fairy tales and silent solitudes...

i confess it is one of my favourite things to simply read aloud a brilliant book or some pleasant poetry. to myself mostly. not merely to hear myself speak. but i enjoy the sounds of the words. bestowing colourful voices unto the characters. mimicking different accents. narrating the tale with great emotional emphasis. setting the tone. lyrically describing the scenery. getting lost in the story. tis all so wonderfully amusing. and while i very much look forward to one day reading mystery and adventure books to my very own children... i also admit that i have a small fantasy of sorts of my husband and i reading to each other... together. taking turns. curled up by the cozy fireplace. perhaps sharing a cup of tea. reading a story. reading the bible. it warms my heart just to imagine it.

also...this morning in church we watched the nooma video 'noise.' and we talked a lot about silence. or the lack thereof. i personally love listening to music throughout the entire day but there are always times where i just want that quiet. to clear my head. focus. and there's no better place to pause and reflect than by losing yourself in the beauty that surrounds you outside. even in the winter where everything is serenely sprinkled with snow. or paddling across a lake. or beneath the stars. i am daily dazzled by God's creation. these are the most silent places. silent in a way that it eludes the white noise of life. it provides an escape. a time to listen. although we may be afraid of what we may hear. but daily in our lives. in our homes. even while we unplug all the unnecessary of electronic devices. there is always the hum of the fridge. the sound of a car driving by. a dog barking. and as much as we have to attempt to ignore these distracting disturbances... i was just thinking on how neat it would be to build a room in your home that was specifically designed to be soundproof. a room for silence. to get away. to pray. in the quiet reverence. and maybe boldly listen for that still small voice.