Ethan watching the ducks by the Ohio River at Sunset
Who can look at this picture and tell me there is no peace on earth? Maybe not in all places, definitely not in many places. But there in that place at that precise time on the Ohio River I found peace. We, my husband and four children, had just taken a bike ride along the river walk and then went down by King Fish on the river for a bite to eat. The kids played on the playground and Ethan watched the ducks after the sun had set splashing my favorite colors across the evening sky. To look at that picture takes my breathe away and puts me at peace.
How many of us especially moms, are seeking peace and quiet, an escape from the chaos that is a natural part of having children. I always love to quote Bill Cosby who once said “All parents really want is a little peace and quiet”. Our lives have become so busy and noisy it is very difficult to find any quiet, any silence in our every day activities much less in our minds. If you are anything like me your mind never stops until you are asleep at night. If you ask a man what he is thinking, as I have done an unbearable amount of times to my husband, he will often say “nothing”. I always think to myself how is that possible? I always have thoughts. How can someone think about nothing? Maybe in truly thinking about nothing a man can have a little peace within. I don’t get that luxury in my busy brain. However when I watch the sun set and the clouds melt into that orange, yellow glow my thoughts slow down and I feel peace at last.
So what brings you to that peace? There are thousands of self help books out there that promise to bring you that peace. Many motivational speakers who try to transport you into that moment of quiet. Meditation and deep reflective prayer can bring you to that state. But in reality, your reality what brings you that peace? Is it being among God’s most beautiful creation of nature? Is it just silence in the house when all the children are really sleeping and that darn tv is finally turned off? Is it the few minutes you have in the morning before everyone wakes up when the day is brand spanking new and it all feels like a new opportunity for a great day? Think about it today what brings you that peace? Then even if you can’t experience it this very second try to remember it for a moment and let that feeling wash over you. Try to recognize that state of being the next time your peaceful moment is at hand and try to drink in that moment and give yourself that peace.
“Jesus said to them again
“Peace be with you”
John 20: 21
