advice to your younger self

in the absence of resolution(s):
q. what have i been doing for the past month?
a. pondering what advice i would give to my younger self

surprise ice

I went to my first Quaker Meeting of 2009 this morning - and it was the first time I'd been to Wolverhampton Friends' Meeting House. I'm glad I went. Afterwards, I walked for a while around West Park. In the slow thaw the lake was filled with plates of ice. The Canada Geese, usually animated, were quite subdued - bemused, a little surprised perhaps, at having to negotiate both water and ice. I had my camera in my pocket, and it stayed there, as I sat on a bench for a few minutes looking at the little island sheets of ice, before making my way back towards home.

"Love comes like surprise ice
on the water
Love comes like surprise ice
at dawn
Love comes like surprise ice
on the water
Love comes
at dawn"

from 'Surprise Ice'
by Kings of Convenience

the quivering tree

"There by itself like a tree it shows;
That high it reaches as deep it grows,
And when the storms are its branches shaking,
It deeper root in the soil is taking.

Be then no more by a storm dismayed,
For by it the full-grown seeds are laid;
And though the tree by its might it shatters,
What then, if thousands of seeds it scatters?"

from 'That Cause Can Neither Be Lost nor Stayed'

with thanks to Ruth for taking the photo
during one of our adventures

bending our lives to active peacemaking

I recently discovered that Gene Stoltzfus of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) is giving a speaking tour, which includes a talk called "Bending Our Lives To Active Peacemaking" at Bull Street Friends Meeting House, Birmingham on Saturday 31st January 14.00 - 16.00. Here are the details.

Tom Fox, a Quaker from Langley Hill Friends Meeting, West Virginia, was one of the CPT Iraq hostages in 2006, alongside Norman Kember. Tom sent an e-mail to a friend just before he returned to Iraq and was taken hostage, where he quoted this beautiful prayer from Abbess Hildegard of Bingen:

"Holy Spirit; giving life to all beings; moving all creatures; root of all things; washing them clean; wiping out their mistakes; healing their wounds; you are our true life; luminous; wonderful; awakening the heart from its ancient sleep."

Tragically, Tom lost his life, and I hope to go along to the talk just to be present as a little way of witnessing to Tom - that he didn't die for peace; but he gave his life for peace; and that it wasn't in vain.

escape hatch = peace

Holding in the Light the people of Gaza

I can't begin to imagine what the situation must be like. All I can think of are 3 photos from a Fellowship of Reconciliation peace delegation to Palestine in November 2008 (I was asked to apply to go along, but decided not to in the end) which point toward peace: i) that we must overcome barriers to peace ii) peace is so resilient, and iii) the answer will always be peace - escape hatch = peace. Thanks to Joff.

Statement from Middle Eastern Quakers on the crisis