I’ve realized the older I get, the more I yearn for quiet. A few synonyms for quiet are tranquil, calm, peaceful, serene, still, silent, and hushed. When I think of watching gigantic snowflakes falling from the sky for the first time each winter, I think peaceful. There’s a quiet beauty in that.

When I think of soft jazz playing on the radio, I think calm. Music soothes my soul.

When I think of my accidental pink hair color years ago, I think still. The shock of pink reflecting in the mirror left me speechless.

And, when I think of the train rolling by at bedtime during my childhood, I think of hushed. Once the train arrived, the continual sound of the wheels on the tracks lulled me to sleep. 

There is a charming children’s book called The Quiet Book that explains nicely what quiet might be. “There are many kinds of quiet: Quiet can be delicate. Quiet can be thundering! Quiet can be sweet and cozy, and can most definitely help you fall asleep.”

I couldn’t agree more. Below are a few examples of my quiet:

Early morning devotions quiet;

Reflecting on my teaching quiet;

Listening to the Chris Rice station on Pandora quiet;

Losing a colleague quiet;

Sitting by the campfire quiet;

Birds singing in the early morning quiet;

Admiring the sunrise quiet;

Waiting for the thunder after the lightning strike quiet;

Prayer time quiet;

Grandchildren playing quiet;

Snow blizzard quiet;

Reading a book with a cup of tea quiet;

Decision making quiet;

Inner beauty quiet.

In the bible, 1 Peter, Chapter 3 verse 4, Peter mentions we should desire “to be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” I want that! I want that quiet spirit. I long for the Lord to quiet my tongue, my anger and frustrations, my inner turmoil, and my emotions. Then maybe my quiet spirit within will ignite so my inner beauty can shine brightly for Him.

The older I get, the more I am finding beauty in the many kinds of quiet. I pray you do too. “Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life…” ~Khaled Hosseini

Quiet my sadness

Quiet my tears;

Quiet my worries

Quiet my fears.

Stay calm & Find Your Quiet!
Profs Dr. Wendy & Dr. V.   

Underwood, D. (2010). The quiet book. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co, New York, NY.