“Friends, these…we do not lay upon you as a rule or form…but that with the measure of light…may be guided: and so in the light walking and abiding…”
From Meeting of Balby, England, 1656
Personal Living
ultimate/inherent reality--so that all our thoughts
and actions flow from the Center?*
2. Do we advance in our receding, hope despite our loss of many long-held dreams and aspirations?
3. Do we live above, beyond our ill health, trials and tribulations (deeper than our fading physical selves), remembering to live in the true, the good, the beautiful, even when we fade and all that is wrong stridently shouts?
4. Do we focus on the positive, negate the negative, sparking as small lights in this darkness?
5. Do we work creatively, using our talents to encourage others, bringing our best to each moment, here and now?
6. Do we remember that the preparation of war begins in each heart and one's negative voice, not only with physical weapons?
7. In the midst of the denial of the inherent value of all humans by so many secular and religious leaders at present, do we speak up and emphasize that every single human has inherent worth?
8. Do we speak to and answer that of the Light in all individuals? In all of our relations with others, do we treat them as equals?*
9. Do we let heartache, disappointment, and discouragement constrict our daily life because 2 more Friends Yearly Meetings have split down?
10. Do we take time each day to quiet the rat-race in our busy minds, and be open to the Transcendent?
11. Are we avidly writing and speaking for human rights, equality, and justice in the midst of the crowding instances of wrong, harm, and slaughter?
12.Do we not lose communion though we are no longer part of a local meeting? Where might we find community since we so miss the open meditation, sharing and caring?
13.In older age, how can we still make a difference in others' lives and the world at large, given our own loss of energy, and weakened abilities?
"For age is opportunity no less than youth itself...as evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars, invisible by day."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
*Adapted from Faith and Practice, Pacific Yearly Meeting, 1973, 2001
In the LIGHT,
Daniel Wilcox
No comments:
Post a Comment