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1 Maureen Anderson and Henry Thompson met with Laura Dunkel at Henry's
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2 house on the evening of 12 June, 2013, following Laura's application
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3 for membership in Southeast Scotland Area Meeting
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4
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5 Laura was moved to think about herself and how she was living by some
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6 events in her life a few years ago. Something she read helped her see
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7 that she was looking for a way to allow a Higher Power into her life.
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8 A period of intensive reading and seeking followed, during which she
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9 came more and more to look for reality as what was within her, rather
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10 than outside her, and that listening inwards for the promptings of a
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11 Higher Power could help her understand how she ought to live her life.
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12
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13 Laura felt a strong sense of recognition when she read about the
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14 testimonies, and the Quaker way of worship. Although attending Quaker
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15 meeting was one of several attempts she made at this time to
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16 participate in organised worship, she wasn't comfortable with any of
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17 them.
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18
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19 Harvey Gilman's book helped her towards beginning worship in her home,
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20 and with some encouragment from a new partner, she started attending
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21 Polmont, which _did_ feel right: there was an immediate sense of
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22 recognition, of coming to a place she already somehow knew. She has
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23 always been comfortable and at home there, over time coming to know
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24 the members of the Meeting well.
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25
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26 Having been called to attend GM in Glasgow, nearly not managing it
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27 because of the need to register as a non-Member, but being very warmly
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28 helped over the difficulties, crystallised Laura's desire to join the
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75
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29 Society: "I want feel part of this family".
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30
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31 After a few conversations and some further reflection, and attendance
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32 at several Area Meetings, she decided the time was right to apply.
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33
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34 Laura has found the group involvement in the decision process at
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35 Meeting for Worship for Business very positive, and misses that, and
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36 the silence, in meetings in her daily life. Instead of speaking for
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37 speaking's sake, just to fill the silence, the sense of _waiting_,
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38 waiting for the right words, which we have in a Meeting for Worship,
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39 is so much more satisfactory.
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40
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41 Recognising that the Spirit is behind a contribution to worship, both
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42 for others and herself, has been an important insight.
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43
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44 Laura wasn't brought up in a church, but not anti-church either.
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45 She's talked a bit with her mother about her spiritual journey, and with her brother and his partner and her family
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46 more widely about what she is finding with friends. She has been talking more about Quakers with friends
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47 and family lately, and finding some surprisingly receptive responses.
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48 People are interested in how she can be quiet for so long, and she
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49 tries to explain that it's not awkward or uncomfortable.
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50
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51 Her partner has been very supportive about her Quaker commitment, and
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52 ways in which her involvement with Quakers is leading her to want to
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53 make changes in how she lives her life.
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54
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55 Laura took part in a Becoming Friends group not long after she started
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56 at Polmont. The diversity of experience and attitude she found there
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57 was both challenging and encouraging: all different, but all the same
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58 as well. More recently she led a session of the Polmont discussion
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59 group on Equity and Social Justice. Polmont's regular discussion
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60 sessions have also deepened her connection with the other members of
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61 the meeting, growing out of the experiences that others have offered.
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62
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63 The experience of regular prayer, as well AS praying in times of challenge in her life, both for
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64 herself and for others around her, and the sense of support this
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65 brings, is an important affirmation of the reality of the spiritual
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66 background to her life.
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67
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68 Being in a job were tackling inequality was part of the remit really
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69 connected with our testimonies for Laura, and hearing people's stories
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70 in that work likewise made that connection.
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71
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72 Similarly the influence of the peace testimony has turned up
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73 repeatedly in her work context.
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74
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75 Respecting that of God in everyone, and in particular making the
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76 connection between that and "thinking that you may be mistaken", is
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77 another important part of how Laura is growing into Quakerism.
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78
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79 Actively working to avoid deception, going beyond just avoiding
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80 falsehood, is part of the same process.
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81
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82 Laura is impressed by the way Polmont meeting chooses to support a
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83 wide range of charities, and how that challenges her to look beyond
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84 the list of her regular contributions, particularly to smaller/less
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85 aggressively advertised groups.
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86
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87 Laura likes it that Quakerism is a faith about questions -- being on a
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88 journey is now about learning more about being a Quaker for Laura, and
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89 that's a long-term commitment.
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90
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91 We are all more than satisfied that Laura has indeed found her
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92 spiritual family, and that ratifying this with Membership is the right
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93 thing for her and for us.
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