We listen too much to the television
and we listen too little to nature.
Everybody should have his personal sounds
to listen for—sounds that exhilarate,
make him feel alive, or quiet and calm…
As a matter of fact, one of the greatest sounds—
and to me it is a sound—is utter, complete silence.
~Edited lines by André Kostelanetz
I have known the silence of the stars and of the sea,
And the silence of the city when it pauses,
And the silence of a man and a maid,
And the silence of the sick…
There is the silence of a great hatred,
And the silence of a great love,
And the silence of an embittered friendship.
There is the silence of a spiritual crisis,
Through which your soul, exquisitely tortured,
Comes with visions not to be uttered
Into a realm of higher life.
There is the silence that comes between husband and wife.
There is the silence of those who have failed;
And the vast silence that covers
Broken nations and vanquished leaders.
And there is the silence of age,
Too full of wisdom for the tongue to utter it
In words intelligible to those
who have not lived the great range of life.
~Excerpted lines from a poem
by Edgar Lee Masters
The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him. ~Habakkuk 2:20 ✝


❤ ❤ ❤ silence ❤
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This is so beautiful dear Natalie! I love what I hear in this silence. I don’t hear it with my ears…I hear it with my heart and my soul. And when I stop to listen, my life changes so much for the better!! Thank you for putting words here that explain this. Much love…and I hope you are feeling better ❤
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You are so very welcome, Lorrie! I’m glad you enjoyed the post and found it meaningful! Love and hugs, N ❤
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Very moving, Natalie! Thank yu for sharing the beautiful poem of Edgar Lee Masters. ❤ ❤
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You are very welcome, Amy. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. If you ever get a chance go online and read the rest of Masters poem. It’s all very touching and good.
Hugs, N ❤
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Will do. Thank you, Natalie ❤
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Lovely reminders Natalie. Silence is golden! 🙂
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Golden and sweet! I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Brad! Hugs, N ❤
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🙂
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Natalie you write so beautifully, it takes my breath away. I hope you are well, I think of you! Holly
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Actually, Holly, as of late I’ve just been putting together the writings of others. Nevertheless, I’m glad you enjoy them. Thanks for thinking of me and your concern. Things are not great, but now I’m only about 5 weeks away from the knee replacement surgery so I keep on hobbling along and dragging one foot in front of the other. Hugs, N ❤
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I do love the silence—especially when outside–no car engines roaring past, no planes blaring overhead—just the earth and sky and me—
Love to you my friend—a frozen peach 🙂
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Yeppers, gotta love the solitude and silence of just the earth and sky and moi!!! Hugs, N ❤
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I used to always need people and noise around me back in the day. Now I love silence, the lack of tv, and time alone.
Great post N. This one I took my time reading through. Lovely
Hugs
🙂 ❤
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I usually have a radio playing in the background out here in my studio, but one of my grandkids changed the station months ago and I just have taken the time to get it back yet. The peace and quiet are definitely a pleasant change from all the noise I had to endure while teaching! Be well, my friend. Hugs, N ❤
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Reblogged this on Women Who Think Too Much by Jeanne Marie and commented:
Just what I needed in the hours between good night and good morning…
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🙂 ❤
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Schöner Beitrag wünsche ein gutes Wochenende lieber Gruß Gislinde
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🙂 ❤
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Once again thanks for sharing. For a piece on silence you certainly have generated lots of conversation! Wish you well with surgery. I have come to know that other people’s surgery is minor bbut our own os always major. God bless you with lots of gracc.
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It keeps my mind off the pain, Pete. I’m the same way. If this were someone, I’d tell it’s no big deal, but since it’s me and I had that stroke two years ago, I can’t help but worry at times. But then I turn it all over to the Lord and trust Him to take care of me. Hugs, N ❤
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Beautiful peaceful thoughts, tonic for the soul.
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Thank you. I’m glad it brought you peace and refreshed your soul. Hugs, N 🙂
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