I have been asked at least half a dozen times already today what I will be giving up for Lent; my answer is nothing, I have tried before to give up various things and have not found this practice to be helpful. So this year I have decided to take something on instead. I want to begin each day in silence and stillness, not reading, not browsing the internet (even quietly) and not even praying, but intentionally being still.
I think it is a lost art to us today, and that we would benefit from it hugely, one of the greatest gifts of my holiday last week (apart from celebrating 30 yrs of marriage) was the chance to simply be, to walk and not to talk, to sit and watch the fire, to light a candle and simply to breathe!
This article explains it better than I can; I am simply accepting the invitation!
what depths
does silence touch,
and what heights are
in her reach,
and why do
we confuse
her with
condemnation?
+
she beckons
and we shun her,
she calls
and we block
our ears
with sound
and our
hearts
with worry...
+
silence
offers us a gift
laced with
eternity's wholeness
beyond words,
beyond time,
beyond selfish
preoccupations...
+
if you take
her hand
she will lead you
to a place of
blessing and
transformation,
only then
will she urge
you to join
the world
again....
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