When Peace Took Me By The Hand
Courtesy of iPicture/Pixabay.com
Peace did not arrive in my life the way I expected. I grew up believing peace meant quiet—when something was finished, resolved, or put to rest. As a young girl, when someone died, I heard people say,
“May they rest in peace.”
I imagined that person resting beneath the ground, no longer alive. I didn’t yet know about the soul. I only understood peace by watching and listening to how others used the word. And so, I carried peace in that way—something that came only when everything was in order.
Peace meant completion.
As I look back now, I see that my understanding of peace lived mostly on the surface, outside the deeper spaces of the heart and soul. As I look back across my life, I take Peace by the hand…and it is here that I realize peace truly came alive for me when children entered my life.
When my boys were young, I would walk past their rooms while they slept and hear the soft rhythm of their breathing. That gentle sound would call me in, inviting me to linger for a moment and feel the peace flowing through them—and into me. I would smile quietly. Even my smile held peace. A knowing that, in that moment, all was well.
Later, when I worked with the youth, I would sometimes invite them to sit quietly and write about their joys, their struggles, and how they moved through life. As their pens touched the paper, a soft lull would fill the room. It was then that Peace would tap me on the shoulder and whisper,
“Listen.”
“Listen to the wisdom already living inside these young hearts.”
Peace revealed its patience as it guided them toward awareness—not something to be taught, but something already carried within. Walking alongside these young adults was a gift beyond measure.
When I eventually left the church and stepped into a new chapter of life with my husband, the wisdom Peace had shared with me never left. It continued to teach me quietly and faithfully, whenever I was willing to slow down and listen. As I learned to listen from the heart and soul, and to bring my past experiences into a place of growth and honor, something shifted.
Change arrived.
And change never comes alone. It brings Hope, Joy, and Love…and yes, even Peace…revealing the truth of who we are and guiding us forward, differently.
Peace is not simply silence, nor is it stillness or comfort alone. Peace arrives when I step behind the idea of quiet and consciously breathe into the moment — allowing the light already within me to illuminate what has been waiting all along.
Over the past twenty years, Peace has walked with me in the woods, sat beside me in difficult conversations, and held space for sorrow, grief, and the slow release of what was never mine to carry.
Today, Peace lives in my body, my breath, and my choices. We dance together now. And whenever it is time to rest, to breathe deeply, or to begin again, Peace quietly wraps itself around me like a warm blanket—reminding me that we have never truly been separate.
Always together.
Never alone.🕊️
Thoughts to Ponder:
What has Peace reminded you in the different chapters of your life?
And…Where has Peace been quietly waiting for you all along?
©Terry Pottinger 2026
©Taken by the Author in Corolla NC