Y for Young People's Meeting at Taunton

These are some of our children at a breakfast party building a bug hotel which was their idea. The two boys from the left have been coming to Taunton since they were babes in arms.

Do not think if you are a Meeting which is elderly that you cannot engage with children.

We had two families who had baby boys.  So I persuaded the Meeting to start a children's meeting.  The parents and babies came and lay on a blanket and looked at one another and gradually started to play with one another and the babies came into the Meeting for ten minutes. The parents also gained friendship. The boys are now six years old and the children's meeting has between two and six attenders who come when and if they can.

Do not be down hearted.  Modern families have many stresses and we as grandparents can be there for them.

Another way to engage was through holding a Peace Party at Quaker Week and inviting shopping families to take a break with free coffee, tea and juice and activities.

We made white doves, planted bulbs, decorated cup cakes and had a good time.  Who knows where these efforts will percolate to. And as Grandparents we thoroughly enjoyed our time with the children in Taunton.

Another outreach idea was to raise a collection at Meeting in order to give a "Conscience" or "Conviction" packs Commemorating WW1 from QPSW Friends House to all schools in our area totaling £180.  Some of the retired teachers in our Meeting introduced them personally to the schools. Again we shall not really know the influence, if at all, of this initiative.  However we feel that we need to engage with young people in any way possible for the future.

For more about our Meeting go to

 www.westsomersetquakers.org.uk

X for Excerpt

The  Meeting for Clearness

Charlotte took two deep breaths and entered the room.

They all sat in a small circle and started with a silence that lasted 10-15 minutes.  Then Charlotte said how upset she had been to witness the scene of Sean with another woman not suspecting such a thing could happen in their relationship.

As she sat in the group and felt the agitation gradually receding, she was after all among Friends. Sean was his most agreeable, charming self as though nothing had occurred of any significance.  It was only she who had this tumult of emotions, these angry feelings which possessed her like a cruel joke.

Everyone was invited to speak.  How had she become so embroiled in this conflict situation?

She explained how she had thought she was in a committed relationship with Sean, that as a couple she expected him to be respectful with her and not be intimate with other women.  Sean said that he had lots of women friends, that he was very fond of Charlotte and had always tried to be supportive.

“I never lied Charlotte.  You would like Cindy.  She has had such a bad time.  Her father is such a bully and violent.”

Charlotte looked at him. Good Grief! How could he say such a thing? He hadn’t a clue had he?

For charlotte the waking up to the real situation was painful.  She realised that it was she who had made assumptions about her relationship with Sean.  He was, is now, a nice man but not for her. She wanted permanence for herself and her son. Sean just couldn’t adhere to that.  It was not in his nature. He breezed through life, not putting down roots.  It wasn’t that he didn’t care, he certainly did, but commitment to one situation or person was an alien concept.

In the silence she suddenly saw him, he didn’t have the same code of conduct that she had. He was a supportive man.  Then she had another thought. Were her expectations too high? Had she projected onto him a relationship that was her fantasy? With her own realisation came a clarity of mind, and a release not just for her but for him.

She looked at him and in a spirit of Loving Kindness she hoped he would meet a woman that would blow him away and fulfil him, so that his need to be needed wasn’t a problem in his life.

And as gradually Charlotte’s mind gained clarity, she was calm.  “So this is being in the Light” she thought. Quietly she said,

“Sean, I understand.  I wish you well, and I hope we can be friends from now on.”

Sean looked relieved. There was a collective sigh.

There was an intense silence as the group of Friends listened to this ministry and were together in Spirit. After a while, the Elder shook hands and everyone shook hands and the Meeting closed.

“So this is Peace,” Charlotte thought.

It wasn’t exciting or mind blowing or any kind of revelation.  It was a sense of belonging, of being held and contentment and a feeling of being able to carry on.  There was a sense of freedom, of being enabled.  Was this God, was God present?  She still didn’t know.  But she knew she was a Quaker and she was willing to serve if they needed her.

  read this fascinating love story and be prepared for tears.

"Romance Times Two"  at

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00N366TBC/

W is for Worship and Prayer

I have always appreciated Quaker Meeting for Worship and as I grew into the silence I began to discover the "inner light" and what that phrase meant for me. It meant a familiar knowingness and companionship.

Then recently I have been to a Christian Anglican church service and talked to the Minister there. It is very high church and not a modern evangelical church.  She is happy for me to go to a church service once per month and hopes that the experience will deepen my communion with God. She herself pratices silence.Having been a Quaker for over twenty five years I suddenly discovered I at last understood the words of the traditional hymns. She talked to me about the Christian tradition of contemplative prayer.

Being interested I bought a book about the subject.  There are, for me some helpful comments in the book.

• That payer is like being in a dark room with someone you love and knowing they are there but not being able to see them.
• That often we talk about climbing a mountain to find God.  Instead the author thinks it is more about descending to a place of humility.  It is in this place that we can effect change in ourselves.
• That we don't have to do anything for God to help us to change. God is always working with us in prayer.

I hope that the new spiritual path I am undertaking will bring about the change I am seeking.

I am very grateful to the F/friends I do have, who reach out to me.

I am now adding to this blog which was written some time ago.

I struggled with my path not finding anyone in Somerset that wqas on my "wavelength",  Not Fiends for instance.  I tried two Quaker Meetings and found predjudice, snobbishness and ignorance.

I hacve also struggled with the emphasis on Christianity, although I delved into trying to conform, I always thought that all religions were lead to God,

I now worship at the Unitarian Church, and occasionally go to drop intio silence to meditate

Here is a utube video about Unitarians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lchmd73orpM