A moment of stillness

Watching the Chipmunk

I knew I had landed in the seat of stillness when I sat on the deck with John one Saturday afternoon doing nothing. I heard a rustling in the leaves below the deck. I turned my head to glimpse a chipmunk eating a nut. I sat still enough that the chipmunk did not move—moments of beauty when sitting in stillness, just being.

A Beach Moment

In June, I attended the IABA of Americas Conference in Cape May, NJ. After the final session on Wednesday, before the evening banquet, I found time to be still on the beach. Ocean waves whispered. Birds took flight. Children giggled.

Can you remember a moment when you simply stopped? Just stopped doing whatever it was you were doing to be still. To pause from the task at hand and simply breathe. To pause for a moment and make room for God to gaze on you and your beauty, like me gazing at the chipmunk. A moment of stillness, five or ten minutes, or a day, allows us to be present with an open heart despite the circumstances.

Stillness at the Park

John and I hung out at the Bushnell Park Annual Jazz Festival. We sat in our camping chairs. We feasted on strawberries, cold salads, crackers, cheese, and cold cuts stored in our cooler. We laughed. We danced. We did not pick up our phones. We people watched. We met friends of a friend. We enjoyed moments of stillness.