
Take a deep breath.
Let silence envelop your entire awareness.
Be still.
How long is it before your thoughts quiet?
How long is it before you stop tracking how long it's been?
What is it like to sit, to wait, to let God play midwife to your pregnant silence?
How does this midwife move around you? Does she move at all? Does she clasp your hand? Does she sit back in a seat next to you and murmur words of encouragement? Does she simply wait with you, occasionally placing a hand on your swollen belly for signs of what is to come?
What needs to be tended at this moment? What needs to be waited on? What needs the midwife's gentle, firm, skillful assurance?
What will you bear forth from your listening?