Rainy Day

About 3 am this morning the thunder was sounding in the distance. By 4:00 it was raining and the thunder and lightning was putting on quite a show. As I write it is raining again and I am thankful that all of our trees and flowers are getting a drink without the effort of dragging a hose around to water our newer trees and plantings. It saved the day for me!!

My thoughts this morning go along the lines of being quiet. Guy Finley had a quote the other day on his website that says: "There is nothing as certain as silence, stillness, and solitude to introduce you to the secrets of yourself." Not only do you find "yourself" in the stillness but you find God. "Be still and know that I am God". Psalm 46:10.

These are the times when there is noise all around us. Many people have to have the radio on, the TV blaring, music going, or talking with friends. All those things are good but when is the quiet time to contemplate? Years ago I heard that a person that has to have some kind of "noise" always coming into their ears is one that does not like to be alone with their own thoughts.

We need time to meditate. We need a time to be quiet and still our mind from all the stress of the day or the stressful times in which we live. We can either just sit quietly or even lay down for a few minutes to relax every muscle.

Even when we seem to have time we tend to fill it with busy thoughts, phone calls, TV or any number of activities. Maybe we should arrange in each day a little time to think about our day and cultivate an attitude of gratitude. We don't usually have any trouble finding time to think of negative things, like what someone said or did to us, all the bad news we hear on TV, the political scene, etc.

Remember the quote on The Secret: "What we think about we bring about". So what are we thinking about. Are our thoughts building or tearing down? Are they relieving us from stress or adding to the problems?

"Quiet time to be alone is not an optional nicety; nor is it just for the retired, the lazy, or those naturally inclined. It is for all of us. It is valuable time well spent. And above all, it needs no justification other than its own noble purpose: to become more fully awake and to remember what you most need to remember about yourself and your life." David Kundtz’s Quiet Mind

Just something to think about! Have a great day!

A violinist

You may have received this story in an email but I thought it was worth putting here. It makes you stop and think about our lives... if we would have been any different than these people. I googled the name to find out about this guy and found out the story is real.


Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A violinist played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3 year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes: The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace. He collected $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written with one of the most beautiful instruments ever built... How many other things are we missing?