“He would do nothing till his mind was quiet . . . when the soul is quiet there is no difficulty in knowing what must be done.”
–From Richard Raynal, Solitary by R.H. Benson
The seed for this blog was planted some years ago, but it emerged from the ground during a conversation with a new acquaintance who was musing about making her marriage a cloister in which prayer and contemplation could flourish.
“What a lovely idea,” I responded, to which she said, “Really? Most people think it’s odd.”
We have since talked often about ways to instill more silence and quiet in our sometimes busy lives. I am a writer and my friend is an educator with training in spiritual direction. She has agreed to provide some guidance for this writing effort and with her help and that of others in my life who appreciate the need to live more quietly, I hope to talk about following a more serene path amid a frantic milieu teeming with electronic media, activity, and distractions.
As I have said in my introductory post, this is no easy thing for those of us who are creatures of a culture of doing. It requires resistance and discipline, sometimes minute-by-minute. To contribute to this effort, I hope to talk about such things as the prudent use of technology, the importance of order, coping with distractions, socializing and conversation, finding quiet spaces, making the home a quiet place, and living in harmony with nature.
QuietKeepers 
I greatly appreciate your blog and your invitation to step into the beautiful depth and meaning found in quiet, stillness, silence, reflection. These themes are ones that are very important to me and ones I’ve tried to find through other blogs, usually without success. Thank you for launching out into the deep and sharing your quiet keeping with others. Best wishes to you on your new blog site.
Judy…just rereading your post “The Power of a Quiet Life.” I miss him a lot. What a beautiful tribute to a holy man. Thank you!
Thanks for reading the post again, Donna, and for your gracious words. I miss him, too.
It was calming to read this story. I have found myself more quiet than usual at times and
I am an A-1 personality. I am learning to appreciate what calmness and uncluttering the mind provides in a way of discovery.
Thank you for the excellent NCRegister article on the “Reenergized a St. Louis Parish”, Judy.
Thank you, Mike! You might also enjoy Father Rennier’s new book, “The Forgotten Language.”
I had a printed copy of your 11/28/17 post titled “Cloisters amid the clamor” and recently came across it again as I prepared my annual letter to monasteries around the world for the World Day of Cloistered Life celebrated on November 21. What caught my eye was that you were “inspired by a friend’s thought to make her life a cloister in a noisy world.” I also see your comment from a friend who inspires to make her marriage a cloister. I’m simply reaching out to ask if you have ever read the book “The Cloistered Heart” by Nancy Shuman? If not, I would highly encourage you and others to do so. Nancy also has a blog at http://www.thecloisteredheart.org. Sadly, Nancy left this world in 2017; however, the Cloistered Hearts are alive and well, with 12 consecrated members and 4 in formation. I would be happy to communicate with you or anyone who might want more information. May God be praised.
I have not read “The Cloistered Heart,” but am grateful to know about it as well as the blog of the same name. I will look into both and pass along the information to the friend mentioned in my post. Thank you so much for reading and reaching out!
Nancy once wrote that “marriage=sacramental monastery.” I just discovered this in one of her journals that I am now privileged to be the keeper of in the hopes to transcribe them one of these days.
That’s beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing this.