“…a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.” Eccl 3:7 NET
As an empty nester, I experience significantly more silence than I have in the previous 25 years. While raising the kids, I would escape to the park to walk, stare at trees and settle myself down. Often, my ear buds remained at home with the chaos so I could genuinely be quiet.
During one life season, I was desperate for the quiet, while this empty-nesting adjustment brings too much silence on many days. Back then, the mere schedules, demands and daily activities made my physical body a full house of stress. Now, I’m paying greater attention to release negative thoughts and less attention to people who drain positivity within minutes.
As I mentioned a few months ago, I’m better at practicing rest, understanding that we no longer live at Mach10 speed. Unchecked mental litter and non-stop motion can lead to very real physical stress. Many of you can relate.
The days of full quiet are fairly rare but when they happen, I remember that these moments are still meaningful. Though I’m not in constant demand serving somebody something, the quiet is time well-spent. Reading and prayer is deeper, lengthier, and covers more of what my adult children are experiencing. When the children were at home, attending to the details of meals, chauffeuring, sports and other kid-events physically, there was often limited alertness and mental focus for praying over all the details every day, including every event.
Thankfully, God knows us Mamas and Dads at every season and cares for the details we simply cannot. While He tends to what we miss, we are allowed to rest.
That’s the Truth 
Tales from a Mid-Lifer 
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