silence

I've been thinking about silence lately. My piano professor in college chastised me once because I was rushing through rests as I was playing. She said silence was as important as the sound in music--it was what shaped the piece. I don't think I've ever played a piece in the same rushing way again. Rests DO make a difference so I've heeded them ever since. And, I took what she'd said to be a life lesson, too. After all, there is a time for noise/a time to talk, and a time for silence/a time to listen. In grad school, when I was getting a degree in counseling psychology, I learned the 90/10 rule...in a counseling session, clients should talk 90% of the time, counselors 10. I've always thought that was a good rule. What we say in a counseling session is not nearly as important as what the clients have to say. I get the impression that there is great value for clients in being heard. If we do our job correctly, we don't judge, we don't have any hidden agenda regarding what they say. We just try to show them that someone cares and that they've really been heard. It makes me think about my own life...perhaps I've spent far too much time talking rather than listening. (Is what I have to say really that important?) Sometimes, it's just best to be quiet. I figured out that you can learn a lot when you listen. And, in our hectic, hurry up lives, it really is nice to stop and be still for a while. Sometimes, in those silent moments, God speaks. It's why I love going to the adoration chapel. It forces me to be still and find God in the deepest recesses of my soul. The ironic thing is, in the silence, God certainly can speak loudly! It's in those moments that I have great peace because, generally speaking, I find answers. God is so good!