‘There is a time to speak and a time to keep silence … a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.’
Thus it is written in the book of Ecclesiastes.
In any close, long-term relationship there can be periods when one partner withdraws into silence and there is no communication. What is important is for the other partner not to rush in saying, ‘What’s the matter?’ A long-term relationship is a fine exercise in patience and listening. Each person is contributing to building the relationship while at the same time continuing to grow and develop their own life in order to be the full person each is meant to be. It is here that, once again, the simple practice of meditation enables us to be more alert to the silence in others, to that which is unspoken.
