Finding joy in silence can be extremely rewarding

Sitting in the car, I looked at my wife. Her eyes caught mine and it was evident what was running through both of our minds. As we traveled homeward following a long weekend of working at the motel, our children, securely buckled in the back seat, carried out their normal routine. Our youngest worked the events of the past day through her mind, quietly. Her sister on the other hand, similarly, worked through her daily adventures but chose to express them vocally.

What has become a norm for our family, our ability to share with one another our ups and downs, our joy and strife, has also brought with it a bit of humor at times. Our ability to find enjoyment from the little things this life has to offer has added to the bonds we have fostered with one another. Although emboldening most of the times, humor sometimes overtakes the routine, leaving us with a sense of overwhelming contentment and awe at how our children respond to their everyday lives.

One constant throughout this entire form of interaction we have as a family is my daughter’s uncanny ability to speak for long periods of time, uninhibited, and for the most part lacking any true substance other than her desire to be heard. This gift of gab per sae, has left her mother and I amazed at the child’s ability to go on… and on… and on. Finding humor in this gift, my wife and I have attempted to focus the child and even tagged her with the nickname of chatterbox in an attempt to teach her that everything in moderation is more preferrable than simply speaking without ceasing. As you can imagine, our attempts have failed as the child’s persistence has prevailed. Fine tuning her ability, she has taken her gift of gab to an entirely different level, which I must admit is truly impressive for the most part.

As we drove home, this gift of gab was on full display. Initially talking about her new swimsuit, she quickly transitioned into a one-sided discussion about the weather, her friends, and the turtle she saw along the way. This, the turtle story, grabbed the attention of her sister who immediately began quizzing her about the creature, to our dismay. As my wife and I grinned, we decided to see just how long the child could keep going. Making multiple detours we continued driving to see if our lovely daughter would tire. As we concluded, what seemed to be our longest trip home something amazing happened.

Out of nowhere, our child stopped chattering and silence resounded. Shocked that the gab had come to an end, we looked at each other like victorious warriors. We had conquered the endless gab session and found the key to a quite ride home…. Simply keep driving. Our joy at winning the battle and surviving the endless gabbing was short lived. As we sat in joyous silence, out of nowhere our little angel spoke these words “so yeah, my day was pretty fun, guess what else I did.” With that, we were blessed to learn more about the interworking’s of a ten-year old’s life. As a loud, audible sigh from our youngest could be heard, we sat as the story again revealed itself in all its glory. Grateful for the blessings, even the long drawn-out ones, of being able to hear our child tell her story.

In life, there are benefits to being able to communicate effectively. As we travel this road, our ability to surround ourselves with a group of people who care enough to listen is crucial to our wellbeing. Fine tuning the skills necessary to share our message while learning that some moments require us to simply sit back in silence, listening, is important. Although humorous and truly overwhelming at times, I wouldn’t replace the moments we share with our little chatterbox for anything. Teaching her about the joy of silence is secondary to the happiness we derive from hearing her personal accounts in all their splendor. Welcome the chatter my friends even as we desire the silence. For we never know when the chatter will subside, leaving us with a longing for the day we can hear those words one more time.

Richard J. Stephens lives in Carter County and is the father of three little ladies ranging in age from eight to 29.