Day 24: Be Still

Yesterday I wrote briefly on the power of uplifting, positive music to heal, comfort, and bring peace. Music is one of the essential tools to peace that I keep in my "toolkit," but today I submit to you another essential tool that is the exact opposite--stillness. These two tools have never failed me and together, they operate in a balanced harmony.

Stillness is one of my absolute favorite words. {Maybe that's why I used it in the title of this blog space.} Stillness does not just mean quiet or the absence of noise. It has a deeper meaning to me. One of the definitions of the word "still" is:

"free from turbulence or commotion; peaceful; tranquil; calm:"

Do you make stillness a regular part of your day? Are there times when the TV is off, when the phone is silenced, when even the music is hushed? With little children, my home is usually humming with laughter, activity, and play (and sometimes quarrels too...). But there are a few peaceful parts of my day that emit considerable more stillness than any others.

The first is early morning. I love to wake before my children (except on Saturdays) and revel in the stillness. It's my time and I use it well. I love to study my scriptures, pray, and meditate. My morning stillness powers me up with positive energy to live my day well.

The second time is naptime. Has there ever been a more glorious word invented for young mothers?? When the little ones sleep and the older ones quietly play by themselves for while, there is a golden glow of stillness that fills my home and my heart. My big picture windows face south and the afternoon sun streams in golden hues all around me at this still time of day. I relish this time of stillness to write, to dream, to plan, to read. I fill my well by taking some time to care for myself and ready myself for the afternoon whirlwind of homework, snacks, cleaning, and dinner. This afternoon stillness quiets my mind and refreshes me.

The last time is bedtime. After we put the little ones to bed, the house is still once more. The littles don't always go to sleep immediately, but the evening stillness is not in jeopardy. I use this time to unwind with meditation, a warm bath or shower, and time spent with my sweetheart. We love reading novels together or watching one of our favorite shows on TV. We almost always have a little dessert and talk about everything....(I talk, Patrick patiently listens.) When the hour gets late (which happens far too quickly), we get ready for bed, read scriptures together, have companionship and personal prayers, and then turn in for the night. This last stillness segment of my day infuses me with peace, excitement, and relaxation--the perfect end to a day.

"You all know the scripture, 'Be still, and know that I am God' (Psalm 46:10). You and I may translate that into what is our equivalent of, 'Be quiet.' It is not that. It is to 'be still.' In that special stillness there comes a subduing and a focusing." ~Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I hope that you will take time to reap the rewards of stillness, for they are many. Take a small sliver of each day to rest in the stillness...for in that sliver of stillness resides true peace.