The fourth guideline of Centering Prayer is, “At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.” At times, it may be tempting to mitigate or even “skip over” this guideline, particularly if we are doing our prayer practices in the midst of an especially busy, frustrating, or exciting moment in our lives. Nevertheless, this guideline does as much or more than the others to reframe our understanding of prayer and put it in its proper context: as building relationship with God. We have too often learned to approach our prayer with a “checklist” mentality: if I say this many prayers, or if I spend this much time at prayer, I’ll meet my daily obligation and can move on. Yet, none of us would approach our most cherished human relationships this way! Yes, our time spent simply being together with another person will eventually have to come to a close, as the basic demands of daily life remain and need to be addressed. However, when the time comes to move on from our encounters with loved ones, who doesn’t first consider whether they can linger together a little longer, and then, if the time must end, offer a parting kiss, hug, or act of kindness? These final minutes of silence serve the same purpose in Centering Prayer, intended as quality time with God.