Love has to go through darkness and pain and endurance and a stark acceptance before it can come out into the far light of the sun.
~ from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN by Madeleine L'Engle
Silence touches us in so many ways: as something which offers sanctuary and tranquility, as something which brings us into touch with the inner depths which elude us in the hurly-burly of our everyday lives, as a source of joy, as an inspiration for art, literature or music, and because it awakens us to the present moment which can only be fully experienced with a mind that is free of preconceptions. These encounters can be the source of a wonderful clarity.