Joan Chittister says, "no one finds time for prayer; you have to make time."

That's the hard part—finding the time. In her book Kathryn Hermes recommends setting aside time in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Evenings are the easiest. When I put my daughter to bed at night, I can sit in the dark while she drifts off to sleep, and quiet myself and allow myself to spend a good 20-30 minutes in silent prayer. Mornings are more difficult, what with getting the kids up and off to school. If I can manage to wake up before them (not always possible), I can usually sneak in 10-15 minutes. Not ideal, but better than nothing. In the days since Ash Wednesday, I've had to do a session of morning prayer at 6:00 a.m., at 8:00, and even as late as 10 or 11. Noon is the most difficult. Why is it so hard to stop in the middle of the day and be quiet and alone for even 10 minutes?

When I have found the time, the silence of prayer has welcomed me like an old friend.