Quiet Please!

I agreed to chauffeur my wife to her meeting in Dallas. I thought it would give me a chance to get some “alone time” while she attended her conference. I spotted a quaint eatery with secluded tables and chairs that appeared to be perfect for meditating, writing and sipping caffeine. As I started to scribble out some half baked ideas, I noticed how hard it was to concentrate with the annoying music playing at a volume suitable for a rock concert. This just would not do. I looked up the nearest library on my trusty Blackberry, Googled a map and set out for a more peaceful place…just blocks away. I relished the thought of total silence. It made me giddy just thinking about how quiet it was going to be. It’s been years since I’ve been in a library. The library is a serious place for serious studying, compiling term papers and nodding off. I meandered though the stacks of books looking for the perfect spot to claim…it just didn’t feel the same as I remembered. Nevertheless, I began putting adjectives in front of nouns, stringing subjects, verbs and objects together...trying in earnest to put my thoughts onto paper. My writings never really seem to flow…they are more like a crossword puzzle…I jump around filling in the empty blanks, scratching out and changing almost everything. The harder I tried to concentrate…the louder the raucous of the children, the boisterous people and the noisy library employees seemed to get. Even the clamorous noise of a copy machine in the back ground became deafening. Now, as if this was not bad enough…someone’s cell phone rings out with its earsplitting volume. That was the last straw. After fumbling around trying to turn it off…I gathered up my note book and slunk out of the building. Frustrated, I retreated to a park bench and listened to the birds singing and the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze of a beautiful spring day.

I am going to just sit here and enjoy what God sends my way… trying to force my plan never really seems to work out.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for this beautiful day.
For the peaceful calm you have sent my way.
Forgive me Lord for the harsh things I say.
To you let this be my prayer for today.
Amen