Meditation

Just a few pictures I shot of Morgan and Kelton lost in their world the other day. I am just counting down the days that these two realize and then care that they are different genders and stop being so excited about each other (well, at least for another 8-10 years).
So......I've been readying Eat, Pray, Love (which I've found very interesting) and it's really made me think more about the topic of Meditation.

I don't know. That word has always had a kind of wild connotation to it for me but when I really think about it.......the act of calming the mind, stilling yourself and listening.....is something that I could benefit from. A lot.

I can recognize the difference (or should I say the ease) in which the Lord can communicate with me when I, well, shut up.

It's hard to find peace in a house of three young kids, but I'm not the kind of person that wants to conquer something when it's easy. I want to find a way to nurture this part of my relationship with God now, when it's most difficult.

I'm not saying I intend to wake up at 4am to pray and meditate or anything, but I'm thinking about carving out just the tiniest bit of time to work on this habit......and maybe practice talking less and listening more (something I'm sure my husband would support in full force, right baby?).

Here are just a few excerpts from Eat, Pray, Love that have really spoken to me (and the type of character I have):

"There's a difference between mediation and prayer, though both practices seek communion with the divine. I've heard it said that prayer is the act of talking to God, while meditation is the act of listening. Take a wild guess as to which comes easier for me......Like most humanoids, I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the "monkey mind" --the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch, spit and howl. From the distant past to the unknowable future, my mind swings wildly through time, touching on a dozen of ideas a minute, unharnessed and undisciplined. This isn't necessary a problem; the problem is the emotional attachment that goes along with the thinking......You are, after all, what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions. The other problem with all this swinging through the vines of thought is that you are never where you are."

So I'm gonna chew on this for awhile. I'm going to seek more moments of quiet. I am going to work on being a better listener, not just with God, but with everyone. I'm going to place more value in the moments of my day that don't have to be scheduled.

I am going to have the courage to see what stillness brings........and the strength to stay more centered and focused emotionally.