365 RANDOM DAYS OF TEAM ZYBKO

DAY #41

FINDING YOUR QUIET PLACE

"We need to find GOD, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. GOD is the friend of silence. See how nature-trees, flowers, and grass-grow in silence; see how the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls"

Mother Teresa

PSALM 46:10 Be still and know that I am GOD

Why is this so hard? Finding a quiet place? I could do it if I try harder, I'm sure. I really LOVE being around people but that's probably just an excuse too. I get distracted, to-do lists pop in my head, shiny things catch my eye, my phone dings with a new text message. When I was little, my Mom would close the curtains, give us 'quiet time instructions' and take the rotary phone off it's hook.....hhhhmmmm I suppose she was onto something. The older I get the more her sanity tricks she used 3 decades ago seem brillant, not weird at all. Seven kids in nine years, when did she find time to be still? I'm gonna text her later, cause her and her DROID are cool like that. Grandma's come a long way baby, light years from our Brady Bunch orange wall phone, mounted proudly on the lovely dark panelling.

I bring my Bible, prayer journal, coffee, phone, camera and sharpies, I gather them all when the kids wanna play outside. We don't have a fenced in yard, so off WE go for fresh air and fun. 99% of the day I am 'Julie the Cruise Director' so I don't feel guilty this particular afternoon. I would love a slice of 'quiet pie' served up hot and fresh, a la mode with Bryers vanilla. Well It didn't really work out as planned. I look at the picture below, my stomach gets a little twisted, look at all that stuff. An "A D D" recipe in the works.

That is.....

Not a picture of a quiet place.

Not a picture with no distractions.

Not a picture of 'being still'

A friend of mine tells me of her quiet place. Her place to pray and converse with GOD. In the back of a dark closet. It's worth a shot, I will sit right on top of the basket of clean clothes. No, better yet I will use it to barricade the door. I may only get a few precious minutes before the kids discover my quiet place. No worries here, little do they know I've got an endless supply of rolled up socks as ammo.

Welcome to the LOVE BOAT, my name is Julie. Laundry fighting on the Disco Deck at five o'clock sharp. Yes, Lord.....I love my gig.