Ben Wilson, LPC

Sabbath time is enriched by some period of intentional silence. Choose a period of time or an activity--such as a walk or hiike, alone or with someone you love--when you will refrain from speech. Notice what arises in silence, the impulse to speak, the need to judge or respond to what you see, hear, feel. Notice any discomfort that arises when you are not free to speak. When I first went to a monastery, the Great Silence between evening meal and breakfast seemed unbearable. Later, during a ten-day silent meditation retreat, I was convinced that the other retreatants--also silent--were all angry, or somehow mad at me. I could not rely on my wit, charm, or intellect to engage them. For the first few days I resented the silence. Now, after years of practice, I seek out silences, I delight in them. They seem sweet, safe, a Sabbath, a genuine sanctuary in time. 

~Wayne Muller