Meeting was so much easier...

at Stony Run Friends. Am in New York for Davis’s graduation from Brooklyn Friends. The first time I have been in a meeting house since Upper School at Baltimore Friends Lifer that I was there, meeting was something that I had come to look forward to, 30 minutes of quiet every fortnight. A time to actually take into account what had occurred and anticipate what was to come.

Remember walking up the steps to what looked like a pretty non descript suburban type of building on Charles Street near the edge of campus completely engulfed by the Catholic Cathedral next door and from 9 to 9:30 simply sitting, supposedly waiting for the inner spirit to speak but my inner spirit wanted silence.

At this time of year the trees would be in full bloom the windows open so during the silence maybe a bird would be heard. Charles Street far enough away that cars were only a murmur.

We’d then file out down the hill back to classes.

The Brooklyn meeting house looked more like the meeting house further down Charles Street - federal style, up the stairs the room was bright airy and austere – benches and white walls. More facing benches, bigger room but and brighter than the Stony Run meeting house but familiar enough to sit, be quiet and let the world assume the proportions that it really warrants.

Except that being not far from Flatbush, with car horns, police sirens and people shouting, I could see that while this place is even more needed than in big lawned Homeland, it would be harder to actually have the spirit move you except to yell shut up.