Episode 45 - Peace & Collecting the Ordinary Moments

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What If Peace Begins With a Decision?

Have you ever thought, "I'll feel more peaceful when..." When the house is quiet. When the schedule slows down. When the project is finished. When the kids need me less. When that problem is finally resolved. When I have more time.

We can spend a lot of our lives waiting for our circumstances to change before we allow ourselves to slow down. But I've been thinking about something lately. What if creating a little peace in our day begins with a decision?

Now, before I go any further, I want to make an important distinction. As a Christian, I believe real, lasting inner peace comes from Jesus Christ. The kind of peace that settles our hearts, even when circumstances aren't peaceful—that is not something a craft project, a journal, or a quiet cup of cocoa can give us. That peace comes from knowing God, trusting Him, and resting in His presence. But I also believe there is another kind of peace we can intentionally make room for in our everyday lives. It's the peace that comes when we stop rushing for a moment. When we take a breath. When we put down the phone. When we sit at the table and make something with our hands. When we notice something beautiful. When we give ourselves permission to enjoy something without needing it to accomplish anything.

It's not the source of our deepest peace. But it can create a little space in our day to slow down, become aware, and notice what God has already placed around us. And I think that's where this idea of noticing comes in. Because sometimes peace doesn't look like some big, dramatic change in our lives. Sometimes it's a very small moment that we almost miss.

What brings you peace? That's a question I love asking. Not, What fixes everything? Not, What makes all your problems disappear? But... What helps you slow down? What helps you breathe a little deeper? What helps you become present to this moment? Maybe it's a quiet morning. Maybe it's a few stitches on a beautiful piece of fabric. Maybe it's a page in your journal. Maybe it's your favorite color. Maybe it's music. Maybe it's time in God's Word. Maybe it's a walk outside. Maybe it's simply sitting down and making something with your hands. There isn't one right answer. The point is to notice. To notice and be more attentive to the little details created for us in our everyday life that bring an invitation to feel peace.

And here's another question: What would you like to remember this week? I love this question because it changes the way we move through our days. Instead of simply getting through the week, we begin looking for something worth noticing. Maybe it's something funny a child has said. Maybe it's the way the morning light came through your window. Yesterday, I was out walking when I noticed a beam of morning light coming through the trees. It was almost as if someone had placed a spotlight in the middle of the grove, shining down on one particular little patch of trees. And I stopped. I probably could have kept walking and never noticed it. But there it was. And I think that's what I mean when I talk about noticing the ordinary moments.

We all enjoy looking up at the clouds. But have you ever really stopped to look at them? I notice the shadows that move among them. The soft casts of color. And I absolutely love when the sunlight catches the outer edges of the clouds and makes them almost glow. Nothing about the sky has changed because I stopped to look. But my experience of that moment changed because I noticed it. And maybe that's part of what creative calm can be. Not changing everything around us. Just slowing down enough to see what we might otherwise miss. We are all creating a record of our lives. I've been thinking about this a lot. Every day, we're collecting little pieces of our story. A photograph. A recipe. A handwritten note. Something that catches your eye. A color. A song. A journal page. A little piece of artwork. Even a sentence we write down because we don't want to forget it. And that's one of the reasons I love mixed-media art and art journaling. We can take those little pieces and make something from them. Not because we need to create something perfect. But because we're saying: I noticed this. This mattered to me. And I want to remember it.

I think there's something beautiful about that. We're not just making art. We're making a record of being here. And that is one of the gifts of creativity. It teaches us to pay attention. Let's try something fun. Sometime this week, go on a Little Peace Hunt. You don't need any art supplies. Just look for five little moments that give you a sense of peace, beauty, gratitude, or joy. Maybe you see a beautiful flower. Maybe you hear a song. I love hearing the birds in the trees. We have this whippoorwill that comes out at dusk, and when I hear the unique sound that it makes, I'm reminded of an early morning in Branson. Everyone was still asleep. The sun was slowly coming up, and I could hear a whippoorwill singing right outside my kitchen window. So take a moment to notice. Notice if someone makes you laugh that day. Maybe you have a moment when you sense God's presence. Write them down. Take a picture. Or, if you're creative, make a little collage about them. You could call it: Five Little Things I Don't Want to Forget. Or: My Little Pieces of Peace. There's no right way to do it. And there is no wrong way either. You're simply practicing the art of noticing. And you know, this is actually part of the reason I created The Tiny Village Post.

I've always loved the idea of getting something in the mail that isn't a bill or an advertisement. Something that makes you think, Oh, someone thought of me. So each month, I send out a little envelope to the people who have joined. I have so much fun planning and preparing what goes into it. I think of it as an extra ounce of sunshine. ☀️ It's just my little way of sending some encouragement your way and giving you a reason to pause for a minute. You might open it and find something that makes you think... Oh, I needed that today. Maybe it's a reminder to stop and notice what's around you. Maybe it's a little question that makes you think about the stories your mind is telling you—and whether there's a different, more helpful way to look at something. And there are two questions I come back to again and again: What brings you peace? And... What would you like to remember this month? I really love those questions because they're so simple. You don't have to sit down and have a big, deep journaling session. If you enjoy journaling, I'll give you a few thoughts to ponder. Thoughts you can write and think about. I always include an original Tiny print, a 4 x 6 that can be framed, or you could tuck it into your journal. Or, if you are like me, you might just open the envelope and smile. And that's okay, too. Because I think sometimes we don't need another thing to do. Sometimes we just need a little reminder that somebody thought of us. That's really what The Tiny Village Post is about. A little creativity. A little encouragement. A little sunshine in your mailbox. ☀️

And this brings me back to where we started. You don't have to wait for certain events to happen to bring more peace into your life. You can make room for peace now. And I think all of these ways of bringing more peace into your life can also be an opening of the door to feel the deepest peace that is found in Jesus Christ. These little choices throughout your day create space to slow down, notice, create, breathe, pray, and receive the good that's already around all of us each day. So this week, ask yourself: What brings me peace? And then ask: What would I like to remember this week? Don't rush past the answers. Notice them. Maybe write them down. Maybe make something from them. Maybe say a quiet prayer of gratitude. Because these ordinary moments are not interruptions to your life. They are your life. And they are worth noticing. They are worth remembering. And sometimes, all it takes is a little decision to stop long enough to see them. I'm Cathy Freeman, and this is Real Positive Change — The Art of Creative Calm. Keep creating. Keep noticing. And keep making a little room for the peace that matters most.