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Another New Inspiration from JaNetG
Solitude
As time passes so quickly, I am presently in the mindset of seizing the day...life is short. If there is anything yet to be lived the time is now! With that said, the opportunity to visit California came across my path. Without hesitation, I packed my bag for sunny shores leaving snow and ice behind and hopped on a plane. I set out to find some solitude as I retreated with a book written about the practice of silence (Listening Below The Noise by Anne LeClaire). A sigh of relief came over me just knowing I left the world behind for a brief pause. The noise had ceased for me, at least for a moment in time...a perfect moment in time.
With each passing hour of the day, the tide left behind a plethora of treasures to behold at their appointed times. What was needed on my many journeys’s seemed to appear with each passing. Alas, surrounded by the simply profound treasures from the sea, the perfect moment of solitude came. My thoughts were deep but clear, I felt refuge from the storms, I gained strength and vigor for the journey ahead and was provided shelter for all that came against me. In that very moment appeared my metaphor...the hermit crab, nestled safely inside of his borrowed shell. He will tunnel inside until he outgrows his present state; in time will shed the temporary shelter in search for one with room to grow into his full potential.
As we continue to seek moments of sacred solitude along life’s journey, always look for those rare but perfect moments in time. They do exist if we choose to pause and allow them to present themselves. Like a hermit crab without a shell, we lie exposed and vulnerable to the very things that can rob us of who we are. Seeking those perfect moments of solitude will protect us from what the rest of the world thinks we should become. Never cease to outgrow your moments, the world will continue while you take shelter. Find new and interesting places to nestle in for a season...until again, the lack of space causes you to seek a new shell in which to flourish.
Photo taken February 21, 2009, Silver Strand Beach, San Diego, CA © JaNetG Inspirations
Broken
As the waves pound against the shore it brings with it broken pieces of life which once was—Scattered among the sand to be pulled in again and battered once more. As time goes on, the broken pieces are carried to distant shores and lie still among the sands of time; some buried where no man can see and others surface...reformed, refined, reshaped—with a new purpose. These broken pieces of what was are what makes up the shores of my life; now to be resilient—exposed and interestingly unique; never to be what it once was. They are forever changed...always imperfect and unfinished; a creation we were meant to be. There is nothing more I can do on my own after picking up the broken pieces that will make them whole again. As I take all of the broken things that life has given I can place them together in the hands of God and with His power I then can be made whole. He makes something beautiful out of brokenness. Photo’s taken October 18, 2008 © JanNetG Inspirations
Be Still
One sleepless, overcast night in July, found me aimlessly wandering the coast of Cape Cod at 4:30 a.m. The frustration of continual tossing and turning prompted me to brave a night drive in unfamiliar territory. With no destination at bay, I set out hoping that the breeze blowing through my hair would somehow remove the clutter from my mind. As light began to break through the darkness, I felt the need to stop and just be still. One winding road after another led to nowhere until a small sign appeared: Nausett Light. Attempting one more desolate road, I entered into what became the place I discovered my voice. Just over the bluff appeared a magnificent view of peace. The overcast sky created a mist upon the sand and sea. I found a rock that called me to sit and be still. The roar of the waves seemed distant as the roar of the voice within me began to crash against the shoreline of my mind. It was there in the stillness that I would finally listen to the voice that had been screaming to surface for quite some time; the voice stifled by the noise in my mind never ceasing to be still. Suddenly there was a break in the clouds of my mind and the golden rays of a new beginning appeared; a fresh start. I began to sing, allowing my voice to sail across the waves knowing that the sea engulfed its sound. It was free and clear and had been heard once again. Sleepless nights come as a result of the noise in our minds. Sometimes it is busyness and sometimes by choice that we avoid hearing the voice within. If we ignore it, we think it will vanish like the mist on the sea. Confusion and frustration become the results of a life that ignores the need to be still. We can bury the pain, we can hush the thoughts, but the voice is there and will be heard either by our choice to be still and allow it to sing or when it crashes and screams in the midst of the storm. Take the time often to be still and listen to the voice within. It is waiting to sing.
Photo’s taken July 2, 2008, Nausett Beach, Cape Cod, MA © JanNetG Inspirations
