rest…a pause in a piece of music

“Rest” – do you ever feel like it alludes you? I do. Not rest as in sleep at night…I gave up on that six years ago! I mean rest as in the depths of you. A place where you aren’t anxious…or busy…or trying…or going. Rest. Sometimes we can’t rest because someone or something is keeping us from that. Sometimes that ‘someone’ is ourselves. Sometimes it is someone else…like a mom trying to take your picture.

And then we close our eyes, turn our heads and try to block it all out…and maybe we find rest for a moment….

Part of the Wikipedia definition of rest includes “a pause in a piece of music”. Truly great compositions have moments of ‘rest’. When I consider what I am ‘composing’ with my life…my marriage…my children I realize moments of rest aren’t just nice, but they are crucial. So today I am going to rest…not take a nap…rest…rest in the way that is uniquely me. I am a big fan of Amy Wenzel and her amazing talent as a photographer. She recently wrote the following in a post (I encourage you to read the complete post here…she gave me permission to share a bit):

“…I want my “view of life” to be….Peaceful. Serene. Breathtaking. Filled with wonder and gratitude. Sometimes it seems like those are impossible ideals, or that moments of serenity can only happen when you are on vacation in Africa.  Yet imagine if you could get out of bed every morning and actually choose how you view the world? …..So my question is, how do we choose each day to manifest our own reality?  I say I love dogs, nature, reading, painting.  But do I own a dog?  Each day do I pick up my paint brush simply because I love it?  Do I take the time to read a good book and relax?…I pray and ask God for strength, but then I hear his voice saying, “The reason you are so tired is because you don’t rest.  And then you want me to pump you full of energy like a God sized dose of espresso.  How am I supposed to re-fill your gas tank if you are driving circles round the pump at 60mph?”

So today I may not answer your email so quickly…I’ll be following my daughter’s lead…I am a mom with 4 very young children and I am at rest….

For those wondering the adorable Messy Flower Headband is from etsy seller Joy’s Hope. You can visit her blog here…when you visit take time to read ‘Joy’s Story’.

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