Dispatches from the Quaker World Plenary

What's behind me - an early farewell to our family summer holidays: my son's beautiful smiles, kisses, and hugs. My brother and his family's warm blanket of deep love and care which energised my tired batteries.

What's with me - the words of the Kabarak call are like a low hum in my mind. On my airport journey to the plenary, I started watching the speaker videos (thank you, Mama Nozi, for the e-mail nudge). The videos are so uplifting: grounded in our Quaker testimonies, richly reflective of the tapestry of Quaker voices around the world. Revealing our many faces, cultures and voices, slowly revealing the thread that ties us all: our humanity, our love for the land and the peoples of the earth and one another. The videos made my heart smile and uplifted my spirit: they reminded me why I am a Quaker, and how much I find joy in members of my community who make it easier to be my best self.

What's ahead of me - the videos feel like pebbles dropped in still pools, slowly displacing water in widening ripples. I feel our many spirits on a collective journey towards the plenary: some of us on our figurative canoes quietly rowing ourselves to the destination. Others transporting their hearts and minds to the same location even though their bodies are located elsewhere. I look outside the window at a beautiful coming dusk, basking in the light. I am hopeful, I am energised and open to all possibilities.