Prioritizing Peace

My Yoga Nidra teacher began our class’ recent virtual practice with this intention: “I will plant a seed of peace, allow it to grow in my life, and keep it in the forefront of my awareness.” Its application is allowing disturbances, both internal and external, to draw us deeper within ourselves. Once upon a time, I sought what a big city offers for the senses. These days, I explore roads less traveled, and Highway 65 in Fort Mitchell, Alabama, on which Blessed Trinity Shrine Retreat is located, is a place where taking a break with God means embracing silence. The MSG version of the Bible translates the text of Psalm 119:114, “You are my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me.” Like Blessed Trinity, throughout its history, when we embrace peace as a mission we can remain faithful, but still open to life’s invitations. In his 1917 prose poem, “Desiderata,” Max Ehrmann writes for us, “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and stars. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors…in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.”

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About the Photographer: Tonya Evans is a member of the Professional Photographer’s Association (PPA), and is finishing her certificate in Digital Photography at the Rankin Photography Center at Columbus State University as an Art History student. She loves to travel and the beauty of the natural world as well as architecture inspires her work. She strives to capture unique places like Blessed Trinity on film.