Silence in the Air

 

See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...we need silence to be able to touch souls.” Mother Teresa 

For my 65th birthday, I received THE present of a life's time  - a hot air balloon ride which I could take anywhere in the United States. I chose Truckee, CA, near Lake Tahoe and invited, Celeste Macaluso, a dear young woman who had done much for me,  to join me. We arrived in a field full of sage, and assisted the owner of a magnificently colored balloon in getting it ready for us to go "up up and away".

   

 We climbed in, and began the rise across the lake. As we climbed, we left the details of the landscape behind, only being able to distinguish water from field from wooded areas.  We got up to 3000 feet, so the owner reported. 

I have to tell you, the silence surrounded and engulfed me like nothing I have ever experienced in my life's time. I stood in silent awe, mindful of how its presence was overwhelming me with peace.  Oh, if it could only have lasted forever. My Soul was lamenting the inevitable end, even as I opened my heart and let the silence enter.

The experience of the silence rests in my heart even now, a year later, as if I am still suspended 3000 feet up in the air in a beautiful balloon, mindful of having been privileged by the experience itself.

We all hold  images of extraordinary experiences in our hearts. How do these images influence how we relate to others, to ourselves, to life?