Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The gift of quietness


Our culture is so hurried.
So frenzied with activity.
So loud.


Which might be why it's been so hard for me to embrace the gift of quietness.
 I've been forced to slow down and be quieter lately.

It seems that my chronic voicelessness is going on and on and on. 

My doctors are not sure what's causing it and I have shed a few tears.



But I'm turning the corner, determined to learn to see even this as a gift.

To let my weakness teach me the joy of silent reflection
and make me the best listener you ever met.

To be grateful for a good therapist, for an hour when I can speak fairly well.

I'm embracing the humility of learning the simplest things,
like how to breathe properly and I'm learning greater compassion for others.


We all have weak areas, don't we?

We can choose to turn those areas of pain and weakness into a gift.


There's always a bright side, and I'm embracing the beauty of peace and quiet inside and out.

May you, my friend, be given the grace to find the beauty in your weaknesses, too.

That's one more thing to be thankful for when we count our blessings next month.