Beautiful solitude

To deliver oneself up, to hand oneself over, entrust oneself completely to the silence of a wide landscape of woods and hills, or sea, or desert; to sit still while the sun comes up over that land and fills its silences with light. To pray and work in the morning and to labor and rest in the afternoon, and to sit still again in meditation in the evening when night falls upon that land and when the silence fills itself with darkness and with stars. This is a true and special vocation. There are few who are willing to belong completely to such silence, to let it soak into their bones, to breathe nothing but silence, to feed on silence, and to turn the very substance of their life into a living and vigilant silence.

Thoughts in Solitude – Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton is my favorite mystic. This particular quote resonated as I read it today. I find the divine in the silence. I long for the silence of the woods near my home. I bring as much silence into my life as I can find each day. I enjoy times of laughter and community. I watch very little news. I receive an email from Governor Cuomo who provides a clear concise and coherent message without sensationalism nor self congratulation. I close each day in prayer. Sometimes it’s Mass and other times it’s listening to Gregorian chant or Taize prayer.