Pause

 "Your soul is what integrates your will (your intentions), your mind (your thoughts and feelings, your values and conscience), and your body (your face, body language, and actions) into a single life. A soul is healthy - and well ordered - when there is harmony between these three entities and God's intent for all creation."

Peanut spent this week at VBS. Today was the first morning that my hours away from her weren't filled with work or prior commitments. I had made plans that got changed at the last minute, and I found myself with a couple of hours solo.

I'm off my routine this week and feeling a little out of sorts. The pieces of my day that keep me grounded sort of slipped away this week.

After dropping Peanut off I tried to decide what would be the best use of my time.

I remembered when in doubt put on your shoes. I laced up my ancient tennis shoes and hit the trail. Father Mike read scripture to me, I inhaled deeply all of His creation, and I began to feel the ground under my feet again.

I then found myself seated in a CFA, sweet tea filled to the brim, and a book before me. I began to feel my breathing relax. My non fiction reading rule is I read until I want to underline something (I don't underline, I think my librarian would frown upon that). I stop, I write it down, and I sit with that a bit.

I was thinking this morning as I was contemplating the very definition of a soul that we often as people move with information before we've sat with it.

We are quick to forward or share, or to comment or criticize. To judge or defend.

We don't sit with information and let our soul digest.

One of the changes I've made is that I don't comment on anything when I initially read it (unless it's just a

congrats

, or cute kid kind of thing). I read something, I read the comments, I follow the link, I do the reading. And then I sit with it.

It's not about how others will receive comments or critiques but rather it's about giving myself time to ask "What am I really adding to the conversation?"

The same is true for information you read off line - or am I the only one still reading print materials ? All texts are source texts - you have to question the source, wrestle with the stance, sit with the information.

I think the sitting, the pausing, is the most important piece of communication.

And one we are sorely lacking as a community.

We are quick to defend our way, share our view point, scream our stance.

But much like my own children during the toddler years, we are not good listeners.

Listeners do more than listen. They pause. They give the other person space to just share. They reflect what they heard without offering advice, criticism, judgement or opinion.

They give space for information to stand on its own.

Mama Warriors, you are worthy of being heard. Of being able to share your hard and be allowed to just sit with that. For someone to *just* listen.

We can become educated listeners. We can be people who create space between gathering information and responding to information.

We can learn to pause.