Be Still and Know....

Stillness.  This isn't a word that I use a lot in my personal vocabulary or employ in my daily life.  How can I be still when I have 15 bazillion things to do during my week?!?  Peace, quiet, and stillness are words that are quite foreign to me, but I feel like at this time in my life I need to practice them more than ever. 

This weekend I had the opportunity to work a retreat in rural Mississippi.  For the first time in many months I could see the stars at night, I heard the wind blow through trees, I felt grass under my feet, I actually watched a sunset, and I got to walk through the woods in silence.  Silence usually makes an extrovert like me nervous, but this was a good kind of silence that allowed me to take in my surrounding and breath fresh air.  Unfortunately I cannot be a transcendentalist everyday on an urban college campus, but I started thinking about other things and images that help me find a sense of peace.  Here are some pictures of things that put me at peace and help me to be still during the craziness of life.

One of my favorite things in the world is to have a cat fall asleep on my lap or stomach.  Cats won't fall asleep unless they feel completely safe and secure.  It's a sign of peace and comfort when ever one of my cats fall asleep on or by me.

The same thing goes for dogs.  Seeing animals sleeping puts me at ease.

I love clouds, especially when the sun's rays break out around the cloud.  It's like my GrandMary always said, "there is always a silver lining to the darkest cloud."

I took this picture just after a pretty rough summer thunderstorm.  The stillness that follows storms is almost intoxicating.  It's such a beautiful and relieving contrast to the tempest just proceeds it.

"Be still and know that I am God."  I can hardly walk into a chapel or sanctuary without thinking about the words of this psalm.  I can sit or wander around a quiet cathedral for hours.