Summer Solstice and Relaxation

Do you give so much all day, all year that your reserve fuel for self is low? Do you feel a sense of anxiety that there are things you 'should' be doing? Does the idea of doing nothing frighten you? If you've answered yes, to even one of these questions, let's think of some ways for you to establish inner peace, shalom, pace, pax. This is especially true in summer, to find true solstice, or rest.

You've seen 'Requiescat in Pace' but probably only on tombstones. Rest in peace. When you're dead, it's a little late to take time to rest. But there is a time for rest, in every day. Not sleep, rest. Benedictine monasteries and most Holy Orders follow what is known as 'The Liturgy of the Hours'. Traditionally, prayers and scripture focus on eight periods in the monastic rule or Rule of St. Benedict. They are named for the kinds of prayer offered as well as the hour of the day. The Czech poet Rainer Maria Rilke expressed his love for God in his wonderful Book of Hours.