Quiet time

In the October conference Vicki Matsumori said, "Because the Spirit is often described as a still, small voice, it is important to have a time of quiet in our lives." I've been thinking about that. It seems we keep ourselves surrounded with noise--the TV is blaring, or the stereo. Even in the car we keep the radio on as if we're uncomfortable with stillness.

There have been a couple of major times in my life when the Spirit has given me a definite direction. Both times were when we were on a hike or walk when everything about us was still.

The first story I've told many times. It was when Eldon was the Bishop in Bozeman and he wanted to go to Corvallis to get his doctorate because without it he couldn't get promoted. I felt that he shouldn't go until he was done being Bishop, but he wanted to go the next fall. We couldn't agree. I fussed about it for quite some time. Then one day we were hiking and I was puzzling about it again. A voice came into my mind, not exactly audible and yet I could hear a disgusted tone to it. "Janeil, he's NOT indispensible!" So then I was fine about leaving Bozeman.

Some background for the second experience: In the church women are advised to listen to the counsel of their husbands. At first this seems unfair because the husbands aren't told to listen to the counsel of their wives! But I think that in a family there needs to be a head and that head is the husband. He has the responsibility to lead. Even when there are only two people in the family there needs to be a head! (I also think a good husband listens to his wife and takes her feelings into account when he makes his pater familie decisions.) So, I know all this is true, but lately I haven't been obeying this truth and it has caused friction and feelings of unease and stress because of the disparity of my beliefs and my actions.

The other day we went for a walk at the Jackson Frazier Wetlands and during this walk I had an "aha" moment that helped me put things back in perspective. For some time now I've been wanting to move to Central Point to a condo so we'd be closer to a temple and not have a yard to worry about. I've been fretting and worrying about this considerably and was not able to decide if it's a good idea or not. Eldon has not liked the idea. Too much work to move! The "aha" moment was realizing that whether to do this or not and if so, when to do it, must be Eldon's decision. When I expressed this realization to him, it was like a great weight was lifted off my shoulders. And I think he was relieved too.