“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.