“Mom,” my daughter asked me, “When my friend comes, can we go outside into the woods?”

The thought of going outside and being in nature, surrounded by the evergreens, listening to water flowing in the little creek by our house made me exhale.

“Yes,” I said, “Let’s do it.”

So my daughter, her friend, our puppy and I bundled up and headed out into the woods.  For almost two hours, we hung out playing in the woods.  I caught up with a friend I hadn’t talked to in a long while.  I walked with puppy as he would run with me, happily wagging his tail and sniffing everything.  I watched the girls explore and play by the creek.

It was glorious.  Just the sense of restoration I needed.  Though I’m still cold from being outside so long, I needed this break.  No matter where you stand on the issues that the new president of the United States is raising, we are living in a time of big energy and big emotions.  A lot is in flux.  And this wears on our nervous systems.  Living with the “not knowing” of what will come next and the big emotions, we need Moments of Quiet in the Chaos.

Moments of Quiet in the Chaos
by Lisa McCrohan

We need moments of quiet

away from the noise of
everyday life,

to rest our senses,
to be outside,
to breathe with the trees,

to notice the way the light
dances quietly yet
magnificently
through the branches,

to hear the beating of our
own hearts,

to feel the pulse of the earth

renewing us,
fortifying us,

bringing us Home
again.

Lisa McCrohan, (c) 2017

The other day after playing soccer with my son out in the field behind our house, I laid down on the earth. It was cold. And it was refreshing. I needed to feel the pulse of the earth against my back and move through my body. With my face lifted to the sun, I closed my eyes and just laid there for a minute. I was actually surprised how refreshed I felt laying on the earth like this for just a moment! I was ready to run back inside, feeling renewed.

Dear Ones, we need these Moments of Quiet.

In the middle of caring for young children, we need these Moments of Quiet to nourish our senses and connect something bigger than ourselves.

In the middle of caring for an elderly parent, we need these Moments of Quiet to fortify us and offer us respite.

In the middle of working for social justice and discerning how YOUR presence and VOICE are needed in this world, you need these Moments of Quiet to listen to the beating of your own Heart and the whispers of the Divine within you.

In the middle of caring for others in your work, you need these Moments of Quiet to remind you of why you are doing what you are doing and bring you Home again.

When we pause for these Moments of Quiet — when we go outside and connect with nature — we remember what matters, we awaken once again to what is sacred to us, and we are fueled to go about the necessary work of creating a more compassionate world with clarity and vibrancy.

May you build in these Moments of Quiet into your everyday life.
May these Moments of Quiet be the foundation of your work for building unity, connection, and regard within your family, your community and our world.