While traveling through Portugal this past week, I expected to be changed by history — ancient churches, castles, cobblestone streets, the weight of centuries. Although all those things were impactful, it was a living scene that changed me the most. My oldest son, my husband, and I flew standby from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam to Lisbon and joined a group exploring Portugal and parts of Spain. Amid museums, orange-tree-lined streets, and long days walking the patterned calçad

In the hush of the pew, my toddler stood against my knees, fully focused for the first time. A tiny tongue of concentration revealed a new thread of her growing up.

A pair of forgotten ear plugs became an unexpected doorway into stillness. In the middle of sickness, noise, and motherhood, I found a small, sacred hush waiting for me.