Silence and Sunshine - Marnie Pohlmann

Whoo. Whoo.

My eyes open.

Whoo. Whoooo.

I look toward the window, knowing all I would see is the deep darkness of night still covering the view.

Whoo. Whoooo.

Yes, it was definitely there tonight. Again. I sigh. No sense trying to sleep until it silenced or flew away. The night owl of inspiration is echoing in my mind, so I slide out from the covers, grab pen and paper, and go to my comfy recliner to doodle some words while I wait for sleep or morning to come, whichever returns first.

Demons of the past also wander in the night, crossing the paths of storylines as I write. I actively battle them through the words I write, which often reveal how I have faith in the One who wins at the end of our Great Story. They are not to be feared. I am safe, cuddled in the shadow of my Lord’s wing.

I find the silent stillness of night to be a refreshing time for me. Lately, I still spend moments or hours awake, yet have not sought out my writing tools like I used to. In the last few years, my night owl time has focused less on my muse and more on God - and perhaps still worrying about the ‘morrow.

Ah, silence.

Many writers share how music wells their emotions, spilling sentence after sentence onto paper. I don’t mind music, especially instrumental music, playing in the background while I write, but I am just as content surrounded by silence as I give voice to the characters in my mind. For me, In the blackness of night or in bright daylight the silence, that is never truly silent as I listen to the normal sounds that fill my home, provides a calmness conducive to creativity.

Silent sunshine.

When we lived in Big River, Saskatchewan, after Wally was off to work and I sent the kids to school, and before I busied my day with cleaning or contract work, I would sit at the dining room table to read Scripture. The consistent Saskatchewan sun joined me, warming my study until it boiled over with a need to write prayers, ideas, and stories. I was unrushed, usually, and treasured that time of inspiration from within the resting.

The sun doesn’t sit with me much anymore, even though we live in another very sunny location, in northern British Columbia. I have neither the sun nor the unhurried morning time to write as I work years of hours in a basement office. So I occasionally steal quiet moments between projects, daily demands, and workmates, to type some words.

And in the summer, after work and on weekends when daylight refuses to share time with night, I can sit on the porch to tap out words. The music of the outdoors plays in the background. Neighbours mowing lawns or gardening and children running and screaming in play. Even in those times the daytime demons, mosquitos, try to interrupt my writing process so my battle continues.

Yet the writing itself is how God provides refreshment to my soul and my creativity. So I cherish the silence and the sunshine.

The days are beginning to stretch as the winter season yawns and readies for a nap. The sun once again seeks to peek over this writer’s shoulder. And perhaps it is time to once again calm the night owl voices by writing within the silence.

Photos courtesy of Pixabay.com CCO license

Marnie is a night owl shivering in today's winter, watching for tomorrow's sunshine, and writing to experience refreshment in God.