SILENCE - THE BALM OF THE SOUL

A quiet walk looking for beauty in a small stream

Jewish wisdom reminds us there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. I think of how delightful it is to look into a little tiny babies eyes and see them light up. As they grow older we think they are not listening if we do not have eye contact. The other day at Theresa's house I spelt a word and Theresa said Ben is learning how to spell. Sometimes little ears hear more than we want.

I love the early morning quiet my secret time in thought and prayer. I love finding a quiet place on my walk where I can just enjoy nature. When the world is covered with snow it also seems to be blanketed with stillness.

"Silence needs to be learned, because silence is a great skill and by it you recognize the person of great intelligence." -Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis. Be still and know I am God scripture reminds me. I want to rush in and give advice and solve an other's problems but I am going to have to learn to be more patient and to listen and to keep listening. We all know about Job's friends who had so much advice to give him and none of it was helpful so he told them to be silent.

Why is speech judged more powerful than the sword? If you want to keep people down and destroy their self-worth you do not let them be educated. Knowledge opens the door to freedom and "the soul needs contemplative solitude to digest learning and experience and convert it into wisdom."

The still small voice that spoke to Elijah the prophet was a quiet rustling not a great wind nor the earthquake nor the fire all these things come and go while the still voice is always available to the willing listener.