Time for Stillness…
“Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen — that stillness becomes a radiance.” —Morgan Freeman
Sometimes an inner nudge is so strong that we know we must find a way to heed it. At first I thought “stillness” was only the theme for today’s newsletter. Then while gathering quotes, images, and a poem for you, I realized it was a call I needed to heed.
No matter the tasks at hand, the long to-do list, or the recent silent pauses, you too may be in need of a time of stillness and silence.
“The internet has become my enabler. It keeps me from stillness and discomfort, and this keeps me from growing.” —Glennon Doyle Melton
We often need blessed distractions to help us through a cold and stormy winter day, recover from a traumatic event, or to process a painful conversation. But sometimes, as Glennon Doyle Melton knows, they turn into enablers. What is keeping you from a ‘date’ with healing stillness? What gifts might even five minutes away from all distractions give you today?
After you’ve had a chance to explore this newsletter, lovingly filled with invitations to rest in stillness, please join me in accepting the invitation. Step away from your phone and computer, set the timer for 5-15 minutes, and be blessed by this time out.
May peace and any healing wisdom you need find you in moments of stillness this week.
Stillness Inside
“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside you.”
―Deepak Chopra
Seek This
“Seek out a tree and let it teach you stillness.”
―Eckhart Tolle
Within You
“Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”
―Hermann Hesse
The Opening of Eyes
After R. S. Thomas
That day I saw beneath dark clouds,
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before,
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.
It is the opening of eyes long closed.
It is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.
It is the heart after years
of secret conversing,
speaking out loud in the clear air.
It is Moses in the desert
fallen to his knees before the lit bush.
It is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven
and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love with solid ground.
—David Whyte, River Flow: New & Selected Poems (link takes you to David Whyte’s website)
