Giving Thanks

Wishing all my American friends a

blessed Thanksgiving.

♥ 

Love&Gratitude,




"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
- John F. Kennedy

"Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse."
- Henry Van Dyke

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
- Melody Beattie

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "Thank You", that would suffice."
- Meister Eckhart
 ♥ 

Svartbäcken, part V

Photo sharing time. These are my photos, taken by me with my crappy ol' mobile phone camera. :) If you, for any reason, would want to use my photos, feel free to do so but be kind and link back. ♥

The Meeting room, a newish add on the original buildning.

Lost of windows all around, where you can see the lake in the distance and the woods nearby.

The Meeting room and dining room + f/Friends. :) Folding doors seperate the two rooms if/when needed.

Svartbäcksgården.

Meeting room, diningroom & kitchen to the left. Sleeping quarters to the right. There's also a library/reading room at the back of the buildning.

Back yard. Window to 'my' room furthest one to the left. Doors on the right lead into the library. :)

'My' room. :) Like most (all?) rooms it contains a single bed and a bunk bed. Small wardrobe, desk and chair.

I don't have anything else to say, right now. I'm tired. I'm trying to hold on to the Peace of just last weekend...! Has it not been longer...?

Chaos is... but so it Light and Love and Kindness... ♥

Shattered-pooped,

Svartbäcken, part IV

Saturday continued:
After having our dinner, in silence, we gathered again at 7 to discuss the Quaker way of making decisions (i.e. Meeting for Business (I think!)) and the discussion was very interesting. Lots of questions answered... more questions beginning to grow forth and a huge interest in wanting to learn more...! :)

It was probably around 9ish when we wrapped things up again for the evening, but with thoughts racing in my head it took a while to settle and I guess I was asleep about 11ish.

Sunday:
Breakfast 8 - 9, in silence. :) Afterwards we had some time to get our things packed and room organised.

9.30ish we again gathered for Worship Sharing to round up our experience of the last few days.
What had we come to realise/gained from the Days for Learning?
What, if anything, would/could we leave behind?

My thoughts were (and still are) that I feel that I'm on the Right Path (for me!), whatever that Path might end up being... Quaker or not! :) And, I feel that I'm more...secure, in me, I will (hopefully) trust myself more from now on. I feel I've left (some of all my) Doubt behind and that I've gained Trust...

This is were we 'should' have finished for the weekend, well, after Meeting and lunch that is... :) but we were honoured with the visit of 3 more very experienced Friends so before Meeting we got to quiz them too with whatever questions we might still have unanswered...or...wanted yet another 3 points of view on! ;) :)

Meeting was...good. Words more abundant than perhaps 'usual' but it was still goosebump worthy ministry.

Then, lunch with lots of talking and a feeling of not wanting it all to end...! Yet, I started missing my little folk and it was Time to go, to head home. :) We, same group we were when we came, got into the car and headed south again just after 2 and I was Home at 8...! The journey home always feels longer doesn't it? It was not as chatty as on Friday, yet it was far from silent...more snoring ;) going on maybe but it was a gooood journey home. :)

My head, and yours too probably (!) *blushing*, is sort of spinning from trying to write it all down, reliving and remembering the awsomeness that this weekend was...! :D I feel like I might have missed essential stuff, I had a lovely walk with L.B. and really rewarding chat with J.R. and...probably lots more...!! :)

I'm going to let things chill a little, perhaps air some thoughts with my soul sister... and then I'll be back with some more reflections and photos of this beautiful, somewhat distant, place - now so very close to my heart.

Love&Light,

Experiment with Light, Svartbäcken, part III

Wow, what an amazing, powerful, awesome experience. I was thrilled when we were told that we'd get to do this modern yet perhaps old (?) Quaker experiment. :) 'A guided Light meditation' I think is what J.R. called it... That's what I'd call it too.

Now, I can't remember all the 'steps' so please have that in mind when you read what I've written...

We were in the Silence, told to wait In the Light rather than For the Light... and as soon as those words were spoken something shifted in me. I sensed the Light in a way I haven't before. I struggled to hang on to it when she told us to bring what we stuggle with into the Light but it stayed there, shimmering, growing brighter...

I was In the Light..

'Surrender it to the Light, Trust the Light.' Wow...! Oh. My. Goodness.

I'm hesitate to write what I'm about to... but I know now (perhaps I've always know?) that I have the Answers, the truth...My Truth, in me...In the Light. (!?!) Wow...

An experience, and a knowledge, which left my face wet with tears.

After that session we had some time to ourselves, followed with Worship Sharing and then dinner in well-needed silence. :)

In the Light,

Svartbäcken, part II

Kids got picked up by my little sister on Thursday afternoon, so my 'retreat' began when I came home Thursay night. Packing, sorting, tidying. Smiling... so excited!

Friday:
Woke way too early to make sure I had packed what I needed...I'd stopped packing the previous night as I realised I might have stuff to last me at least a week! :) Cleared it down to the bare minimum (and I could have managed with even less! ;)).

In the midst of packing sorting out cats and house for me going away I decided to colour my hair?! :D :D :D Well, it needed doing but perhaps not right then and there...! :)

At 10:45 I met up with L.B, A and J (who was a surprise appearance, a happy one!) and we got ourselves and our stuff into L.B.'s car and on we went. We talked a lot on the way up, sharing, asking questions, getting new perspective on things - a good journey!

We stopped for lunch at Brahehus and then stopped at Draknyckeln in Järna for a cup of tea before the last long stretch through the horrific afternoon traffic in Stockholm. At about 6ish we finally arrived at the Swedish Quaker retreatcenter, Svartbäcken.

(image: from kvakare.se)

We were warmly greeted by J.R. and her lovely green pea soup and sandwiches. :)

Afterwards we sat in the Meeting room talking about what we wanted to learn and know more about during Saturday. We had LOTS of questions! :D I was very excited to find out we'd get to meet more Friends, some of whom I've been in touch with via e-mail. :) We wrapped things up about 9ish and I had a good talk with J.R. afterwards in the kitchen and I also got to have a nice chat with Alice (Swedens newest Friend, who arrived at Svartbäcken just before 10 and was our cook for the weekend).
Some time after 10 I went to bed with William Penn (Emilia Fogelklou's book on him). ;)

Saturday:
I had offered to help out with prepping breakfast so I was in the kitchen quite early. We'd been informed that to get a bit of a 'retreat-feeling' we'd have some meals (for example breakfast) in silence. It was... lovely to have that stillness at the beginning of the day... No chattering, just soft music in the background and peace. To have time for a beautiful and a breakfast that lacked nothing was... fantastic.

Just after 9 we gathered in the Meeting room, which is just next to the 'dinning room' (I will post pictures later) and we got right down to business! :D J.R. started with the 'easy' stuff, stuff that has an actual and one answer. For example, how the Religious Society of Friends is organised in Sweden and the world. LOTS of acronyms! :) ;) :)
FWCC: SoA, AS, AWP & EMES and QCEA.
...and lets not to forget FCNL, AFSC and QUNO...! ;)
*lol* I'm sure I've forgotten a few of the acronyms and the Committees and Executive Secretaries and General Secretaries mentioned but I feel that I got a good grasp of how the organisation works, which was one of the main things I was interested in finding out more about.

Before lunch another Friend had arrived, making the total 4 so J.R. took advantage of the situation and did a 'interview a Friend'-game. :D We were divided into pairs and we had 10 minutes/Friend to whatever question we were eager to find an (or four!) answers too and the result was cool! :) :) :) There are very few set answers in Quakerism. :)

After lunch there was more talking, learning, sharing. In the midst of all of this there was short, silent, breaks and I love the Worship Sharing we did as well as a way of letting things settle...and to hear what and how things had settled with others. :)

After our afternoon fika-break we got to experience Experiment with Light, which was...beyond words, yet, I'll try and explain my experience of it in my next post. :)

Love&Light,

Svartbäcken, part I

Home again from Days for Learning, or Meeting for Learning, as I think it is called in (Quaker) English. ;) Our little gang (4 peeps) arrived late afternoon on Friday and we headed back home again after lunch on Sunday. An amazing few days, packed with Light, Learning and Friendliness. ;) :D In (as far as what I've gathered to be...) a 'typcial' Quaker manner we were from all over, with roots reaching even futher away, of different ages and experiences... Awesome. :) We were 11 participants all in all, one was Finnish Friend. The Meetings were lead by J.R., a Friend with experience going back through the ages...! ;) :D :) We were also visited by a handful of Friends throughout the days, which was good to get different points of views on our questions. :)

I've got a lot to share and I will in the next few posts. :)

To begin with you can see our approximate travel route below. We had company who came from Gothenburg, i.e. further away than starting point, and we made a few stops along the way up to the retreat (which is slightly off the end destination on the map). :)

Stay tuned for more, photos and my experience of Experiment with Light...! :)

Love&Light,

Being back2front?

I should so be in bed right now but I had another 'revelation' tonight that I just had to write it down however tired and muddled it might sound... Tomorrow I might not remember my thoughts...

Things that are 'easy' I make difficult for myself by feeling not good enough, guilty and by being too hard on myself.. The hard stuff on the other hand I shrugg my shoulders at, I 'make' them easier than they actually are, I cope, I manage... no guilt, no putting myself down or doubting my capabilities.

Is that, or isn't it, the right way round...? Should the easy really be hard and the hard, easy...? Is that the recipe for 'success'? ...or for disaster...?

I'm not yet sure what I think about it all more than that I had the thought... hmm..

Love&Light,

Stop questioning

Hay Quaker does it again. The right quote at the right time...

Love&Light,

"I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain; and never shut myself up in a numb core of nonfeeling, or stop questioning and criticizing life and take the easy way out. To learn and think: to think and live; to live and learn: this always, with new insight, new understanding, and new love."

- Sylvia Plath