Silence At Home Menu

This is a menu - don’t try to eat it all! Pick one or two suggestions to try at home.

Art credit: St. Catherine of Alexandria by Raphael, in the public domain

“It is in deep solitude and silence that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brother and sister.” - Thomas Merton

Printable menus are below.

For Adults

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice:
- Noticing noise:
  - Keep track of the noises around you for one day. How much of your day is filled with noise? Where do you find time for quiet? - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
  - Mindfulness version: Take a few minutes to listen to what's happening around you. You don't need an idyllic, quiet space, just a chair in your house or office. Set a timer for five minutes and tune into sounds, whether a buzzing fan, birdsong or a nearby car alarm. Close your eyes, open your ears and just hear what's coming and going. https://www.ksl.com/article/50195333/mindfulness-matters-5-ways-to-get-started-with-mindfulness

Main Course: Tasting the practice:
- Sit in the silence of nature, even if it’s near a small plant in your home. Do you experience God’s presence differently in that space? - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress

Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life:
- Consider creating a dedicated prayer or meditation area and incorporating items from the natural world in it. - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress

Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice:
- Read Chapter 8, “Silence: Experiencing Peace,” in The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress, available on Kindle
- “Silence is often referred to in terms of space: the immensity inside, the cave of the heart, the oasis of quiet, the inner sanctuary, the interior castle, the sacred center where God dwells. For centuries, people have used this practice as a resting and renewal stop on the spiritual journey. It provides a way to periodically withdraw from the world. You may go into silence as a prelude to prayer, or you may seek it as the place where through meditation you can contact your deeper self and Spirit.” - Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

For Youth

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice:
- Jesus regularly withdrew to a quiet place to pray (Luke 5:16, 6:12, 9:28, 22:41-42). Do you have a “place apart,” a place where you can go, either physically or in your imagination, to be away from the noise and pressures of the day and to be quietly in God’s presence? Draw a picture of your quiet place, or create one in your mind. - From Way to Live: Christian Practices with Teens

Main Course: Tasting the practice:
- Like monastic traditions that pray at certain times of the day, we can create brief rituals of quiet. Set an alarm for four times throughout your day, and commit to being quiet for one minute at each of those times. Consider using a chime or gentle song tone for your phone timer’s alarm. - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress
- Alternative: Incorporate minutes of silence into your daily routine. Observe one silent minute at your desk before beginning school, while sitting down during lunch, in your car before starting to drive, or after watching an episode of your favorite show.

Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life:
- Practice unplugged mornings to cultivate inner peace as well as outer silence. Don’t reach for your phone right away after waking up. Instead, give yourself half an hour of tech-free time to connect with what’s really important. - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress

Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice:
- “How can you find this inner quietude, tranquility, and calm? You must make room for it — literally. Find a space of physical silence where you can sit quietly, away from distracting demands, voices, and sounds. Go there every day. It is the gateway to your interior silence.” - Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

For Kids:

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice:
- Make a mind jar: Find a glass jar and fill it with water, glitter, and glue. Shake the jar and imagine that the glitter is your thoughts. When you’re upset, your thoughts whirl around and make it hard to see clearly. Then, watch what happens when the jar is still for a couple of moments. What happens to the glitter when it’s given a chance to rest quietly? What happens to your thoughts when you are calm and quiet?

Main Course: Tasting the practice:
- Try “quiet hands.” Place your hands in your lap and look at them quietly. What shape are they in? Ball your hands up into fists, and then let them relax completely. Open them wide like starfish and trace each one of your fingers from palm to tip. This can be a good way to take ten quiet breaths, one for each of your fingers. Careful, this might tickle!

Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life:
- Do an active form of [quiet prayer]. Silence doesn’t have to mean sitting. If you’re a runner, try running without music. Others might take a quiet walk. Some people have found that keeping their hands busy helps with the antsy feeling. For them, activities like knitting or coloring are ways of prayerful silence. - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress

Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice:
- Putting yourself on a quiet “time out,” or taking “alone time,” are ways of spending time with God. When you decide to take some time to sit and be with God, then you are with God, even if you are silent.

For Families:

Appetizer: Getting hungry for spiritual practice
- Have you ever taken your kids to the HUCC labyrinth? Check it out after church and enjoy some moments of quiet silently walking the labyrinth together. Or, try printing out and following a paper labyrinth with your fingers. (Download)

Main Course: Tasting the practice
- Try meditating together as a family for five minutes at home. You will need a candle, cushions, and fidget toys. Read this article for instructions on how to meditate with young children: https://www.realkidsrealfaith.org/centering-guide/
- Or try a more active meditation out in nature. Encourage your child to take in the pureness of natural sounds by focusing on them.
  - First, locate a nice spot where you can spread out a blanket or towel and take a seat with your child. The deeper into nature you can go, the more natural sounds you'll hear; but wherever you are, I assure you that you'll be able to focus on something. This quiet activity may provide some good snuggle time — feel free to bring along a favorite stuffed animal.
  - Sit and speak quietly, encouraging your child to listen.
  - Explain that you're going to create silence, and see what it will bring.
  - Does silence have a sound? Shhhh. Listen. What do you hear?
  - Do you hear birds busy in the trees and celebrating spring? How do they sound? Happy? Argumentative? Joyful? Chatty? How many different bird sounds do you hear? Can you see any of the birds?
  - What else do you hear? Filter through the everyday sounds, and focus only on the sounds of nature. Can you hear the wind? Insects? Close your eyes and continue listening to the sounds that silence brings. What sounds of spring can you hear? Water dripping? A breeze whispering through tree branches?
  - End your quiet time listening to nature by whispering something sweet in your child's ear. - Taken from Jennifer Ward in I Love Dirt! https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/27947/childrens-ears-in-nature

Dessert: Using the practice to sweeten my life
- Set “noisy times” [or “quiet hours”] in your house. Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. for example, noise is fair game. Outside of those hours, TVs, phones, and radios are turned off or can only be used with earbuds. - From The Hopeful Family: Raising Resilient Children in Uncertain Times by Amelia Richardson Dress

Digest: Absorbing the meaning of the practice
- “Listen to the silence, feel it, imagine it wrapping its love around you and filling you with strength. Praise God who gives you these moments [to spend with the people you love.]” - Adapted from Tom Cowan in The Way of the Saints