"Unwrap the Silence"

Before 2011 comes rolling in with lights, noisemakers, crazy hats and the sparkly, dropping Times Square ball, be sure to spend a few quiet minutes reading Elizabeth Scalia's, "For 2011: Unwrap the Silence." It is beautiful, peaceful, reflective reading. I leave you with a piece of it:

We have allowed silence to become a gift forgotten, one we only consent to
unwrap when all of our alternative bows and strings have been unraveled, and our
diversions have been utterly played out. Our inability to be silent puts our
minds and our souls at a disadvantage, because it robs us of the ability to
wonder, and if we are not wondering at the impossible perfection of the world in
its creation—if we are not wondering at spinning atoms and Incarnations—then we
are lost to humility, and to experiencing gratitude.

And, without gratitude, we cannot develop a reasoned capacity for joy.