A Simple Pause…
“It’s not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities.” —Kristin Armstrong
With all that’s going on in the world on top of personal commitments, we can easily feel overwhelmed. So, a simple pause can literally be a “God-send.”
Or as I saw one person say it on social media, “Stop scrolling—take this Holy Tuesday moment with God.”
“Twilight—a time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not.” — Howard Thurman
I love how Howard Thurman lifts up the gift of the brief transition time of twilight, a momentary pause, before darkness sets in. We too can use the gift of twilight as an invitation to pause with every transition in our days.
From the darkness of hearing bad news to the sunlight of a call from a dear friend, or from working hard to taking a blessed break to listen to the birds outside, there are many transition moments we can honor with a simple (yet powerful) pause.
May you pause often and begin to notice how these quiet moments are truly soul nourishment sent from the Divine.
Under a Tree
“Under trees, the urban dweller might restore his troubled soul and find the blessing of a creative pause.”
― Walter Gropeus
What If?
What If…?
What if the leaves,
stirred to singing
by the breeze,
sing with even more joy
when they notice
you are listening?
What if the small white flower
quivers with delight
when you notice
her tiny
yet honorable
contribution
to the beauty
of this world?
And what if
that brief moment
is all she needs
to know that her life
is worth living,
all her efforts
not in vain?
What if the trees
feel the depth
of your pain,
and are quietly
reaching toward you,
offering solace
with everything
they have to give?
What if the whales
diving into the deep blue
can feel your love
for them,
even across all that
open ocean?
What if the water,
weary from
her endless journey,
is replenished by
your gratitude,
which gives her
the strength
to keep going?
What if the Earth
herself
longs to feel
the caress
of your naked feet
on her warm, brown skin?
And what if
the granite mountain,
no matter how remote
and immovable
he may seem,
feels a quiet shiver of joy
when you are touched
by his majestic beauty?
What if…?
—Kai Siedenburg, Published in her book Poems of Earth and Spirit.
