We often find ourselves surrounded by noise while longing for the comfort and tranquility that silence can bring. There is the ongoing road construction, motorcycles, lawnmowers, faulty mufflers, and the neighbor’s favorite Rap artist blaring next door. Yes, silence is a gift we often long for and struggle to find.
I had a recent experience that exemplified just such a situation.
It was my grandson’s birthday party. He turned 8 and his party was held at an indoor fun park. It was a large building filled with arcades, jungle gyms, trampolines, rock and rope climbing, along with other scream-inducing activities. Each party, yes, there were many besides ours, was assigned a small room for the pizza and cake. Otherwise, the kids were running from activity to activity, providing non-stop laughter and screeching, surely a party requirement.
Then there were the adults sitting at tables or standing against the wall, smiling and nodding at each other, knowing that any attempt at conversation was fruitless unless you were proficient in lip-reading.
St. Ignatius reminds us to find the gift in every situation. Since I do not have the gift that I wished for, hearing aids that I could turn off, I needed to search for the gift amidst the chaos and noise of the moment. Was it the fact that the party would only last 2 hours? That seemed rather selfish so I kept searching. And there it was!
The gift of the situation was that love won out! This was an opportunity to celebrate Deacon’s birthday with him and add to his joy, exchanging hugs, presents, and letting him know how special he is.
Was the day exhausting? Yes, but I have a whole year to recuperate.
What about next year? Will l do this again? You can bet on it!
– Terri Sersch
Thank you Terri. A beautiful reflection. The gift of being with what is, the gift of being present the joy of another.
Sacredness is all around us, and God lives within us to give us all that we need or desire. Thank you for reminding us of this. 😊
Terri, a great insight reflection in dealing with the situation. Find the special person and space in the birthday was an honor to your grandson but those gathered. Thanks for sharing.
Well said Terri! Thank you for the “gift” of reminding us to be present with gratitude to whatever situation we find ourselves in.
Great reflection Terri! Silence is golden but living in the present moments of noise and frenzy can be just as precious! Remembering that these present moments will not come again, can make us aware to enjoy them. And I like the thought that we will recover 😉 and yet we can look forward to experience more precious moments even if they are in the midst of chaos😊
That’s a “hidden in plain sight” lesson I need to remember going forward. Thank you Terri 👍