Quiet Moments

We all need to have those quiet moments of reflection and quiet and as moms they are often hard to come by. I remember being in college and I always went to water and trees to quiet myself. I would sit on the river or ponds edge under some trees and just be still and quiet. I could sit for hours in silence in just my quiet reflections. After I had kids those hours would have to be replaced by mere snippets of a moment or a few seconds or minutes of quiet reflection.

Today I received a real treat. It was the perfect fall day and Ciaran suggested we go for a nature walk so we did. We went to a pond and walked slowly, stopping to examine moss, cattails, a family of ducks, a climbing tree, leaves falling from the trees and all the other little details we saw along the way. At one point Rhiannon decided to sketch something and Sirah was quietly sitting in her stroller drawing her own picture, Ciaran took this opportunity to go off trail and explore the nearby woods alone and as for me I sat still and silent.

I sat right down on the trail and looked out through the trees across the pond and to the trees on the other side. I watched the water move slowly, the wind blow through the trees, the leaves fall off, and the ducks swim slowly. I could hear natures sounds as well as those of my own family. Rhiannon finished drawing and came to sit on my lap. We sat quiet for a bit then quietly shared what we were feeling and seeing. We talked about God's creation and the beauty of all the colors. Ciaran came out from the woods and informed us he decided what he was going to sketch "All of this" and he made broad sweeps with his hands to take it all in.

He dropped down next to us and began sketching with a variety of colors his impression of what he saw around us. He would pause as if to decide what to do next or if he was done. When we completed it in his mind he had me write the name of the pond, his name and age and this "I hope whoever looks at this is happy when they do" - then the magical moment was over and everyone wanted to move on to the next thing.

For a moment though I was still, we all were and we shared a quiet reflective moment. Laying in the greens, blues and browns that were surrounding us with bursts of red, orange and yellow from time to time. I love the peace and the quiet of nature and I love sharing that with my kids. Though I must admit there is little quiet or peaceful when we are there :)

What a blessing of a retreat just a few hours before our weather dipped back down to the 30's where it will stay all week. Nothing like a 30 degree temperature drop in just a few hours. Still it is those quiet and warm moments we hold on to through the winter moments.

Blessings,
Tenniel