Mitten Strings for God: Chapter Four

Quiet

"I am convinced that the simplest, most effective way to enrich family life is to return quiet to our homes."

Ahhh, quiet. The perfect chapter to follow peace. Because aren't we mothers always looking for a little of both? ;)

And by quiet I think we - as mothers of full, bustling households - must strive for a particular kind of quiet. Not aways the silent kind of quiet, though that's nice too (as I recall) - but the kind of natural quiet that allows us to hear life. Life as in, our world as it is - the people, the nature, and the hum of the household around us. I could do with less noise, but I savor the sounds of my life. Does this make sense?

Noise = video games, tv, radio, electronics, etc.

Sounds = laughter, singing, birdsong, the wind, etc.

What does life sound like in your home right this very minute? Is the noise drowning out the sounds?

Here I have ...

• rain dripping on the deck
• an oven preheating (creak, creak)
• boys chatting down the hall
• papers being shuffled, a pencil tin being rattled
• the tapping of my keyboard
• a car splashing through a puddle
• the bathtub emptying down the hall
• "Between the Lions" in the next room (peppered with EB's laughter)

I do like the idea of attempting some total silence now and then; silence is a good thing to learn to appreciate. Because it is in silence that we may hear (see, feel, think) more clearly.

Case in point, later this month our Nature Club is going on an outing called "Silent Spring." We'll be taking a walk through the woods to seek out spring in silence. (As silent as 15 families can be, lol.) We're going to quiet ourselves so that we may hear what is really going on. Those sounds will be LIFE happening all around us. Spring in the woods is so profoundly beautiful, but if we're noisy we could trip right over it and never give it a second thought. We must find it in the quiet we create.

"In silence we allow the world to enter our hearts."

Well, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject, so if you find a quiet moment today, please join me in the comments box below. :)