The quiet is palpable but not heavy. In the way the warmth of a fire eases down into your very bones, the quiet here is the bearer of a strange kind of comfort. It isn’t the absence of sound. Every tiny noise reverberates off the white stone arches of the abbey. A monk coughs in […]
The Many Faces of Silence
by on January 29, 2019 Leave a Comment
There are many faces to Silence. The loud booming Silence of Loved Ones no longer here—their voice and presence deeply missed—can cause a reflective silence. Post-holidays, there is also the Toxic Silence. A silence that may continue all year for some, or only rear its ugly head at the holidays. That is the silence that […]
The Blessing of the Awkward Silence
by on January 28, 2019 Leave a Comment
By Breanna Lowman In junior high, I learned a new term: Awkward Silence. I guess I didn’t know that silence had to be awkward. As a child, I was never afraid of what people thought of me. Like most children, I was free – free from filters, comparisons, and insecurities. However, when I entered junior […]
When Silence Can’t Be Heard
by on January 27, 2019 1 Comment
“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” -Tori Amos I am naked. There is a boy with some sort of facial hair watching me. I am not sure what they gave me, but I know I don’t have a bra on. (Apparently that […]
Things I Have Observed in Silence
by on January 24, 2019 Leave a Comment
I am six years old. The bathtub is full of mediocre bubbles. I am on my back and my hair is floating around my head like so much kelp in the water. The ceiling straight above me has an aging water stain from the ice storm the year before. I stay there until the water […]
