To me, the start, that first step, is to recognize that there is that of God in each of us. I

                 believe that we all have the light within us and that we’re all

                 connected by that divine energy.

We refer to it as “aether” but it doesn’t matter what you call it:  chi, light, the one…it’s

                 the golden thread that binds us.

I surround myself with people that help me to see that by being part of the Quaker

                 community, but that isn’t the only way or the only method of

                 connection.  All spiritual paths are the right path.   Some people

                 connect with the divine through religious practice, some through

                 music, some through silence.

I didn’t grow up going to Quaker meeting. I lived on the border of Mexico in

                 Brownsville, Texas.  Most of the population there is Catholic, and

                 many of the celebrations, the weddings, the baptisms, started off

                 with a Catholic service.   Sometimes I went to my best friend’s

                 Mormon temple.  My family went for a while to a Baptist church,

                 then spent more time as part of the First Presbyterian

                 congregation.  My mom taught me all the while that as we

                 attended, we listened.  We absorbed.  And then we discerned.  I

                 learned that you must decide for yourself how best you can

                 connect with your light.   I married a Muslim man; an Alevi, a man

                 that was considered “too Muslim” in America and “not Muslim

                 enough” in Turkey.   But there was a time when we didn’t know

                 whether we could form a family.  We dated for six years before we

                 decided to get married and one of our biggest concerns that kept us

                 from marrying was wondering how we would raise our children.

                 We decided in the end that the children would choose their own

                 spiritual path and as I’ve matured, I have come to the conclusion

                 that everyone ultimately chooses their own spiritual path whether

                 they are raised in a family with a single religious focus or whether

                 they are raised in a family with different religious backgrounds or

                 beliefs.

Love & Light, 

Beth