The Silence In Between

The silence in between is a warm soft breeze for the soul. It happens every year. Thanksgiving has become a moment in your history and Christmas has not yet hit its full stride. 

Gap days build a bridge between the end of Thanksgiving and the beginning of the jingling bells. This space offers itself up as an opportunity to stop, pause, ponder, appreciate and truly drink in the atmosphere that creates your world. The most important elements in this atmosphere are the people you hold most dear. The in between is a time to see them and take hold of the gift most treasured.The in between silence is a gift to cherish and receive, not casually, but to fully embrace, like your favorite teddy bear or that rare box of chocolate that is not to be shared; it is yours alone.

Don't be fooled, it makes appearances throughout the year. The art is in recognizing it when it comes to visit. Vigilance is necessary, it will not announce itself. Cloaked in the every day in, out, up, down, happy, sad threads that weave the tapestry of our life together; it peeks around the corner. You will find it waiting on the front porch when you dare to sit with your hot tea and private thoughts. In the corner chair after the family is snuggled into bed and the novel you are in the middle of, calls your name. It presents itself when your five year old gets a cold and story books read together under the covers turn the afternoon into a forever memory. 

What about the glorious gift of two empty hours that were meant to be filled with appointments and are now free; they belong to you. Instead of rushing, doing twelve different errands, you find yourself on the beach and your toes in the sand. The in between silence pops up when you let the laundry wait a day and you find your husband, slip your hand into his and you allow silence to envelop the pair of you in a cocoon of comfortable, quieted togetherness. The silence is here and there; will you develop your skill into an art of recognition? Will you dare?