From Mitten Strings: Quiet

The busier and louder my life has gotten, the more I've come to appreciate quiet.

The author says about quiet: "If we are to feed others, we must first be fed ourselves. We must embrace quiet ourselves before we can bring it to our children."

I used to think of quiet as JUST silence. But it doesn't have to be just that. It can mean more creating a more natural, peaceful sound in your home. She quotes a mom who says "If my daughter is listening to tapes of CDs that means she is taking something in instead of generating something of her own. I would rather hear her singing her songs." I think there is room in life for both - but I like the idea of using the quiet as a springboard to create something of your own.

I think that we are so conditioned to listening to something, or someone, that it can be unnerving to really, really just be quiet. But some of my best thoughts have come after that moment of blankness - that moment where my eyes are closed and I just sit. Of course, not every time I sit in the quiet is so dramatic. But even if I don't think of anything, the quiet rejuvenates me and gives me the strength to continue on.

She closes the chapter with this quote:

"When I clear a quiet space for my family, I make room for our souls to grow."