What flavor of silence? — Childlike wonder in a fast-paced world

I visited my mama on the holiday. She is a very loving and generally, a very talkative mum ... so I

was somewhat surprised when after we chatted, completed a word-search, and shared a pecan

roll, she became quiet. Adapting to the mood, we situated ourselves at one end of her couch,

tucked closely together, sharing the view out her window. I braided her hair. She marveled at

the clouds. And when she appeared to be sleepy, I paused, loosened her hair, and quietly

watched the sky with her.

The tranquility in the room reminded me of a beautiful round, Dona Nobis Pacem* (“Bring Us

Peace”), and I drifted into song. My mom responded by light-heartedly swaying her blue wooly

slippers with the rhythm. And then little by little, her slippers slowed, and then they stopped.

Her breathing deepened, and she fell asleep. I lulled myself with the song a bit longer, until I felt

a stillness. And in that spaciousness, my mom and I rested together.

Knowing the Peace.

UnderwaterBooks are a way to experience the world in waterlike wonder – a place where we all

move more slowly, and where we can hear silence and begin to know the peace. Our books like

to give you a moment of stillness. Some time to reflect.