PACIFIC YEARLY MEETING ANNUAL SESSION
What is the best time to heal? Some start after they’ve been hurt, others when they are confronted with loss and some heal to close wounds. Some of us heal by reading books, others by crying out all the trapped emotions. There are a few who like to sit by themselves and many who need a community. No matter the method, the end result is still the same. JYM is filled with healers of self and community. We are scared of the unknown, we are confused by some things in life, but we are all so happy for being alive. These common fears and joys separate and relate us. In AVP we as a community and as individuals confronted frustrating situations in life through games and meaningful discussion. It gave us a chance to open up.
By opening up we had an opportunity to be vulnerable; by being vulnerable we had bonded. We bonded because we were accepted for who we are. We opened up about things that made us feel invalid, family issues, disagreements that are hard to solve, and much, much more By acting out different situations answering questions not easy to answer without thought, and pushing ourselves into using better judgement when we are confronted with conflict in life.
In life we will get leadings as we learned from Diego Navarro. A leading is a nudge you get that makes you want to take control. It can be as simple as your classmates being insensitive of others, or as significant as finding your place in this crazy world. However it appears, follow it. Confront it because it’s only job is to benefit you. Some fear confrontation. Others enjoy being able to face the feelings, insecurities, and people that may be troubling them. But the product is much more worthwhile than avoiding it. Worship sharing acknowledges that people can be ineffectively insecure, clearly confident or somewhere in between. We all fall into this, because we all have flaws. It’s hard to tackle your identity, sexuality, or past in ways that uphold your integrity. Respectful relations educated JYM about sexuality, gender, consent, and relationships. Like some food choices, relationships can be both healthy and unhealthy. Safe and dangerous or great and solid. It all depends on who you choose. It also depends on you and deciding when to speak up for yourself, find support or just leave.
We all need time for ourselves to better ourselves before we try to better others. Support groups were our chance to better while bonding with others. By participating in groups we learn ways we can service others and ourselves. We had a few hours at turtle pond and the garden being of service to walker creek ranch by tending to the garden and the invasive plants in the pond. It was fun and inclusive showing us how the community services us and not just us servicing us.
Epistle Committee: Yasmeen Mercer, Nina Shaw, and David Shaw
July 18, 2015