Be Still Inside

Busy days. Sometimes I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels. We have all this technology that is supposed to make life easier, but it comes at a price. Our parents didn't have to pay for high speed internet access, cell phones, or Direct TV. It didn't exist. Now we've got it, so we have to pay for it...which means we have to work harder...a vicious cycle.


I was reminded this week about being still and listening. A facebook friend posted a quote from Ekhart Tolle's The Power of Now: "When listening to another person, don't just listen with your mind, listen with your whole body. Feel the energy field of your inner body as you listen. That takes attention away from thinking and creates a still space that enables you to truly listen without the mind interfering. You are giving the other person sp...ace--space to be. It is the most precious gift you can give."

Someone very special in my life is also learning to focus on the stillness within, when all around you is chaos. I sent him this quote the other day, which he said he liked: "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you." It's from Deepak Chopra. (Not that I'm into lots of new age stuff, but I believe that Chopra and Tolle are somewhat enlightened, if not only with some incredibly good common sense on how to live our lives.)

Talking to my friend in need has also reminded me to once again be still. I stopped yesterday to meditate on some very special Bible verses sent to us via Caring Bridge when Nicole was in the hospital that reminded me that God has a plan and it all unfolds in His time: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God had done from beginning to end." --Ecclesiastes 3:11

And when all is crazy around us, it's good to remember what it says in Psalms 37: 7-9: "Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper--it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land."


To that friend, I offer this quote from Tolle: "All true artists, whether they know it or now, create from a place of no-mind...from inner stillness."


Sunday was a full and wonderful day...a great day to just slow down, be still and be in the moment. It began with brunch at Que Sera with our perky friend, Cindy Poole. She brought Nicole and I presents...including a beautiful scrapbook of the "An Evening of HOPE" event. And the food was wonderful!

From there, we went over to Social Agenda, the salon where our friend Crystal works. She is a new consultant for Scentsy, (she signed up under me) and I helped her with her launch party. We had a great afternoon with Crystal, Sunny, Attala and everyone who came to help Crystal have a strong start with her new business.

But the day wasn't over yet...I had to drive over to The Cedars to see Nicole participate in a reading for a play written by the talented Beth Kander. "Unshelved" deals with the difficult topic of Alzheimers. The play was so well written, and the character Nicole read was simply horrid. The audience loved it!


Lots of work this week...I'm so thankful. I'm going to be doing some of it from View Gallery today so that Phyllis can go to the funeral of the brave mother who laid on top of her three small boys during the big tornado in Yazoo City Saturday. The boys survived, but she died. Phyllis taught her in the second grade. But first I'm going to eat lunch with my sweet friend, Delores Ulmer--a visit that is long overdue.


Just one more quote from Tolle...who just seems to nail it: "Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life!"


Blessings to all who read this!
Susan