Penn Valley Retreat 2005

When the coffee was on and the fire built, we sat in a circle and began Worship. Deborah spoke out of the silence. She listened as we shared our expectations for the weekend. She summarized these asking, “How can we become intentional in nurturing deeper community? How can we get to know one another in “that which is eternal’”?

As we seek to share deeply, it is hard to find the words that don’t take away from the experience, and we may begin to refrain from speaking our truth to each other. Deborah encouraged us... ”you use your words and I’ll translate. Don’t let fear stop you from sharing. Quakers need to be multilingual —to learn to listen in tongues! ”

Sometimes just surviving seems to take all our energy. We looked at what creates connectedness and what tasks, roles, committee needs overwhelm us. We listed the gifts needed in a Friends Meeting. We acknowledged the loss of persons we used to rely on. Deborah expressed her certainty that we still have all we need to be a “covered meeting,” and need to nurture this diversity of gifts within ourselves and others. An exercise for giving feedback privately helped many to learn that their gifts were recognized by others.

Stories were used throughout the weekend to teach and draw out meanings. Deborah told of going out with friends to see a meteor shower in the wee winter hours. The group had adventures that made clear that while each of us has important knowledge, others can add to that in essential ways, and even when all of us work well together, much that we see needs the Light to illuminate it fully. Balance was also a key theme of the weekend.

Deborah described Quakerism as a three-ply yarn of which one ply was the varied spiritual connections each of us has within that bring us together in the first place; another ply is the community we have together in centered worship and discernment within the meeting, and a third ply is the action we take in the world. If any of the three strands are pulled too hard, they break off from the others and lack the strength of the whole.

Meals were abundant, and much creativity in story, song and humor was showcased in the Saturday night session.

Deborah left us with a question: What are the choices we make that lead to love?

We need to help each other when any of us are in danger of “outrunning our guide”. We can be gentle with one another, looking for moments of grace. When we fall, it is okay. We can love one another in our imperfections, and be accountable to Spirit.

-by Nancy Moon