Greetings y'all :
I confess the title of today's ramblings is a quote from George Fox . For those who don't know him he is the the English clergyman who founded the Religious Society of Friends, more commonly known as Quakers. I've been remiss in not attending our meetings and last evening Xander asked if we could go this Sunday. Couple that with the fact that my mind and spirit were seemingly racing when he posed that query , my logical response was " of course son, if you're ready"
Why did I ask if he was ready? Quite honestly he last few visits ended with him showing an unkind side to his peers. Sadly last Sunday would have been the perfect day to attend since we had a wonderful invitation to visit family I hadn't seem in years immediately following meeting and light lunch. But I became overwhelmed and stressed about starting back to work the next day. The joy of anxiety- I let people down. Almost as if I subconsciously push good people away.
So let's return to the aforementioned George Fox quote "Be still and cool in thine own mind and spirit." OK hands up everyone who's attended a Friends meeting? Hands up everyone who knows about Friends meetings. OK thanks you can lower your hands now. For those who don't know he is an extremely brief synopsis of Friends and meetings . Friends are about finding your personal relationship with God. They strive for non-judgemental equality. ( regardless of my sons actions I have only felt love and support from members , women are treated as equals) Meetings are not typical church services with sermons and a preacher etc... They are held in a plain room in which members and attendees and visitors sit in quiet mediation connecting to their spiritual core. Individuals who are drawn by the light to rise and speak from their heart do so. Oft times I find those who speak seem to take the thoughts out of head and or answer the questions swirling around in my mind. Yet many times the room remains silent as we all engage in our own personal journey to find spiritual contentment.
So I realized I dropped he ball on Sunday. I needed to quiet my mind and spirit and rather than follow my instincts of attending meeting and seeing family, I shut down. Yesterday I felt the stress if chasing that quiet mind and spirit rather than letting it happen or come to me. As introverted as I am I realized by stressing over getting five minutes to clear my head I was creating undo stress on my relationship with and on my precious man cub. I also realize I thrive on the camaraderie and fellowship of my Friends and friends.
Step one I identified and named my problem . Step two is to find a natural solution. In this case I returned to my sleep habits of reading at bedtime then waking early to enjoy my quiet time, mediation time, exercise my mind, body an spirit . By finding my daily peace I'm better able to accept my Friends and friends.
I don't know, just some thought from my scattered little mind. Please share your thoughts, ideas, what works for you, etc... in the comment section below. Other posting the link to FB I'm not on there much.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your quiet minds and spirits.
Although I am reading this blog post days after you wrote it, I find it to be just what I needed to hear (read). I am aware of Friends, but I have never attended a meeting. When I was an undergraduate, I studied Religion in America and learned about many interesting spiritual groups. I don't know if I've ever been friends with a Friend, though (until you, my e-friend).
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we push people away in our times of anxiety because we somehow feel that we would be causing them to feel anxious as well. And yet, many, many times, when I share my feelings, I find a friend shines a different light on my issues and alleviates that stress - at least to a degree. On the other hand, I have found that when I share my anxious feelings with my spouse, his anxiety level is raised as well - so I internalize it, rationalize it, and try to give it up to God. In my household, I feel it is my duty to have the calm head and the soothing presence. Still, it's not really a "duty." It's how I see myself. It's what I strive to be.
Babbling, again, but you started it! :)