“Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes - The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning
As a Mom my days are very full. Things just NEED to get done in order for life to continue as normal. There must be clean dishes and laundry, meals on the table, a fairly orderly place to find pencils and homework. Children must be readied for school, make it to and from sports practice.... Even here in a foreign country, without a car, life can be very full. Yet I am learning how to slow down. Perhaps it's the realization that comes with age, or the fact that we don't have a TV. I can't possibly keep up. I will never have the time to read every book, learn every hobby, do every family activity, teach every bit of wisdom I want them to know.... I am finite. And yet life is not meant to be lived in a frenzied rush. There are times when we can't prevent the hectic nature of life, but unless we intentionally calm the pace the quiet never comes.
I read a story recently of a test pychologists did. They put a concert violinist in a busy Metro station, playing his Stradivarious violin in bluejeans and a ballcap. Out of over 1,000 people who passed, only 7 stopped to listen. And EVERY child tried to stop, but EVERY parent pulled them along past. What am I missing with my kids?
Maybe I'm just realizing that I will soon reach the 20 year mark in being a Mom. With my older boys my time of daily involvement is almost over. Have I spent this time so caught up in the activities of life that I forgot to be still, to hear the music all around me? Makes the monastic life somewhat appealing (of course then there wouldn't be any children...) But I want to stop picking blackberries (for some folks maybe texting on one?) and see the fire of God.
"Be still and know that I am God."
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