Hello Reader. I hope this love letter comes to you on a day of delicious smooth sailing on crystal blue waters. But if storm clouds are roiling on your horizon, or if you’re struggling under crashing waves caused by the crazy chaos of this world, may the song in these words help you find the stillness in the eye of the storm. And from the stillness the Voice that speaks, Peace! Be still and Know I am God.

Poetry Podcast

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea or coffee, connect to Soundcloud and listen to the abbreviated audio version of this love letter.

Soundcloud — Stillness Song

The Voice from the Eye of the Storm

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. —2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Let’s walk with Abigail from the Old Testament in 1 Samuel chapter 25. Imagine with me…

Abigail stared off into the dusty horizon, rubbing her arm. The grip her husband used would leave a bruise just above her elbow. Abigail shuddered. She was used to his tirades, used to his bullying when her actions didn't meet his standards, even though he changed his standards after the effect just so he would have something to bellow about.

Today, though, as he drank with his neighbors, he wanted to show off. This was more unbearable than his anger. Today, he refused to be served by anyone but his beautiful wife. “Lovely as a lily. Juicy as a pomegranate.” He chortled as he clutched her arm in front of his guests, his wine-soaked breath gusting into her face. Dribbled sauce and spittle splattered on his chin. She had to choke down her disgust so she wouldn’t cough in his face. He pinched her arm in his grip until her smile was large enough to earn the accolades of his audience. Then he pushed her away.

With time, she learned how to catch herself when he knocked her off balance, so she wouldn't stumble in front of him and set off further rage. She left that dinner party with as much grace as she could muster. Curious words caught her ear as she walked away.

What was that about showing some desert band of vagabonds who is boss in these lands?

As Abigail stood watching the birds playing in the bright blue sky, her grandmother's voice floated through her mind. What seeds are you planting and nourishing in your heart, my girl?

Abigail replayed the comforting memory, an ordinary day of making bread together, with her grandmother’s extraordinary wisdom. “Look, my girl. There in that crack. What do you see?”

A tiny yellow flower bloomed there.

“Now look to the skies. What do you see there?”

Soft brown birds sang and danced in the wind.

“This world can be rigid and hostile, Abigail, yet beauty blooms and dances, too. When you’re in a hard place, be still and seek the beauty around you. Remember, you too were created with grace and beauty. Sometimes, it feels as though this stormy world is beating you down. But remember, you have a choice. You can stretch your wings and seek God’s face, listening for his voice, or you can stomp around like a grumpy mule, creating dusty clouds. You choose.”

The young Abigail asked, “How do I know I'm making the right choice?"

The grandmother placed a gentle hand on Abigail's heart. “Listen. Be still. Even in the clamor of disorder, be still and know that your God is a mighty God. When you choose to focus on God instead of your difficulty, you've made the right choice. Listen, and God will guide you in the way you should go.

“Your choices are the seeds you plant and grow in your heart. What do you choose to harvest, my girl? Bitterness or hope?”

Abigail's arm still throbbed, but watching the playful birds soothed the throbbing humiliation caused by the jeering taunt of her husband and his friends. My God is mighty to save… Abigail chanted in rhythm to the swooping birds.

“Abigail! Oh, Abigail! Come quick!” Panicked servants called to her, describing an impending attack upon their household. What is to be done? As her grandmother taught her, Abigail looked to God in prayer, even as her servants fretted about her like nervous chickens. What do you choose Abigail?

Around her, a storm spun and twirled. Within, Abigail was silent, focused, listening to the voice in the stillness.

After a few deep breaths, she lifted her head and spoke to her household. “Everyone listen up. Here's the plan…”

Focus in chaos. Calm in calamity. Impossible?

The Bible doesn’t describe Abigail’s inner landscape. It shows only her quick-thinking actions and her eloquent speech when meeting David and his band as they approached to tear her world to shreds.

I imagine Abigail, still and searching for the guiding voice of God. Be still. Even in the clamor of disorder, be still and know that your God is a mighty God.

I imagine Abigail seeking the God of angel armies, looking beyond the bitter-breathed calamity that thundered her way. When you choose to focus on God instead of your difficulty, you've made the right choice, and God will guide you in the way you should go.

The Voice in the eye of the storm.

We can't always choose our circumstances, but we can choose how to react.

Be still and know. Be still and listen. Listen, not to the mind but to the heart, behind the heart to the breath of God that lives within you, the breath exhaled into this world at the beginning of time. Remember to breathe. God is never farther away than your own breath.

We choose our posture. And we can choose a posture of hope that empowers us to act with compassion and bloom grace in unexpected places.

Poetry Garden

Stillness Song

a gentle flower begins

from a cracked seed planted

in the tender aching

the stillness between

the breaths

between each heartbeat

humming bees caress

a tiny green tendril

reaching for God who walks

in the psalm-soaked garden breeze

in the cool of the day, verdant

leaves clapping

coaxing the dawn to rise through your chest.

You are the shimmering destination

the golden flower reaching

through the bitter cement barriers

of a broken world.

Breathing Practice

Energy flows where your thoughts go. Consider this Nanticoke Indian tribe tale:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Are you nourishing loving thoughts or negative thoughts with your self-talk?

Let’s look more closely at the our mind's chatter in order to create space. We’ll use the breath practices we’ve already learned as an anchor to bring our mind back home when it wanders.

First, find a comfortable position for your body and a comfortable breathing practice. For a few breaths, just follow your inhalation and exhalation. In the same way your mind follows the breath, begin to follow your thoughts as they move in and out of your mind. Here are two possible ways to do this:

Picture your mind as a flowing stream. You are sitting on the bank watching leaves (your various thoughts) float down the stream and out of sight.
Picture your mind as wide as the clear blues sky. You are lying on your back, looking at the clouds (your various thoughts) float in, change shape, then move out of view.

Don’t engage with these thoughts. Not an easy task, so have compassion. We are here to practice. No need to nail anything. Practice. Be a curious observer. Watch your thoughts as an outsider, separate from them. If it helps, name them—worry, chore, hope, criticism….

Acknowledge the thought and watch it float by. Some thoughts will snag your attention, and you’ll find that you’ve gone down a long trail of conversation with yourself. No worries. It’s normal. Welcome your mind back home when it returns. Breathe deep. Begin again.

Open the space in your mind and watch the chatter.

Maybe you can practice in one-or-two-minute intervals throughout the day while you’re waiting in line or drinking a cup of tea, on hold on the phone, or waiting for the toaster to pop up.

Take a deep breath, following the entrance and exit of the breath through your nose, then simply watch the sky of your mind or the flowing river for as long as you can, naming each thought with curious attention and no judgement.

You may be surprised at what thoughts dominate your mind’s chatter.

Today’s focus is awareness. Only awareness. Today we are creating space between our heart and our chattering, ever-changing thoughts.

Observe. Breathe and observe.

If at any time the thoughts feel overwhelming, or you become uncomfortable or anxious with them, stop this exercise immediately and take care of yourself. If it helps, find a friend or trusted confident that you can speak with about your anxiety.

Awareness is the key. How are your thoughts feeding your energy?

Bloom to Share

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

Remember the invitation to be still and know that your God is a mighty God. Be still and listen to Voice that speaks from the eye of the storm. Remember the promise: God is making new life. Not a day goes by without his unfolding grace, even in our most chaotic moments. The Lover of our soul is with us always, never farther away than our own breath.

We can't always choose our circumstances, but we can choose our posture. And we can choose a posture of hope that empowers us to act with compassion and bloom grace in unexpected places.

This world can be rigid and hostile, yet beauty blooms and dances here, too. When you’re in a hard place, be still and seek the beauty around you. Remember, you, too, were created with grace and beauty. Our choices are the seeds we plant and nourish, so our beauty will grow and bloom from our hearts.

What seeds are you planting and nourishing in your heart?

Until next time when we peek at the hearty gorgeousness found in the bloom above and the lessons this beauty shares...

Aimee Selah

Stillness Song—the Voice in the Eye of the Storm

Poetry Podcast

The Voice from the Eye of the Storm

Poetry Garden

Breathing Practice

Bloom to Share

Live in Trust, Hope & Extravagant Love—Desired

Kaleidoscope—Life-Light blazing through brokenness

a Surrendered Soul Kindled in Dignity and Grace