The city is full of noises. There are cars honking, people with raised voices, crashing, footsteps, clocks, radios, television, sirens, tires screeching, planes taking off and landing. All around the neighborhoods in the city, there is some kind of noise.
When I used to live there, we lived on a street that (once upon a time) used to be out of the way, but shortly after we moved there, the city resurfaced the street and it became a busy avenue, full of sound and traffic. We also lived along the corridor that the airplanes flew over every day. The walls of the house could not keep the sounds out. For a long time, I had difficulty sleeping or resting because of the noise. But, eventually, the everyday noises faded into the background of my mind. It became something that I didn't even listen to anymore. I learned to adapt to my environment and learned to sleep and work and live, in spite of it. After a while, I didn't even notice. The drone of noise was a constant in my life.
It wasn't until I moved to the mountains that I realized how much I crave, how much I need silence. I hear the trees whisper in the wind. I hear the birds sing, the mountain streams bubble, and even occasionally, the elk call.
In the busy life I live, I have discovered that I fill my minutes, hours and days with noise. Some of them are soft, some are loud, but all are distractions. It is in the silence of the quiet moments that I come to know that I am never really alone. It is in the moments free of the distraction of noise and busyness that I realize I am loved and known.
In the silence, I feel my Heavenly Father's love all around me.
I hear the whisper of His breath upon the wind.
I feel the warmth of His touch as the sun kisses my cheeks.
In the noise of life, I sometimes forget to listen to the silence of His love.
God is not in the loud noises.
He fills the silence.
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before theLord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
1 Kings 19:11-12
It is so hard to find the quiet. We used to live by the fire station, and every siren made me jump and wonder where my kids are -- and the freeway, I could hear it from my bedroom. Where we are now, there are no street lights, and I love to see the stars.
ReplyDeleteNice post.
Like you, I so enjoy the silence that is filled with the whispers of nature. Sometimes, I find myself holding my own breath so as to better hear the quiet.
ReplyDeleteLovely post:)
Hugs,
Debbie
I love what you wrote. I too, love hte silence; I wake an hour or two before hterest of the family to get it! But strangely, I also love the small sounds of the cars passing by; I love any sounds which are constant and rythmic in some way. I'm thankful, because I can feel at peace in the city as well as in the country. Perhaps this is because I was born in a large city. I recall laying in bed at night listening to the traffic go by as I imagined up a dream for myself.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh... I'm rambling! Sorry. :o
PS. I love your photo. I just took one very similar to it a few days ago. And I am inspired by your daily photos and have been thinking of doing it, too. :)
Thank you for ALL of your wonderful inspirational examples!
Corine :D
Love it. Great picture too. I grew up on a busy street...you just get used to the traffic noises. Now I need noise to sleep (like a fan) but I like the sounds of the country much better!
ReplyDelete