Shh Be Still

~by Denise Mihalik

It was the day of my senior undergraduate voice recital.  I was both terrified and excited, as I wasn’t used to performing in public as a soloist.   When I stepped onto the stage, I looked out and saw an audience full of friends and family.  Full.My heart beat strongly as my accompanist began to play.  All were curious to see what I had to offer, as most didn’t know that I could sing, nonetheless offer a full recital.  I don’t remember many details except for the special encore surprise that I had planned.  My dad was a closet song writer and one of his songs touched my heart deeply.  My accompanist and I presented it as my encore.The words:“Today I will change, but I don’t know where to start.  It is my wish the Lord will calm my heart.  Days of silence and obsession, nights of trouble and despair, me on my knees asking simply please, dear God, do you care?And the answer came…Shh be still, shh be still and listen to your heart.These words, thirty years later, still float through my mind.  As I bring meditation to those who are either new or struggling with the practice, I hear about the fear, unease, and trouble with being still.I’m reminded of this quote from The Infinite Way by Joel Goldmith“That which we term our humanhood must be still so as to be a clear transparency through which your infinite individual Self may appear, express or reveal itself.”Beautiful quote, but again, how do we find that stillness?  Simply by beginning a practice.  And doing it the next day and the day after that.For with as much activity that we have in our mind and system, how can we expect that just a few minutes of trying to be still will be enough?   But it starts with that one conscious breath.  And moves to a second one.  And when the mind wanders, we simply bring it back to the next conscious breath.Today, as we are being thrust out of our familiar routine and feelings of safety into the unknown, it’s almost as if we are being deeply encouraged to find a place of stillness and reflection.Here’s a second quote to ponder from the same source…“You are already that place in consciousness through which infinity is pouring.”And there is a place within you that is always safe.Be still, and listen to your heart.Peace and Light,Denise