It was an early Saturday morning when I woke to the loud sounds of silence.  I opened my eyes and paused to just listen to the sounds of the birds outside my bedroom window.  Strange, I had not noticed them yesterday, or the day before, but only when I took the time to sit in silence for a moment, did their sweet music find my eager ear.  I walked outside in the yard and watched the squirrels dance on the limbs of the trees and there in the peaceful silence I spot this plant growing next to my house.  This too was odd because I had failed to notice it yesterday.

          As I stand there in the yard with my house shoes on, I began to wonder how many other marvels I have failed to notice in my own back yard.  How long has it been since you have taken a nice quite walk in the back yard?  How long has it been since you have paused to listen to a bird’s song or watch a squirrel tango in the trees?  And day by day we go through our lives in such a hurried pace that we refuse to pause long enough to enjoy the silence and the stillness of life.

          What we need is the ability to enjoy some “Holy leisure”.  This refers to a sense of balance in the life, an ability to be at peace through the activities of the day, an ability to rest and take time to enjoy beauty, an ability to pace ourselves.  Balance that is a great word; too often we cram our days so full of activities that at the end of the day we find ourselves breathless for no reason and busy doing nothing.  Balance, what does that mean to you?

Something to think about:

• Slow me down, Lord; I am going too fast.
  I can’t see my brother when he’s walking past.
  I miss a lot of good things day by day;
  I don’t know a blessing when it comes my way.

• We move through life in such a distracted way that we do not even take the time and rest to wonder if any of the things we think, say, or do are worth thinking, saying, or doing.

• True silence is the rest of the mind and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.

• Don’t hurry, don’t worry. You’re only here for a short visit. So be sure to stop and smell the flowers.

• He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.

• The best bridge between hope and despair is often a good night’s sleep.

• The greatest events are not our noisiest, but our stillest hours.

• Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Enjoying the moment
Rickey Moore