When there is Little to do, there is Much to See

Dear Reader,

I woke up this morning with little to do: no check list, just time. This happens to me sometimes. I know that I am a single women with no family and that this is not the reality for all, but nonetheless, I would like to share what I found with you. This morning I walked unhurriedly to the market up the street, did some light grocery shopping and walked back home. My sister invited me to go over her house but it was too early in the morning for me to get into my car and be out and about. So I decided to stay home just a little longer to relish in this inner silence that I was experiencing.  You see, I want to learn how to live in simplicity. The reason for this is that I want to grow closer to Jesus, and for that I know that my heart and mind have to find quietude.

So this morning after going to the store, I decided to sit on my couch in my backroom for a bit and think about this commitment. After being still for a bit, I walked out to my backyard and just started observing what was all around me. As I was looking around, something caught my eye. I found an old and broken St. Francis statue with a beautiful cross that said “believe” in one of the corners of the backyard. Here was a statue that had been in this house years. And on this early rainy morning it seemed as still and beautiful as ever. Broken and old, but still and beautiful. The St. Francis statue reminded me of those things/people in life that are quiet and still, maybe even broken, but always present. If I would not have given myself permission to stop for a moment, I would have never seen St. Francis, or the cross. When I have time, I am tempted to go on social media or other entertainment platforms to distract my mind. However, when I allow myself to pause, I find the extraordinary in the ordinary. This got me to thinking that if we stopped for at least one minute to look at what is in front of us, we would find Jesus looking at us and loving us everywhere: in the flower, in the person in front of us, in the silence of the air, and in the old and broken statue of a saint. When we stop being distracted, we allow ourselves to find what truly matters, Christ. And then we realize that He is everywhere, even in those silents corners that we often overlook.

Cristy