I’ve returned home to Memphis to my beloved’s embrace. All is right in my world. I started work on a holiday story while on the train that I’ll be bringing to the Memphis Writers meeting tonight.

As I sit with my husband this morning in our quiet house sipping my English Breakfast tea with rich Silk creamer, the only sound an occasional breath and the typing of keys, I’m reminded of a line from one of my favorite poems:

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

From Desiderata By Max Ehrmann © 1927

There is a value in silence one doesn’t notice until it is missing for a while. When the silence suddenly rushes in like sunlight through the window, I hear hidden truths in my life and in the lives of any fictional people I am responsible for.

In Zen we sit in stillness and silence, knowing it is a rare thing that provides the path to inner wisdom. I’d forgotten on my trip to Denver, with all the excitement of the travel and events with family, what silence offers.

I fell in love in silence sitting in my boyfriend’s room listening to his soft deep breaths as he read. His ability to sit with silence, to spread quiet around him, is still one of the things I love best about the man I married almost 35 years ago. It seemed then, and still seems, an amazing ability.

One of the best experiences in Denver this last week was the time I spent meditating with my sister at Mayu Sanctuary. I thrilled to introduce her to one of my favorite places. But it wasn’t all ego. The silence bathed my soul, cleaning it of stress and half-thought internal conversations arising from travel and busy activities. It restored me. Afterwards, I could hear my characters talk through me.

If you are in Denver, you might be interested in Mayu Sanctuary. It is a drop-in meditation center. They also offer classes and such, but for me the idea that I can drop in and sit in silence for an hour is enough. I wish every city had a drop-in meditation center.

May you find a quiet place for your thoughts to expand from. Be well, friends.