"Quaker Silence" on Doubtful Sound

As many of you know, I worked in Quaker schools for 21 years. One of the things I valued most (besides working with families) was Meeting for Worship - a time of gathered silence. It was a time of centering, inward reflection and letting the truth speak.

Today, on the other side of the world, on a boat with 150 strangers from all over the world, I had that same experience of shared silence. Our tour boat on Doubtful Sound, a couple of hours from Queenstown, NZ, paused for several minutes in a quiet cove called Crooked Arm. The captain requested that all passengers be still, take no photos, no talking or moving. The engines were turned off and it was silent, except for the birds nearby. Looking at the striking scenery on this beautiful day, in this peaceful moment, evoked an internal WOW! Thanks and Amen.