Growing up, “To speak, or not to speak,” 'twas the golden question in the Osmond Family household. Perhaps, there was nothing more pleasant to my parents’ ears than when their nine children had their mouths shut and the family could experience momentary spaces of silence... well, aside from the times when we were all asleep. 😴🤣 Virl and Tom, my two oldest brothers—who were born hearing-impaired—would always say that they were so lucky, because at their convenience, they could just switch off their hearing aids and tune out all the noise in the house! 🤗🤔🤣
Keeping our voices quiet and still was a struggle for some of us in our family... not saying who! 🧐 But our sweet parents taught us that it was a good virtue to have. #SilenceIsGolden, we'd often hear. They’d prompt us to “Listen to the Spirit” and how being silent was a valuable key in hearing these promptings. There was always, “A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3:17)
I may have taken the word “sew” literally, because during a few of these times, I learned to develop some of my creative skills. ✂️📐 (Why isn’t there a sewing machine emoji?!) 😩 Don’t get me wrong, like in any normal family, we were occasionally very noisy and even a bit rambunctious! How could we not? Traveling 24/7 on the road 🚎 and performing 🎤 🎶worldwide taught us that this principle of silence or pondering assisted us in cooperation, getting along better with each other, as well as those around us ☺️ by simply giving a listening ear and being sensitive to the Spirit. (A few quiet time-outs by Dad didn’t hurt the learning process either! 😳😊)
I appreciate this scripture:
“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 17:28)
Especially in a big family like ours, our Mom believed in quiet-time... to think, ponder and pray. 🙏 She would say in her kind and soothing voice, “Go to your room and learn to just be alone with yourself. It's a good way to see if you like who you are inside.” I still use those down-time moments today (even as brief as they can sometimes be) to rejuvenate. Whether it’s reading a good book, crafting something, cooking or sitting and staring at the wall... does that count as a nap? 😂 We need to take the time to "be still and listen." Back then, I loved it when Mom would say, “Go play with your dolls and make them a cute outfit.” Maybe that’s why my Mother liked dolls so much... their mouths were sealed shut and they never talked back or got themselves messy! 😬😂
It’s amazing how my Brothers and I have remained close after nearly six decades in show business. 🤫🤐 We really do enjoy seeing each other and truly love one another—more now than ever before! Sure, we are all busy with our own families too and though many of us live miles apart, we still manage to keep in touch through our family group texts... where we let each other know what’s going on with each other and our families. We pray together for our loved ones, uplift one another and yes, even share a joke or two.
So on this Sunday, carve out a little quiet, peaceful time for yourself, ☺️ (I’m sending you to your room to take time-out) 🤣 where you can retreat for a bit and just be SILENT and LISTEN. 💋
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