Part of me hungers for such bells. I find myself craving the insistent rhythms of their voices. Predictable, familiar, reliable, steady bells that would insure my prayer and rest; bells that would regulate and balance the pieces of my life.
"Just as soon as we are familiar with one set of daily bells ringing," wrote one of you in the Parlor, "another set replaces them."
Don't we know the truth of this. Seasons come and go, bringing school bells and wake-up alarms, church bells and wedding bells, baby cries and phones and stovetop buzzers. They change with every passing year.
Predictable, familiar, reliable, steady? Not really. Out here in the midst of the world, it's not that way.
Bells of "things that must be done" ring out; day by day and year by year they ring.
They change. Consistently, they change.
To answer the legitimate call of God, I must hear, and I must respond. I am called to do as God asks, in every season of my life.
These are words from one who has learned to live in harmony with the bells.
(Portions of this post were taken from our archives)
Text not in quotes
Painting of bell: Bernhard Stange Das Abendläuten, in US public domain due to age
Painting of family: Von Bornin perhe
