A Place of Peace

I'm spending the day at The Venues Battlefield location. The church building is open to allow people a place of sanctuary and peace, as well as a place to come and pray as we head into election day. I know that the staff has primarily been working from home, and the staff that is here has work to do. I figured that being here is a small way to help. 

I have my laptop, my phone, a charger that works for both, and my coffee. I'm pretty much set.

I was listening to NPR on the drive into Springfield this morning. They were talking about stress -- stress caused by the election, stress caused by the pandemic, stress that is a part of normal, everyday life -- and the terrible ways it can affect our health. 
Apparently, Google searches for "insomnia" are way up over the past few months. Not surprising is that they peak at around 3am. Disrupted sleep is one of the chief side effects of stress. A companion side effect is that we have to deal with people that don't get enough sleep.

Westerners aren't very skilled at meditation. Maybe it's part of the reason we lead the world in stress related health issues. Maybe it's a part of the reason we have so many wars and conflicts. It might help if we all had a nice nap every afternoon -- a world wide siesta.

I hope that you are able to find a place of peace today. If you are in the Springfield MO area and need a quiet refuge, feel free to drop in before 3pm. Your place of peace might be a nature walk, a back porch, a quiet moment at the kitchen table. Just find a place and a time to give your spirit a moment of rest; a moment of peace.

John