The Important Value of Finding Quietude, a Time to Reflect and Renew

Spring is finally here in full force, my favorite season. It has been an incredible blessing over the winter months to spend some time in quiet meditation. I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect and renew. 

It reminded me of the summer school holidays in Australia as a kid, when I had more time and opportunity to do nothing. In the heat, there was a slowness, a stillness, a time to dream, to reflect, and to play.

One of my favorite things to do was to read in the back of our car in the carport, which was the shadiest and coolest place around.  We didn’t have air-conditioning, and I would read and nap, think, daydream, and reflect on what I was reading. That has got to be one of my favorite things to do, even now—not in the back of a car in a carport, but the reading, napping, thinking, and reflecting part.

Mostly, though, I wasn’t giving myself that pleasure—that life-sustaining time.

Something wonderful happened this winter as I sat in the apartment, with the windows framing views of NYC, and feeling the warmth of the sun as it streamed in, I felt called to spend unbusy time here, to slow down, to go inside.

In basking not only in the sun but also in gratitude, anything ready to heal bubbled up to my consciousness. I felt an invitation to let go of some traumatic memories from the past.

Our Life Has a Purpose

Our lives are journeys with a trajectory and a purpose. It is shaped by defining moments across different seasons, each working together for our good when we trust that God has our best interests at heart.

I have always been on a path to seeking how to love more deeply, find acceptance, forgiveness, purpose, and connection. Even though it may not look like that from the outside, I am always seeking.

Just as nature is quiet in winter, resting, renewing, and working beneath the surface in the roots and the sap as it prepares for Spring, we need to do the same: slow down, reflect, and renew.

Many people are running away from themselves, keeping busy. Do we really need to be so busy? What is the payoff when we don't slow down to rest, reflect, and renew?

I am reminded of Rumi’s luminous words: 

If the wound is where the light enters, wouldn’t we seek the light? 

Healing

The answer is simple and yet not always painless: to reach the light, we have to face the wound. That can mean reopening something we hoped was already healed, only to discover it still carries pain beneath the surface. It can be uncomfortable and sometimes scary—which is why we keep busy so we don't have to feel those negative feelings like guilt, anger, and grief.

Joseph Campbell says,

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."  

What helps is to look inside compassionately and honestly at the judgments we hold about ourselves, and to stop running away from them. Every day, I surrender them to God, because negative judgments about myself carry over into judgments about others. I don't want that.

I seek love and forgiveness, for myself and for all. I have to learn humility and face the fact that I cannot live life on my own. My ego is too fragile, and I am too weak.

I surrender all, and when I do, I am filled with love and compassion in return.

This work can be done alone. However, in the case of trauma, healing requires support that is both caring, knowledgeable, and effective. We need spaces where it is safe to tell the truth, to be seen and accepted, and to let go of what we can't carry alone. Only then can the light do its work.

It is important to feel safe and not judged

I encourage everyone to seek out ways that support your healing—approaches that help you tend to past wounds, neutralize trauma, and feel safe enough to let go. Healing cannot happen in the presence of judgment. When we feel safe to let go and heal, we can begin to flourish.

In my constant search for the meaning of life and my purpose here, I’m filled with gratitude for the miracles, insights, and guidance I can only describe as grace. What I love about the great I AM is that nothing is random—and even in suffering, when I surrender it, there is comfort, peace, and dare I say joy. Joy because our present troubles are not the end of the story. We are more than what happened to us.

There were times when I wandered off the path, but I was always brought back. Every detour taught me something I needed to learn. This pilgrimage of discovering who I am in the light of God—that intimate, unfolding relationship—has been worth the pain and the challenges that have shaped me.

God is no sugar daddy who removes our challenges. This loving Higher Power doesn't always make things easy, but because God believes in us, we are sometimes tested and pruned. In that process, we gain strength of character and mettle. God loves us the way we are, but loves us so much, he doesn't leave us the way we are.

We are encouraged and invited to lay down our burdens. God will help us carry them.

If you feel drawn to this kind of healing—letting go of what no longer serves you, healing and transforming old wounds, and reconnecting with your sense of purpose and belonging—I would be honored to walk alongside you.

You do not have to do this work alone. Healing unfolds in safe, compassionate spaces. This is the heart of my work.

👉 Reach out to me via email or click here for a complimentary 20-minute consultation.

Healing begins when safety is restored.

With love,