Entering the Quiet Time
The thing I like the least about this time of the year is that it is too difficult to play in the dirt when the temperature is below freezing. And playing in the dirt is definitely my favorite thing to do. So now I have to begin to find things to do inside the house.
To be sure, there are plenty of things to do. With Thanksgiving just a little over a week away, and Advent and Christmas coming close behind it, I have begun replenishing my supply of handmade gifts. In between knitting mittens and dishcloths, making Barbie doll clothes, and sewing pajama pants, I have also been making rosaries. Currently, I have been working on rosaries for my son and some of his friends, who will be confirmed this week. It is rather hard on my fingers, since I sometimes forget to pull the wire with the pliers and use my fingers instead! But I love doing this and find the results both beautiful and spiritually fulfilling.
I find that I spend a lot of time listening. Listening to the wind. Listening to the freight trains six miles away. Listening to the chickens squawking, or the cats meowing, or the dog barking. There is always something going on and nature is rarely truly silent.
The biggest problem with humans is that we are also rarely silent. Even when we're alone, almost every one of us has to have some noise. Maybe it's because we don't like listening to our own thoughts, so we turn up the music, or the television, or the radio, just to drown out what we would otherwise be thinking about.
I frequently hear the students in my religion class say that God never speaks to them. When this happens, I tell them that he is probably already talking to them. They just need to take the time to listen. I advise them to take some time each day to sit quietly, to be quiet themselves, and to surround themselves with quiet. Then I believe they will hear the quiet voice of God. They almost always respond with incredulity. The mere idea of willingly sitting quietly in quiet is foreign to them.
If we want to hear God, we must first be quiet ourselves.