To all Friends around the world:
We, young Friends of Europe & Middle East Young Friends, travelled to Svartbäcken, Sweden, for Spring Gathering, but by the middle of it it turned into Winter Gathering because of the contrast in the weather.
Nevertheless, we felt ourselves comfortably & warmly welcomed thanks to the work of the Svartbacken Friends & the organising committee. We felt that the meeting house was a very spiritual place & that was reflected by the peace of the surrounding lake & wood. We all looked forward to a wonderful week to explore the theme of the Gathering: "Letting our lives speak".
The cultural diversity of the group allowed everyone to bring different things to the group, so we all learned from each other & from ourselves.
The actions of every person were like flames that joined together into a big place of joy & friendship.
We enjoyed many varied spiritual activities (for example, guided meditation, Experiment With Light,, circle dancing as a prayer), & listened to talks about individual spritual journeys; these made us reflect deeply & emotionally on our own lives.
We were challenged to take off masks (show our real personalities). This is a difficult proposition - for some of us. Some have managed to take off their masks. It has brought peace & enlightenment to them. For others, a process has begun that can be taken away & continued in everyday life.
During this week we took part in many different activities to let our lives speak throughout everything we do & will continue to do.
In addition to that, we have been introduced to some Swedish Friends & their practical involvements in the world. The speakers in the sessions gave us extremely valuable insights to enrich our lives. They helped us to understand that before we can let our lives speak we have to work out what they say - this is a difficult process. We have started to work on our lives & although we have not completed the picture we have drawn on all the experiences of this week to help us to step forward & let our lives speak as we wish them to.
Marie-Helene Drouin, Jennifer Brett, Nikolai Fomin; 14 iv 2001
(Epistle Group, EMEYF Spring Gathering 2001, Svartbacken, Sweden)