“Tillamook Twilight” depicts Tillamook Bay, Oregon about twenty minutes after sunset on late winter day. Centered in the scene is a small fishing boat coming home after a long day on the Pacific Ocean. For many people in the world, night-time is coming-home time, a time to rest, and a time to be with family.
NIGHTGOWN
By Al Vester
How soft is the night when the wind takes a rest
From blowing the clouds from the east to the west,
While all of the crickets are humming a tune –
A midsummer ballad to welcome the moon.
The starlit clouds make a gossamer nest
Over valley slope and mountain crest
Wrapping each creature in a silvery cloth,
It’s the fabric of sleep that’s so light and soft.
Thus, each soul is nightly dressed
In fragile garments of dreams and rest,
With warm silky touch, they caress the skin
Stilling the turmoil, we each hold within.
A Peaceful Night
We live in a world where neon lights and traffic noises often mask sunsets and nighttime stars. However, for those who live away from city lights and noises, the setting sun can paint the sky in delicate shades of blues, pinks, golds, and oranges blazing briefly before fading into a star-studded night. The hush that follows day can be a time of quiet reflection, a time of pondering the events of the day, or simply a time to appreciate gifts of life and love of family and friends.
Our forefathers knew the stars well, and could name constellations and tell stories about them. Now, most people feel lucky to be able to pick out a single star or planet that may be bright enough to pierce the lume of city lights. In this world of turmoil and tumult, a view of a quiet starry night may seem more like a poetic dream than an attainable reality. But these places do exist, if we are willing to temporarily separate ourselves from the hubs of humanity to seek out the quite beach, the mountain top, or the country field with an open view of the sky. Yet in everyday life, remote beaches or mountain tops are not easily accessable. Most of us have to make do with a small room where we can close the door, shut down the computer, turn off the television, and silence the cell phone, to quietly collect our thoughts.
Why is quiet time important?
People are thinking animals, but thinking takes work and a desire to sort things out. The easiest type of thinking consists in reacting to our surroundings, which any dog, cat, or monkey can to. Reacting without considering the consequences often means responding to uncontrolled emotions. Such knee-jerk reactions can lead to dangerous activities such as road rage, or insult and injury to someone we love. In Proverbs 16:32 it says, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”
The only way to rule over our spirit, our mind, and our actions is to consider what we have been doing, what we should be doing, and how we can improve. Quiet times in quiet places are ideal for introspection and contemplation. Briefly, if we cannot hear ourselves think, we cannot think, we can only react. During the quiet moments, our minds can be cleared of distractions and our emotions can be ruled by our intellect. We can reflect on the recent past and make rational plans for improvement. The British philosopher, James Allen, gave us the aphorism “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Unless we find the time, or rather, make the time to think about our personal habits and goals, we are doomed to react to life and then regret our lack of forethought.
