Golden... the Magic of Slow and Still.

Just when I think I am done talking about Slow and Quiet and Rest... well, it's Monday morning and after a blessed but FULL weekend, what my introverted soul needs most is to seek out a little Silence and just breathe.

Maybe this is becoming a new life message, or maybe I am training my eyes and my ears to find small wonders... 

...or maybe you just need a little space to breathe on a Monday, too? 

If that is true... read on. 
May my random wandering thoughts breathe a bit of Rest into your day at the beginning of your week. May this serve as a reminder for us all to embrace the magic and look for the wonders that are all around us!


I go out and sit, cup in hand, settling in for some outside quiet time and I think right away,

"I may need to pick a new location to still myself and listen!"

As much as I love this patio, the sounds are now so familiar. I quiet myself even more and lean in, listening for the silence.

I tune in deeper beyond the obvious outdoor sounds and can hear the rhythmic beat of my pulse... my heart pumping and lungs filling full, holding, and releasing.

I hear the cherry guns popping off every minute or two and learn to not dismiss the sound as distraction, but let it settle into the melody.  It goes off amidst the rustling of leaves dancing in the breeze and the birds and wind chimes join in with their morning songs and yes, He is here. 

I hear Him in all of it, but I also hear a challenge to go, to seek silence in the middle of a crowded room, --in the center of Busy, to seek and to find the gift of Quiet even there.

But you know how it is... the days are full and loud and pull at us until we feel we have nothing left and that is where I found myself last night: Blessed and filled up, but Quiet had eluded me all weekend long. I thought if I sought it out, I would give in to sleep instead. (How many know that these are not always two different things... both gifts in and of themselves!)

However, by the time I set aside five minutes for hush, it was evening and the setting sun was painting everything in a glorious Golden wash...

Yes, it's that magic hour when the light plays tricks and makes life look Dreamy... Unreal... like it's all Nostalgic before it even happens!  

The birds chirp happily and the air cools and refreshes.
There is a Stillness offered...
a Gift Held Out.

To Slow the Thoughts and the Next
and the Lists of Things To Do... 
To Put Off the Busy and the Bossy
and the Crowdedness of
the Day Planners' Plans,
and simply sit, eyes closed,
feet up, listening for Quiet.

I relax, hearing it slowly unfold...
inside and outside of me,
as Gold gives way to Dark
and Rest prepares for Rush.

I remember: "Each day..." He said last week... 

"Each day holds this gift of silence and peace and it cannot be hoarded up or saved for later."

Each day, like manna that nourishes and revives,
offers a breath of Stillness that feeds and refreshes.

And in the evening, as light fades and the moon rises, I come away to sit, to inhale slow, and as the sun sets below the horizon, once again, He reminds me that there is always a bit of magic... a bit of wonder, whenever we give Him room and invite Him in.

He paints all things new, and every hour --
  every minute, really -- holds within it
    the potential to color your whole life Golden.



P.S.  I'm linking up with these lovely writers:

The Community over at #SmallWonders 

Laura Boggess over at #ChasingTheBlueFlower

Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp