Questing for Quiet
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Just me on Friday, October 22, 2010 12:24 PM
My sister Erin sent me this adorable photo of my nephew Evan, a first grader and I think one of the most beautiful children on the face of this earth - not that I’m biased or anything! I was struck by the photo, by the expression on Evan’s face but mostly by the bright red “Quiet” sign. Maybe it’s because I’m in the midst of needing a little quiet in my own life…
When our kids outgrow naps, we often use the words “quiet time” as a euphemism to mean “Mommy still needs a break, honey”. But the truth is, we can all use a little quiet time! And I’m not just talking about absence of sound here, but rather time to quietly and peacefully rest our hearts and souls in prayer, in thanksgiving, and in simple companionship with the Lord. We moms, in particular, find ourselves running in so many different directions that “quiet” feels like a state of mind that we don’t often visit.
Last week, while preparing for a parish visit to a women’s group in Wellesley, Massachusetts, I spent the night with my good friend Pat Gohn. Pat knew that I needed a place to stay, but she also intuited that what I truly needed was some quiet time, some nourishment for my soul. She arranged our day nicely around a mid afternoon visit to her parish’s Adoration chapel, where we spent approximately thirty minutes spending quiet time with Jesus. As I sat in that space, soaking in the love I felt so palpably, one of my prayers was for all of my mom friends out there who likely won’t have the luxury of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament any time soon.
When you’re fully in the mix of day to day mom duties, when you’re homeschooling, working full time, feeding a family, and playing maid, quiet feels like an impossibility. Your children may have that feeling too, not even realizing what it means to pause from the hectic schedules our kids keep these days. I’m wondering if we might all benefit this weekend from following the advice on Evan’s sign - quieting ourselves, slowing down our lives just a bit, and savoring the still, peaceful feeling that comes with doing nothing.
So here’s a bit of an exercise for you: If you found sixty minutes of “quiet time” this weekend, what would you do with it? Or would you do nothing with it, and simply sit and “be”? Tell me about it, and then find an hour this weekend to enjoy a bit of quiet.
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