Silence is an indispensable discipline in the spiritual life. ...Silence is a very concrete, practical, and useful discipline in all ministerial tasks.  It can be a portable cell taken with us from the solitary place into the midst of  our ministry.  Silence is solitude practiced in action.  ~~Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart

We need someone who encourages us when we are tempted to give it all up, to forget it all, to just walk away in despair. We need someone who discourages us when we move too rashly in unclear directions or hurry proudly to a nebulous goal. We need someone who can suggest to us when to read and when to be silent, which words to reflect upon and what to do when silence creates much fear and little peace. ~~ Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out