But for the faint wailing of a siren several suburbs off, I might be forgiven for thinking that I am the only soul an the streets of Sydney. As I slipped out the side gate of the college, it was otherwise silent. Families are already out on public holiday picnics, or else they are sitting in their lounge rooms wondering whether or not this warm weather has been here long enough to heat up the back yard pool.
People with a more nervous disposition might find an afternoon like this a little disconcerting, too quiet, a little eerie. Bolder souls like myself revel in the silence that is screaming out the name of a loving creator.
On days like this everything becomes exaggerated. It starts with my awareness of the swish-swish as I walk down the street toward subway (the streets, quiet enough that I can walk down the centre of the road & avoid the sidewalk). when I kick a discarded scrap of metal, the little clang rings out like it has been fed through an amplifier. I can even hear the beat of wings from the minor bird that passes overhead.
I don’t ever want to get sick of days like these. I don’t want to be impressed only by super spectacles, or awesome architecture. I want to make sure that I revel in this kind of stuff for a lifetime. A quiet afternoon, sunny weather bringing a warm breeze, even to the shadows. Squinting in the harsh sunlight and breathing in the sweet air, fragranced by the sweet scent of jasmine, hidden in one of the house’s backyards.
Elijah, I feel what you feel!
“The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
1 Kings 19:11-13