watch and believe

I savour nothing more than 
the Lord's words spoken to me 
in the early morning hours
priceless life to me

I use everything from the greatest to the smallest
I transform tears into glory
did I not turn blood into salvation?
How much more can I transform all things?

Only watch and believe
be strong in the waiting
have I not already commanded you
strong and courageous

I Am in the stillness
when you think I Am not moving

Know and believe

Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.
Exodus 14:13-14

nature's old song

Whenever there is stillness there is the still small voice,

 God's speaking from the whirlwind,

 nature's old song, and dance...

Annie Dillard

let me remain
silent, satisfied
in Him
let the wind blow
as it may
I will not be moved

sitting still with Sandy

 

settle in

Ask the world to reveal its quietude —

not the silence of machines when they are still,

but the true quiet by which birdsongs,

trees, bellworts, snails, clouds, storms

become what they are, and are nothing else.

Wendell Berry

in the center of the flood

grasping, gasping

may I find the still point

peace falling, as the dove 

Holy Spirit, settles in

for an extended stay

seeking the stillness with Sandy

no hurry hurry

Hurry, hurry has no blessings

Swahili proverb

let me find blessings

in the waiting

the slow

wonder

as God's sun sets

on the Canadian prairies

soon to rise

on the African plains

looking for a still space with Sandy

 

between breaths

Sometimes 

the most important thing 

in a whole day 

is the rest we take 

between two deep breaths,

or the turning inwards in prayer 

for five short minutes

Etty Hillesum

stop along the road

pause, pray, praise

find the centre

breathe in beauty

before continuing on

finding the stillness with Sandy

 

within the storm

To be at peace, 

does not mean that you are amiss of every storm, 

it only means that you can find a calm within the storm

Tania Elizabeth

I placed an order

this morning

for mosquito nets

to create in the natural

a refuge

like that I find

in my God

safety

security

peace

looking for a still place with Sandy

 

aptitude of stillness

No domestic animal can be as still as a wild animal. 

The civilized people have lost the aptitude of stillness, 

and must take lessons in silence from the wild 

before they are accepted by it.

Isak Dinesen (Out of Africa)

I will to be still

to listen and hear

to watch and see

each new moment

an adventure 

to breathe

taste and tell

seeking the stillness with Sandy

 

eating the stillness

Silence helps us to understand our inner self. 

If we want to understand God's way for us, 

silence is needed. 

Stillness and quiet are like nourishment

O.S.B. André Gozier

all I want, need

to know

is the stillness

in Him, of Him

with Him

may I open wide my mouth

and see that He is good

seeking to be still with Sandy

 

learn to learn

I know that

life will slow

time will come

and linger

and I will sit

with words, enveloped

snuggled in

but for just now

those moments

belong to all

I have surrendered

fighting for peace

steals my peace

as I learn to learn

to find stillness

in the rush

For everything there is a season,

    a time for every activity under heaven.

 A time to be born and a time to die.

    A time to plant and a time to harvest.

 A time to kill and a time to heal.

    A time to tear down and a time to build up.

 A time to cry and a time to laugh.

    A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

 A time to search and a time to quit searching.

    A time to keep and a time to throw away.

 A time to tear and a time to mend.

    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

 A time to love and a time to hate.

    A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT

 

softly home

the day dawned

anything but still

as we drove into the sunrise

to host our fundraising yard sale

now the heat of the day

the swarming mosquitoes

and the noise of the shoppers

is merely memory

as I find my silence

here, in the refuge

of words, typed softly

home

trying to find a still place with Sandy

 

practice nothing

You need not do anything. 

Remain sitting at your table and listen. 

You need not even listen, just wait. 

You need not even wait, 

just learn to be quiet, still and solitary. 

And the world will freely offer itself to you unmasked. 

It has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet

Franz Kafka

trying to find spaces

to practice

nothing

finding the still places with Sandy

 

choosing to hush

Be intentional about your time 

and try to set some aside to write and create 

at the same time every day.  

I suggest the morning, 

when you and the day are both new again.  

Contemplate, focus, deliberate - 

take your time and make it sacred again.

Dave Harrity - Making Manifest

even in sleep

my mind can find ways

to rush, race, circling thoughts

revisiting the past day

building visions

of what is to come

to slow myself is contrary 

to our modern natures

but each morning I can choose

to hush

into the new day

finding the holy

and mercies fresh

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

    great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 RSV

seeking a still place with Sandy

 

lower still

Come, oh come! let us away--

Lower, lower every day, 

Oh, what joy it is to race

Down to find the lowest place. 

This the dearest law we know--

"It is happy to go low."

Sweetest urge and sweetest will,

"Let us go down lower still."

Hear the summons night and day

Calling us to come away.

Hannah Hurnard - The Water Song

Hinds Feet on High Places

lower still

strip pride away

till I can in stillness sit 

beside my Lord

simple, humble

no thought of self

but all of Him

seeking that still spot with Sandy

 

practice slowness

Christ calls us:

practice slowness,

grip the moment before you and see it without hesitation,

see the real and brilliant places before you;

love your neighbor, bless your enemy,

treat all creation with amiable respect.

Because each being in this world is created, designed, intentional.

Dave Harrity in Making Manifest 

slowing

opening eyes to see

a world transformed

after the rains

breathing green

seeking stillness with Sandy 

waiting to unfold

Most of us will never be great in the world, especially when measured by its standards - where product, stature and the bottom line are most important. But measures have a way of being changed over time. There is in the world a way of measuring that has less to do with standing up and more to do with being still. Your life is that small seed etched into earth - the horizon is about to change.

Your voice - that unique view of reality, that humble vision - 

is waiting in you.

Dave Harrity - Making Manifest

see

the whole world

waits, to unfold

in your telling

in a voice that is

yours alone

humble, real

holy

making time to be still with Sandy

getting out

For yesterday's exercise in Making Manifest, Dave Harrity asked us to step away from our regular surroundings, spend ten minutes in still and silent observation then open our journals and write. I couldn't get to it then, but caught up today.  Here's my getting out:

The air has grown warm enough to sit without a jacket, but the wind brings a chill each time it passes through in waves.  I have left the solitude of our end-of-the-road, edge-of-the-world acreage and come to town, both to do this exercise and pick up some items for dinner at the grocery store.

I pulled the car over and left it to enjoy this small park and sitting area that the town built a few years ago.

Stone planters and wooden benches wear placards honoring those who donated the funds to purchase them, for themselves or loved ones. The bench wood is streaked gray through the brown stain. I believe it is weather, not human use that is fading the colour, for I never see anyone making use of the benches, or the paths or the skate park down at the far end.

The park is lonely for users.

The trees are still bare, even as small buds begin to appear.  The branches twist and reach and following them with my eyes is like trying to track my way through a maze.  I loose my way and then can't remember where to begin again.

A large Canadian flag flutters 
proud, even with an edge tattered 
dancing to a tune of its own
like these small towns
not dying, not living
moved by time
and wind
still holding on

I ambled back to the car, and took a drive to look at one of our rivers, hungry to see life.

 

the fullness

Stillness is a decision 

in spite of the world's standards of being, 

despite its assaults, pressures, and norms 

- a bold way of loving one another 

through a posture of peace, balance, and patience.

Dave Harrity - Making Manifest

finding clarity in the silence

joy in the small things

inhaling the fullness 

of His presence

 I settle, here

now

in the stillness with Sandy

 

silent shouts

Away with the noise of your songs!

    I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river,

    righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Amos 5:23-24 NIV

we are going silent, 

in a show of solidarity with the women 

and girls around the world

who know unspeakable things 

for those who have no voice

or whose voices are never heard

may our silence shout

speaking louder for them

than any words ever could

silent for the cause with Sandy and Deidra