Contest Winners - May 2010 Writing Contest - First Place Winner!

Born to be a writer, Barbara Hollace continues to pursue the passion that beckons her like a siren's song. Recent publications include stories in "Faith, Hope and Healing" by Dr. Bernie Siegel , "A Cup of Comfort for Military Families" edited by Colleen Sell, and The SpokeWrite Journal, Spring 2009, Summer 2009, and Winter 2010 issues. Currently, she is working on a novel series featuring a Baby Boomer woman.

May 2010 Writing Contest - First Place Winner!

Ironically, the remote control in our house is rarely under my control. I don’t have much time for television and on the rare occasions I do sit down and watch it, my husband is usually at the helm.

However, the button I most frequently use is the Mute button. My environment is filled with too much noise, much of it that doesn’t contribute to the good of my life. There are sirens, people arguing, garbage trucks, and loud blaring stereos.

Too often the important things in life are covered up by the white noise that invades our space without invitation. Modern technology gadgets are wonderful but they can cover the heartbeat of the one I love. Intimacy often takes the backseat to the latest crisis on Law and Order or the rapid fire indigestion that the evening news brings.

Maybe I’m just old-fashioned but the sound of silence has great personal appeal to calm the frantic pace of a world that picks me up and carries me along, often as an unwanted traveler.

Of the five senses, hearing brings a third dimension to a flat picture. For example, if a fire truck is racing down the street with its lights flashing and sirens blaring, what do I experience? If I can only see it, my memories bring me back to the other times I saw a fire truck and I replay that moment, but if I can see it and hear it, something changes.

The pitch and wail of the siren give me goose bumps and my stomach drops to my toes while a silent prayer is uttered for those on board as well as those anticipating its arrival. I am in the moment and my emotion is raw and unbridled.

At times the crescendo of life is so great that I clamor for the mute button. It stifles unwanted noise but also allows me to hear the softer sounds that are often buried in the rubble.  Can you hear the wind blow or the birds sing when man-made music is deafening your space instead of nature’s beauty?

My sister was born with a hearing impairment. Over the years, I’ve observed what happens when there is no sound or the fullness of life’s volume is absent. It’s true there are things that she has missed, but in exchange, she has been given other treasures by the hand of a loving God.

This morning I’ve chosen to use the mute button in my life. It’s early and the apartment community lies in silent slumber. My husband is asleep and it’s just me, the birds, and the marmots.

 I am blessed in this moment of silence.