The Sounds of Silence

I grew up in the land of 10,000 lakes and snowy, snowy winters. Each year the winter landscape turned into a whitened world. I remember how stillness settled on the earth and a quietness companioned the snow, ushering in a reverent, hushed silence. People stayed inside to keep warm. There were no cars on the roads. Within the magic of the snow, silence became my first spiritual teacher.