I get irritated. I get emotional. I get irrational. I can hide these things very well. Oh yes, all too well. Hence the feeling that I'm about to explode. I feel like I have so many thoughts to think, questions to ponder, words to hear, tears to cry, and breaths to breathe. Yet my life is so busy that I never have time (or rather, rarely MAKE time) to think such thoughts, hear such words, or breathe deeply. So I shove all of these things on the back burner to deal with later. It's not just the back burner of my mind, or my heart...it's everything. My being. My soul. But eventually, the back burner gets full, and I need to slowly, one by one, piece by piece, sort through everything. I do this when the back burner of my soul gets full.

In solitude. Often in the prayer chapel, my new thin place.