Winter is upon us with her palette of pale earth tones and textures of bare branches, red berry studded bushes, and stubbly, sallow fields. Friends near and far gathered last month to be with family and each other, to share meals, stories, and games, and to welcome at the longest night of the year the turning of the season to one bringing back a lengthening of the daylight hours. At the same time, we remain acutely aware that many across the globe did not have the luxury of such celebrations--caught as they are in the crossfire between warring factions. We continue to hold them in the Light and participate in local peace rallies.

Our co-clerk and main acting clerk Amanda was relieved of clerking duties in December as she does a chaplaincy residency at a local hospital's trauma ward. We are holding her and all her patients in the Light as she embarks on this calling. In her absence, David clerked our meeting for worship with attention to business while Young Friends continued practicing sewing machine skills, turning out a collection of scrunchies to be given as holiday gifts.

Although our beloved family of five who live in the shadow of Mt. Nebo could not be with us on the 17th, around fourteen humans and one dog were present in the meetinghouse or online for the intergenerational holiday program, worship, and potluck. We were so pleased to have Friends Elsa and David show up; Elsa was wearing the sweater we have been watching her knit via Zoom. Pup Roxy was quiet as all good Quaker dogs are. During First Hour, a Young Friend taught us to make beautiful 3-D paper snowflakes and our Young Friends program director led us in a fun Christmas game.

For many months, at a rate of about one Sunday per month, we as a Meeting have been learning how to employ the model of Compassionate Communication to more skillfully navigate interpersonal relationships, especially situations that might be challenging. We are learning to first check in with ourselves and relate to ourselves from a place of compassion and non-judgment. We are learning to express ourselves honestly and vulnerably. We are learning to hold space for the other while offering the gift of empathy. Using this approach, we can seek a solution that meets the needs of all involved. This past month, Spirit gave us rich opportunities to attempt to apply what we have been learning.

On the fifth, fourteen Friends gathered either online or in person for Amanda's presentation on Thomas Kelly's classic text A Testament of Devotion. We started the section entitled, "Holy Obedience." During the announcements afterward, a Friend raised the possibility of posting the weekly "End the Genocide - Save the Children" event on the Meeting's website and social media. We found unity behind the idea of learning more about this organization and about the Israel-Hamas war in general. The co-clerk made time for this topic to be more deeply explored the following Sunday and shared links to articles from a spectrum of sources in the days leading up to the first-hour discussion.

When the 12th of November rolled around, a constructive First Hour discussion unfolded.  The topic was handled sensitively and compassionately, with a balance of speaking and deep listening.  After worship, potluck was held, where compassionate listening and reflection continued.

Third Sunday was, as usual, Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. Amanda provided updates on all the contractors, plumbers, roofers, and window repair people who had indicated their work would begin in November! With the floor of the library covered in boxes of donations for which there was no room on the shelves, an ad hoc committee was formed to take up the task of weeding, cleaning, and reorganizing a pared-down collection of Quaker-related books. General interest books will find new homes. The Winter Quarterly planning committee was pleased to announce that many have responded with enthusiasm to the early RSVP request.

On the 26th, three Friends put on two short skits to dramatize a few of the things even well-meaning people sometimes say to members of the LGBTQIA+ community that can be hurtful. David played the part of the Compassionate Communication coach who was available in the wings whenever the character played by Kelly needed help remembering things such as: the the importance of checking in with oneself so as to first attune to our own emotions before speaking; to get curious about what the other person's experience is and how to ask about that; to ask the other person to affirm what we think we heard them say rather than barreling through on assumptions. With the help of the coach, Kelly's character was able to do repair work with trans character Levi in skit number one (the scene is a women's bathroom at a quarterly meeting) and again with non-binary character River in skit number two, which took place at the sign-in table at a hypothetical quarterly retreat. A few of the micro-aggressions covered in the skits were: making another person's sexual orientation or gender identity the subject of conversation, questioning someone on their choice of bathroom, and assuming that "passing" as a cisgender person is the goal of a transgender person. At the end of skit two, all name tags got pronouns added to them! But perhaps one of the most fruitful things to come out of this first-hour activity was the moment during rehearsals when the three Friends involved got a chance to use Compassionate Communication tools to identify and address a moment of distress for one player. This Compassionate Communication business is good stuff!

During second hour, while most were worshipping, Young Friends were continuing learning to use a sewing machine. The project of that day was scrunchies.

 At hour historic meetinghouse at Markham and Valmar in Little Rock, the big oak has started dropping its little acorns on the ground. Where there were once roses, now there are fat coral-colored rose hips. Might they make a fine tisane?

There were twelve of us gathered online and in person for the launch of our journey in becoming better LGBTQIA+ allies and ensuring we are a welcoming congregation and that ours is as safe a space as we know how to make it. We learned some terminology, learned that we have a Friend among us always willing to answer questions, and shared links to more resources as we prepare to hold our winter quarterly meeting at Subiaco Abbey's Coury Guest House in January. Also, we announced that our application to march in the Central Arkansas Pride Parade on October 21st has been approved. Extra exciting was having a visitor from Batesville!

We rounded out the month on the fifth Sunday with another much appreciated installment of Compassionate Communication.

​Rose hip tea, anyone?

Two from Little Rock Friends Meeting joined about ten others from around Oklahoma at Lake Wister State Park for our fall quarterly meeting. Most stayed on site in the A-frame cabins with bunk beds, but Kelly had great things to say about the benefits of renting one of the park's cabins up by the dam, namely the dark sky that allowed for excellent stargazing Saturday night and before dawn on Sunday.

Highlights of the weekend included: meeting newcomer Sonja and eleven-year-old Batman, the Rat Terrier of Noel and Jack from Norman; a bonfire that inspired a Great Horned Owl to call; collaboration on a very challenging jigsaw puzzle that was completed just under the wire; gifts of bracelets lovingly handmade and blessed by Kathleen's sister; a wild persimmon tree heavy with fruit (whose seeds may or may not hold the secrets of the upcoming winter); Green Country's pancakes with real maple syrup; homemade bread; an apple crisp that required an extra drive into town but which will be remembered for years to come; worship sharing in the morning sun as Red-shouldered Hawk, Osprey, and an imposing kettle of Black Vultures whirled overhead; and, ancient chants that moved more than one person to tears. Our beloved late friend Sue was deeply missed.

As the air cools and we dig sweaters and hoodies out of storage, the month of September is one that always finds Little Rock Friends Meeting with many reasons to get out and get active. Starting as early as June each year, the John and the Peace and Justice committee stay busy reminding us all of the great array of peace-oriented events happening just as summer turns to fall. Ninth month this year was no different. We also began to remind one another of the upcoming Arkansas-Oklahoma Quarterly Meeting so that arrangements might be made for carpooling and the coordination of shopping for our meeting's meal rotation duty.

​On the third, Amanda launched our exploration of Quaker missionary Thomas Kelly's classic text, "A Testament of Devotion," and started us off with a focus on the section entitled "The Light Within." She shared an Internet Archive link to a copy made available for free download to all who wish to join in on this journey into the work of this American Quaker educator and mystic. Between Zoom and the meetinghouse, there were nine of us present that Sunday, and the spirit-led discussion centered on our joy on experiencing and being in relationship with the Inner Light.

On second Sunday, John Coffin led a discussion of South Central Yearly Meeting's draft Faith and Practice document, eagerly gathering our reactions and suggestions, while SCYM continues the monumental task of crafting a Faith and Practice document that provides guidance on how we Quakers in SCYM practice our faith. Any wishing to see how this process is coming along can view a copy of the current draft on the SCYM webpage. This was also the day that Young Friends made proofs of their linocut designs first on scrap paper, then on very old tee shirts, and finally on good tee shirts. We are happy to be learning as we go. Announcements after worship included plenty of opportunities for us to get involved in restoring defaced sections of our city's seventh street murals, attend interfaith events, and help hang up our colorful Arkansas Peace Week banners on our historic rock and wrought iron wall. It was also potluck Sunday!

Third Sunday is now our regular day to hold meeting for worship with attention to business and is no longer our potluck day, but food was once again part of our fellowship at the Rise of Meeting when the Chamberlins so graciously provided sandwich trays in support of the Meetinghouse repair project, which in turn took place thanks to Liz and husband Dave, our traveling Friends from Oklahoma.

The parking lot was full on the 24th as eleven gathered in the worship space for Compassionate Communication, marking the end of Peace Week with an open house that drew two visitors! Three met in the Young Friends space for a continuation of sewing lessons.

As summer draws to an end and local farmers' market tables brim with late summer bounty, so too it seems we as a meeting are coming into a period of harvest. A lot of time, devotion, and energy has been poured into our little meeting of late, and we are seeing some of the fruits of that labor of love.

At our first August meeting, we concluded a months' long journey into Jim Pym's book Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives. The last section we read included Quaker Testimonies, Simplicity, and an Adventurous Life. The appendix includes the Advices and Queries.

All arriving at the meeting house on the morning of the 13th were greeted by the long-awaited sight of the SCYM traveling quilt hanging in the southwest corner of the worship room. In addition to artfully representing all the meetings that make up South Central Yearly Meeting and beautifying the space, Zoom attenders reported a noticeable improvement in sound quality that day!

Having already reached unity behind our 2023-2024 budget the previous month, Second Sunday found us continuing the final piece of our budget discussion by reflecting upon the organizations that Little Rock Friends Meeting supports. A list of those can be found on our website under ABOUT US - "Our Meeting Supports". The Alban Institute at Duke Divinity School asks the question of congregations "How do we take [our] assets and use them to establish justice, and for the right reasons?" This question helped frame our discussion. We ended the day with a potluck.

Third Sunday was, as is now the custom, our meeting for worship with attention to business, and the last Sunday of August was an energized and very well attended open discussion. In fact, the presence of sixteen people caused some to muse whether we ought not weave open discussion time into the first-hour slate more often. Among those present were two Friends in the process of moving to Little Rock--one from southeast Arkansas and one from Texas. A few newer attenders are also contributing to the recent swell in attendance, something in which we all unequivocally rejoice and welcome.

While the animated open discussion was taking place in the front of the house, three were gathered in the Young Friends space to learn to use our donated sewing machine. We are exploring ways in which learning to sew connects to many of our Quaker testimonies, so often represented by the letters of the word SPICES. Which of these six values--simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, stewardship / sustainability--do you think is/are related to learning to sew? (Yes, this blog has a comments feature!)

Friend Liz Lesher gave a report on the memorial meeting that was held for Sue Garzon in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on the fifth. Liz' grandchildren, who had loved Sue, took great care in making cookies for the memorial meeting. Jan Michael, Sue's widower, was moved by how well-attended the gathering was and was especially touched by the fact that his siblings had driven a great distance to be with him at this time.

Little Rock Friends Meeting ended the month in a spirit of gratitude for our beloved community and for the fact that more seem to be finding us. We look forward to Arkansas Peace Week commemorations and gatherings, including many opportunities to break bread with those of other religious backgrounds at a number of interfaith meals planned in September.

Depending on where in the world you find yourself sitting in silence among Friends, you may encounter those who still follow the early Quaker habit of abandoning the use of Gregorian month names in favor of the more simple first month, second month, third month. Whether we call it seventh month or July, it was a hot one, and those gathered in the meetinghouse this month voiced appreciation for a permanent meeting place that has central air conditioning and other comforts not all meetings enjoy.

Over the past few weeks, as cicadas droned and fireflies jeweled Arkansas evenings, our meeting has explored the history of Little Rock Friends, engaged in Compassionate Communication role plays, collaborated across generations to create a booklet, sat down to eat together, and has (mostly) approved a budget for the new 2023-2024 fiscal year. We also received an in-depth report with photos from Friend Liz Lesher after she attended, with our sponsorship, the annual awards dinner of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Also in July, some of us began to make plans to travel to Oklahoma for the memorial service of Susan Garzon--a longstanding and very active member of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Quarterly Meeting.

Regarding her attendance at the OK-CADP 2023 annual dinner with reporting and keynote speaker, Friend Liz let us know that over 160 people attended the June event, filling an Oklahoma City church hall. The keynote speaker was Adam Luck, retired chairman of the Oklahoma City Pardons and Parole Board. Friend Liz was delighted to be asked to represent Friends this year, physically taking the place of our late friend Rex D. Friend, who appeared in a recently taken photo that was enlarged and placed on each table as a tribute to his years of support.

Other speakers and attenders included Paris Powell, exonerated in 2011, who spent fourteen years on Death Row at the same prison as Richard Glossip for a crime he did not commit. He, his wife, and their three daughters were seated at the table with Liz. She also had an opportunity to talk to law student Lea Rodger, Richard Glossip's wife.

In June, Little Rock Friends celebrated Pride Month, dealt with the breakdown of our decades-old HVAC system just at a time when it was needed most, and mourned the loss of a dear Friend in the AR-OK Quarterly Meeting.

Pride Month in Arkansas is important to us as Quakers, and we welcome all to listen in on Peace and Justice Committee meetings, bringing your ideas and energy as we strive to participate more and more in local peace and justice initiatives like the celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Pride in Arkansas. Meanwhile, the Communications, Outreach, and Web Committee is trying out a few pamphlet ideas so that when we do set up our table at Juneteenth, wear our t-shirts while joining Arkansas Peace Week events, or have a picnic in a park, curious members of the public can walk away with something that invites them to join us while dispelling common myths and misconceptions about the Religious Society of Friends.

Regarding the air conditioner, with a flurry of calls to contractors, impromptu meetings of the (currently clerk-less) House and Grounds Committee, quick reviews of bids, and a lot of time and energy put in by a few, a new unit was installed within a couple of weeks. 

Emergencies such as this one and the frozen / burst pipes this winter have driven home to us the great importance of having a functioning House and Grounds Committee with a clerk. With this in mind, we have recently begun sharing a list of list of current repairs and needed improvements along with an invitation for anyone who feels so led to answer the call to convene regular meetings and clerk them.

For the June 4th meeting, many chose to stay home and join by Zoom. For those who braved the heat, there was a sweating growler of chilled lemon-and-mint-infused water to guzzle. All present heard John and Liz recap their experiences at this year's South Central Yearly Meeting. They both found this year's theme and promise of "Spiritual Refreshment for the Long Haul" to have been fulfilled.

Not knowing if the new HVAC system would yet be up and running by second Sunday, the monthly potluck was cancelled for June. On the 11th we continued our study of Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives by Jim Pym. The third Sunday was Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. By the end of worship hour, fourteen members and attenders were gathered between Zoom and the now pleasantly cool meethinghouse. On the 25th, we used the worship sharing format to explore how often and in what manner we might broaden our Compassionate Communication journey. Many agreed that getting together one Saturday per month in person and on Zoom could work for them. Friends' value of community, seen in fourth position on our Quaker SPICES banner, was embodied in the sharing of summer squash freshly picked by Friend Jim. He even brought extra shopping bags to make it easier for everyone to partake of his garden's bounty.

By the time Little Rock Friends Meeting had gathered for our first meeting for worship in May, Friend Liz had already joined others on the steps of the Oklahoma State Capitol to bring attention to the injustices in death-row inmate Richard Glossip's case and to the wider issue of capital punishment.

With so many Friends away to attend Arkansas-Oklahoma spring quarterly meeting at Lake Fort Smith State Park, the May meeting for worship with attention to business was skipped. Those present took part in an open discussion.

Meanwhile at Lake Fort Smith State Park's Kingfisher Lodge, Sammy led everyone down to the basketball court and for an hour of the millennia-old practice of Qi Gong while the air was still fresh and cool. Attenders also enjoyed time for fellowship, worship, worship sharing, a meeting for worship with attention to business, music, games, puzzles, nature walks, naps, and healthful meals lovingly prepared with sensitivity to those who don't eat meat or gluten. We were especially mindful of the absence of two Friends, a husband and wife, spending that weekend adjusting to hospice care for her.

Monday was a day off for many, and we took advantage of our own grounds and generous late afternoon shade of the grand oak tree with a quickly organized picnic open to all; it came together beautifully.

"Have faith and the way will open." --Quaker proverb

At the beginning of April, Spirit was moving in ways of which we were not yet aware. 

On the second, we continued our study of Jim Pym's book Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives. We  read and discussed the section titled A New Way of Working, which explores Quaker ways of doing the business of the meeting; creatively listening to one another in a worshipful fashion; finding clearness on important decisions; and conducting weddings and funerals. Outside, the purple Bearded Irises were at their peak where they are potted along the front walkway.

On the ninth, the intergenerational t-shirt project resumed in the back of the house while in the front the topic of what Easter meant to early Quakers was explored in worship sharing format. We are beginning to weave little 'Quakerism 101' segments into all we do, and in that spirit some worship sharing guidelines were shared ahead of time.

As we have recently switched up our monthly calendar, potluck was on the second Sunday while Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business fell on the 16th and will be held on the third Sunday for the foreseeable future. There were seven online and five in the meetinghouse, including one visitor, whom we wholeheartedly welcome. Our Friend from Perryville was able to drive in, and the Friend who lives in Crossett joined online, as did our Friend who lives in Edmond, OK. Sweet Mock Orange was in full bloom against the west side of the house, and the the bush that shields one side of the front porch is aflame with red roses.

After worship and time for us all to refuel with lunch, several Friends participated in the ninth annual Pilgrimage for Peace, of which Little Rock Friends Meeting was a sponsor. Our co-clerk Amanda Moore represented us by reading a segment of the names of those who died by violence in Central Arkansas last year. She was one of many peacemakers and activists from a wide array of religious organizations in this community.

On the 23rd, we continued learning about compassionate communication with that Sunday's focus on empathy. On the 30th John gave us a repackaged version of the winter quarterly presentation by Sister Cecelia Brickell, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, and a Benedictine monastic. John reports having been impressed with her story, entitled "Silence and Simplicity in the Benedictine tradition," in part because she reminded him of Quakers he's heard who've spoken or written about a "prolonged seeking of God's will." He was also struck by the manner of her presentation--her kindness and her openness.

Here is one of the excerpts John shared from her remarks that February day:

During the announcements and pastoral concerns period at the end of worship, Liz gave us an update on the Richard Glossip case in Oklahoma, which our meeting is closely following. She also reported that over $800 has been raised for the ongoing care of the animals of our late friend Rex D. Friend; the horses, donkey, and ponies were taken in by a kind couple nearby. We also got news this day that Friend Elise, after a period of sitting in the Light to discern the direction her life will take has felt led to move to Little Rock in order to participate more fully in the life of the meeting. As you can see in the photo, the first to receive this spectacular news could not stop beaming. The phrase 'way opens' came up more than once that brilliant April day.