“What we must do…with God’s help, is to accept sorrow as a friend, if possible. If not, as a companion with whom we will live for an indeterminate period, for whom we have to make room as one makes room for a guest in one’s house, a companion of whom we shall always be aware, from whom we can learn and whose strength will become our strength. Together we can create beauty from the ashes and find ourselves in the process.”
“In the true marriage relationship the independence of the husband and wife is equal, their dependence mutual, and their obligations reciprocal.”
“Singleness is a state in which many of us find ourselves… Some of us choose, for various reasons to remain single – an absorbing career perhaps or the care of others which we feel demands all we have to give and in which we find fulfilment. We all need to love and be loved and for some of us this need is met, and can be met, in all sorts of nourishing ways. We need to look for these ways and then recognise them with joy when they come to us.”
“Friends do not take readily to being cared for. ‘Caring matters most’ has been quoted to us when seeking direction during our active years. But many of us will find that we ourselves are in need of full care in our old age. This will not be easy. It calls for ‘a different kind of living,’ as one Friend commented when answering questions about experience in a home for the elderly. Uprooted from familiar well-loved things, of house and neighbours, released from stabilising responsibilities (however small), there will be adjustments to be made.”
“I honor you / You honor me / Let this rhythm continue on / Eternally”
“When I became a therapist I thought it was the ethical thing to do to keep my religion off the couch. And in the beginning, that’s what I believed I was doing. But as I reflect, I see that my Quakerism has been a central part of my work from the very beginning, even though I rarely mention it out loud.”
“Our sexuality is ultimately tied to who we are as spiritual persons. The spiritual life enhances our sexuality and gives it direction. Our sexuality gives an earthy wholeness to our spirituality. Our spirituality and our sexuality come into a working harmony in the life of the kingdom of God.”
November 2024: What does it mean to be informed by Spirit in our roles as family members, friends, and partners? You are invited to examine caregiving and being cared for, sexual ethics, the responsibility and privilege of closeness, and what we owe ourselves and others. Having close relationships is a gift, even when it is difficult; struggle can teach us about ourselves and bring us closer to each other and the divine.
“We are born into families in order to be able to transcend them and become members of a spiritual family in Christ. Our new spiritual families, our families of choice, do not necessarily exclude our relatives, but, on the other hand, do not automatically include them either. It is important to clarify that this is an internal struggle that an individual faces and is not something to be imposed by some outside authority as has happened in some churches. Also this is not a matter of taking stock of what theological or political tenets or lifestyles our family members hold and then deciding to exclude those who do not believe or live the way we do. We are really talking about what happens to family members who are in abusive relationships…”
“I asked a friend if they’d be willing to try a spiritual friendship practice with me. We met roughly once a month to talk about what was going on in our spiritual lives and to listen to each other. This brought home to me how powerful it is to be really listened to. Here was a space where I could talk about spirituality without fear of ridicule.”
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