Thursday, January 03, 2013

Where Quiet Begins


It's 9:30pm on New Year's Eve and I'm crawling into bed after a long travel day. Our hotel room is quiet and all three littles have already fallen asleep, but my mind and heart are not quiet.

As I am unsuccessfully trying to join those in slumber, my mind is shouting things I need to do, want to do, want to be. And, as my body responds to this mental state - I am more awake and less relaxed than before.

{sigh} I realize that quiet is something I must choose if it will be a characteristic of my mind and heart.

As a child and teen it took me a loooong time to get to sleep, even a couple of hours. I would lay there and think ... and worry. My Mom told me that I could think of relaxing each part of my body and work my way through mentally relaxing myself. This has helped me fall asleep many times!

It worked again as I thought of it in terms of quieting. Quiet my toes, quiet my feet, quiet my legs, etc... It is a way that I choose quiet and begin to learn the practice of quiet.

So many outer aspects of quiet are not always things I can change or control. Inner quiet requires strength and choice making it so calming and beautiful.

Quiet begins inside me. Speaking of which, quiet found me yesterday just in reading all of your entries for the drawing - go read the comments and sense the quiet described there.

3 comments:

Lisa said...

The snow covered trees brings on such a strong need for peace and rest. That is a scene I could stare at for hours. I have to picture it in my head though since I am in south Georgia!

I can relate so much to the need for quiet in your heart. There are many nights that I cannot fall asleep when I am fixating on a worry or overexcited about something. When I have taken time to focus on Him, my sleep often is sweeter.

Thanks for sharing this today!

Amy said...

I desperately needed to read this today. Thank you.

Wendi said...

I can relate to the need for quiet. I crave quiet, order and simplicity. I often have those night when I can't shut everything off and have the quiet I need to rest.

I am working on making my home all I need it to be... orderly, simple and as quiet/calm as it can be with young children.