Silence

It was one of most romantic experiences of my life. And I was alone on a boulder that jutted it over the Grand Canyon. The romance I felt was just silence, stillness and light. It felt like I was floating over the huge hole in the earth that could have swallowed the whole of Hong Kong. The only movement was an eagle gliding across the canyon along with a single white cotton ball of cloud. This silence amazed more than any concert, moving speech or majestic display. I felt the power, the love, the purpose that created everything including me. It was like God speaking and I knew why I existed. The only one who shared that moment was the eagle.

It was no coincidence that my life turned shortly after that. I went places, met people, felt feelings that were like new every day. But I never heard the silence again until the last few years. Hard times are not easy by definition. Yet it was in feeling utter desperation that the silence pushes me upwards. I heard with my soul the word, the voice, the will, the love, the purpose, the truth, that gave me life.

The difference is the chatter, the distractions, the doubt and cynicism that seeks to cover the silence with lies. It's like gravity that pulls the eagle to earth despite the wind that carries it.

A new friend reminded me of feeling holiness in the midst of despair. He is not religious at all. Yet his words reminded me of the many seemingly silent majesty that surrounds us and causes me to celebrate whether quietly or loudly. It all depends. But it all begins with a tear that brings joy.

I see God in this holy silence.