Invitation to Solitude and Silence

There is a monthly newsletter sent to me by Friends of Silence. You can find out more by going to www.friendsofsilence.net. The latest newsletter waiting for me when I returned has several good quotes and some are one liners."The strong grows in solitude where the weak withers away." - Khalil Gibra or this Serbian proverb: "Solitude is full of God." 
Here is another quote taken from 365 Tao Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao:
"There is no effort that we can make to still ourselves. True stillness comes naturally from moments of solitude where we allow our minds to settle. Just as water seeks its own lever, the mind will gravitate toward the holy. Muddy water will become clear if allowed to stand undisturbed, and so too will the mind become clear it is is allowed to be still."
I guess I am being invited once again to create more silence and solitude in my own life. There is a book that has been sitting on my shelf but now I have begun to read. It is Ruth Haley Barton's: Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence. IVP, 2004. I think it might be helpful for anyone who wants to answer God's invitation to sink into silence. The purpose of silence is just to be with God and let Him be in control. It is not easy in our busy lives, but let us keep some time to just be!
Thanks for the prayer for the little book I started to write yesterday. I felt the prayer and hope to get a few more pages written today as I have a busy week end with my community and doubt that there will be any time for writing.