Peace be with you. And also with you. Words that follow with fellowship, love and devotion.
Then in my car on the drive home I must turn the radio off. The messages do not align with the peace I am trying to keep in my heart.
I go to the TV and scroll for an Autumn scene of fall foliage. Old red trucks and covered bridges covered in fallen leaves. I accidentally saw the news—oh no! That doesn’t seem like the pace I am seeking. I turn the TV off.
I will try real nature—my first love, my forever escape, my glorious peace. Then, I hear someone having target practice right outside the fence—I flinch—that does not give me peace. It gives me a stomachache and worry.
Back inside, I have a perfectly placed rocking chair facing a window—just as I intended. It looks like a Norman Rockwell painting.
Oh look, I staged my own peace! Oh yes, this will do! A pair of huge dorky headphones that will allow me to shut out the world and turn on classical music. I remember to breathe and realize peace is in my own efforts. It began with all the efforts and preparations that others and I have made.
For a quiet moment, alone to be restored enough to remember; to remember.
Even in this small moment may I never forget how much resilience it took to have it.
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