Only when the clamor of the outside world is silenced
will you be able to hear the deeper vibration.
Listen carefully.
SARAH BAN BREATHNACH
A longing to escape the city the other day had us heading out to Elk Island National Park—a lovely wilderness area not far from where we live. Traveling along the busy highway, with vehicles often roaring past us in the (wink) over the speed limit lane, there isn't a proper chance to really take in the snow covered fields and farmyards. But the moment we turn off into the parkway, the contrast is sudden: the speed limit drops to a turtle's pace and the traffic roar is left behind as silence falls around us. No other vehicles—it's just us for the moment—the lone officer at the park gate waves us through.
My mind takes its cue from the lower speed limit and my usual brain chatter hushes. I breathe in the silence and soak in the wintry scene before me. The radio is turned off, and even our quiet chitchat drops as we roll past snow covered ditches and lanky leafless aspens, standing like soldiers on parade. Dogwood thickets cast a reddish hint against the white. The pale sky is empty except for an occasional ink black crow flapping past. We spot a small herd of bison resting on a hillside in the paddock—it's a rare treat as we hadn't spotted them the last few times we visited.
God speaks in the silence of the heart.
MOTHER TERESA
In the stillness and silence, I feel my soul tuning in.... and my thoughts turn Godward. I am aware of Him as I feel the expanse of the natural world around me. The heavens declare the glory of God, so says the Psalmist. And in the centuries old Christmas carol Joy to the World, I am reminded that "heaven and nature sing" and "rocks hills and plains repeat the sounding joy."
Rachel Carson in her book Silent Spring says, "There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature...". I would agree. In these moments, my heart is at peace. I breathe deeply as the cares on my mind melt away like snow on a sunny branch.
My iPhone stays in my pocket—I do not take pictures on this trip. I just need to let the silence fill my space without any fuss. So the snowy image you see above, I have borrowed from Pixabay—happily it almost mirrors what we see this lovely day.
I hope you are keeping well. Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
Heart hugs,
Brenda
Image by Nowaja from Pixabay
Beautiful, Brenda.
ReplyDeleteLovely. Deep sigh.
ReplyDeleteThat, my friend, sounds heavenly.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely.
ReplyDeleteA time-out, in the most lovely way!
ReplyDeleteA time-out, yes, exactly!
DeleteSuch a peaceful and beautiful post, Bren. I seem to need peace and quiet more and more. The current times are wearing on us all. Wishing you a lovely weekend and week ahead. It is a marvelous time for a good book.
ReplyDeleteLike you, Sandra, I need to come away out of the fray and chaos more and more. I'm grateful for these great quiet places where we can come to for a little while. It really helps.
DeleteBrenda a perfect post to remind us to "Be Still and Know I Am God". Someone shared with me the other day that the same letters in "silent" are in the word "listen". Now why have I never noticed that fact before? Perhaps I haven't been listening to the silence enough!! Have a lovely weekend friend. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI never saw that before either, Debbie. Thank you. I find I need silence more than ever if I am to cope with all that goes on in our world these days.
DeleteSilence is often a good thing, isn't it? Two verses of Scripture come to mind:
ReplyDelete"But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silent before Him." Habakkuk 2:20 and the one Debbie (above) referenced, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10
Indeed, two beautiful passages that fit well, Cheryl.
DeleteAh, it's often just the needed thing to get into nature and let God bring rest to our souls. So pleased you had such a special time. I'd love to see a herd of bison!
ReplyDeleteIt's quite exhilarating when we once came upon a herd on the roadway and they began to surround our vehicle. Basically minding their own business but still.... Oh my, you can be sure we were asking the Lord to protect us in that moment. Probably the most exhilarating moment was when they all casually walked on and we were able to keep driving and know all was well. We weren't sure when it was safe to breathe out. :)
DeleteHow peaceful is the silence of snow. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Bren. I love the Rachel Carson quote. Heart hugs to you as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marigold! Lovely to see you here.
DeleteI know that feeling so well and really agree with Rachel Carson's words here. When I lived in Edmonton, Elk Island Park was a very regular hiking spot for me in summer and fall. I've only been to the park about a handful of times in winter but it's exactly as you describe.
ReplyDeleteDiane, treks out there during winter are probably some of my favourite times to go.
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