Seeking a little quiet
image by madalena-pestana
Resisting the urge to turn on the television after putting the kids to bed and waiting for Dustin to get home…
Putting down the novel and letting my mind be still for a while…
Folding laundry without music or TV to entertain my brain…just quiet…
Stopping myself from putting in several hold requests at the library after reading this post and this post (but writing the titles down to read at another time!)
Putting down the baby books and magazines…
Spending more time reflecting, praying, meditating on the Proverbs I’ve been reading instead of complaining about never having the time to do that.
Enjoying the little squirming arms and legs I feel moving inside me, and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that very soon another little life will be part of this family.
Right now my body is tired, and my mind is tired…yet I still find myself filling it with noise. I need the quiet and the stillness.
I crave the wisdom and peace that I know comes not from more reading but through a little more solitude.
These tiny snatches of time are often lost to us. What a pity! They can and should be redeemed. They are times for inner quiet, for reorienting our lives like a compass needle. They are little moments that help us to be genuinely present where we are.
Richard Foster
from Celebration of Discipline
What are ways that you find quiet in the midst of a busy day?
6 comments
She will be here so soon. Until then, I hope that you get the rest and stillness that you need. Solitude always helps me be more present where I am, and I pray that for you too.
How often we find ourselves multi-tasking, or filling the perceived empty air with unnecessary noise! Thank you for reminding me again to be still and listen to God’s whispering!
I am not good at this! I’d have to say, though, that it is at night after the kids are in bed. My husband and I like to sit and do our own things, sometimes in complete silence. Just being in the same room together without talking can be so peaceful.
I remember reading “A Celebration of Discipline” in college, and the impact it had on me. And yes, I embrace those moments of solitude and quiet when I can get them. They can be so refreshing.
You are due soon, like me, right? These precious quiet moments of solitude are so important at this time in our lives. Reading this post reminds me that I need to do that, and to recenter myself, to prepare to welcome a new life. Thank you for the reminder!
In our home, our lives are not really busy or frantic, but they are full. I often forget to take time just to sit and think. I used to take some time before bed, but my body and mind are usually too tired by then. Now, I try to find a few minutes in the afternoon, while the kids are outside playing, to sit in a chair in my yard and just be.
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