Rest

That's me in Ireland

This week we wrapped up reading A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey which is a great collection of stories, poems and fables curated by Jeff Sanderer and the Reverend Robert Sirico.  They share their wisdom of how to find the road you should journey on in this life and how making that road matter will give you the most peace and satisfaction.  One part of their book that stood out to me was the principle of rest.  It is probably because I'm nearing the end of the semester, the Christmas season has started, two of my children have birthdays this week, my sister just got here from Kentucky with her two children, my husband is in Europe for the next two weeks and I just finished a large Relief Society/Service Dinner that I was in charge of.   I am okay and happy because I have learned to work hard, pray and the Lord will expand our capacity.  I have also learned to find quiet times and spaces in my life.  I have a testimony that the Sabbath day is a gift meant to recharge and refocus the Lord's children. 

I learned early that I am extremely introverted.  This does not mean that I am shy, but it means that I need to withdraw and find space to recharge.  This past year, I took rest to a new level.  I invited my sister to come with me to my favorite place, the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland where I spent seven days walking, praying and even more walking in quiet isolates spaces.  My sister was invited specifically because she is similar in temperament and had just finished her calling as a early-seminary teacher and received a new calling as Relief Society President. She also needed rest. That trip recharged me and helped me come home back to the work that I do. I actually chose the above picture for my BYU profile pic because it reminds me to breath when I see it.  There were many questions in the book we read this week aimed at learning your hero's journey.  The most important question to me was this one, posed by the author Jeff Sanderer, “Can you spend a day alone, in nature, simply resting and reflecting and listening for that small voice that calls you? And if not, what scares you so much about what that voice might say?”