Jo Bower's Blog

We write poems about seeking solitude,
Those times when we find some beautiful place,
And leave all the daily stuff behind.

But what if that’s not possible?
What if I can’t get away?
And life just keeps buzzing around me?

Yet as I approach critical sress levels
Of sorrow and problem solving,
What if I still have no choice but to continue?

And, as usual, God has to remind me
As I frantically search for complex answers,
There is a simple one.

Child, He says,
(I hate it when God has to call me child)
When you can’t find solitude, seek quietude.

And in a moment of clarity I understand.
When we desperately seek solitude,
It is really quietude we are looking for.

It’s soul peace we long for.
And we discover physical peace
Doesn’t happen until we first experience it.

So, God, I understand. What now?
I can see The Father shake his head.
You already know.

You let our relationship get out of focus.
You put what others think before what’s best.
You let responsibilities overshadow the joy of service.

I know He’s right, and I look for moments
When I turn my attention toward Godly things,
And after some work, I rediscover the joy of simple quietude.