Wow, this year came rushing in like a runaway train! Literally! I had decided to take a social media break and just be present for the holidays and whatever the new year would bring in. I was successful at doing so, and boy, I am I thankful that I was.

If you follow my blog, you know that I have shared my passion for reading and journaling. Every morning I strive to carve out time to sit still enough to read, journal, and pray. I have been doing this for as long as I can remember. It’s been a habit, ritual, my morning routine. It’s what anchors my day. The silence of the morning after rushing out the door for school drop off sets the tone for the day. I often find that when I don’t have my morning silence, the day gets incredibly chaotic, and I am off-balanced. Not to say that when I do have my morning silence, my days are not chaotic, but I am more at peace with what’s coming at me.

So here we are January 2019, and I am deathly ill, with the worst stomach flu I have had in years, and while recovering, I receive a call that we have to move!!! Bam! Slam! Here we go!

It seemed unfair at first. I was shocked and sad. I wasn’t feeling my best and now taking on this project of finding a new home and getting better, not to mention that my second semester of Law School was about to start. Yes! Did I mention that! I needed to get my head around the unexpected. BUT! I know what I know, and at that moment, while I was trying to wrap my head around the pain in my stomach and all over my body, I knew one thing. This moment was not a surprise to God, and with that, a tremendous sense of peace swept over me. I remembered my morning of silence and the many mornings of silence where I sat long enough to know that God was with me because I chose to read, write, pray, and repeat.

We are still walking through many unpredictable scenarios where miracles are required, but I continue to have peace. I stand with the assurance that no matter what comes my way, all will be well.

Find your morning ritual or even your evening retreat. But give yourself the courtesy of reading, writing, praying, and repeating, so that when the unexpected comes at you, all you have to do is be still and be at peace.

Lesson:

Carve out a minute or two of your day to sit still. Still enough to hear the silence. It will bring you comfort when the noise starts coming at you.

“Til Tuesday

-Annette Ortiz Mata