Can I just tell you that I am considering giving up e-mail for good? I never realized how much time it was eating up, until I gave it up for Lent. The past days have been more restful than I imagined, and the silence experiment of the past days culminated yesterday evening in our first ever “Night of Silence.” Loved it. Absolutely the best.
Our “Night of Silence” was inspired by friends of ours and consists of an evening spent without the use of electricity, except for refrigerator. We turned our phones on silent, turned off all the lights, and put away the computer. Candlelight filled out kitchen as I prepared dinner and presided over our evening meal. It was poetic. We opened the windows because our home was a little stuffy with the AC off, and I was lulled by the sight of fluttering curtains and flickering flame. The silence’s effect on us was palpable, slowing our minds and calming our bodies; we sat after dinner and talked, just talked, for nearly an hour. There was little we could do, with our near darkness, but wash the dishes carefully and get ready for bed. The soft candlelight led us to realize how tired we were, unlike the glaring electric lights that keep us awake well-past a good bedtime. We read a little by candlelight and then feel asleep somewhere between 8:50 and 9:10. I felt like Laura Ingalls Wilder and Thomas Merton wrapped up into one.
This perhaps means that I am not doing enough penance, but I am loving this Lent. And…considering becoming a full-fledged Luddite.
love this! p.s. you look like a gorgeous, beaming mama below! blessings!
The silence sounds wonderful!
Any good suggestions for books on raising children Montessori method?