2012년 2월 24일 UN 을 기념한 행사가 영국 남부 런던지부 주관으로 진행 되었다.

참석자 모두에게 따뜻한 환영과 간단한 소개의 말을 전한 후 잠시 동안 명상 세션의 시간으로 행사는 시작했다.

명상은 큰 전등을 소등한 후, 두 눈을 감고 허리를 곧게 편 다음 명상음악을 듣는 것으로 시작 되었으며  이 시간 참석자들은 바쁜 일상과 스트레스로 부터 떠나올 수 있는 차분한 경험의 시간이었다.

18명의 여성들은 각기 다른 분야의 인생을 살고 있는 사람들로 젊은 학생들, 중년과 퇴사한 교사, 무슬림, 기독교인, 힌두교인,  백인, 흑인, 황인 등 문화 와 종교, 인종 등 다양한 배경을 가진 사람들이 한자리에 모였다

이날 저녁 행사의 주제는 참을성과 인내심이었다. 다양한 여성들이 함꼐한 자리는 많은 코멘트와 제안들을 쏟아내게 했고 모두가 참을성을 인생의 목표를 성취하는데 있어 중요한 태도라고 인정했다. 인내심 또한 어떠한 유혹과 변화가 있더라도 끝까지 포기하지 말아야 할 책임 중 하나로 꼽았다.

Women of Faith event organised by Women’s Federation for Wold Peace - South London Commemorating UN Intl. Women’s Day  24th February 2012

We started a short meditation session after a warm welcome and a few words of introduction from everyone who attended the meeting. By switching off the main lights, closing our eyes and sitting down with a straight back, all the women present listened to the recorded meditation.  It was a calming experience where thoughts and stresses from the busy day went away.

Eighteen women came from different

walks of life; young students, middle aged and retired teachers, from Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Unificationist background of many colours, white, black and brown.

The theme for the evening was Patience and Perseverance.

With this interesting mosaic of women
lots of comments and suggestions were given and everyone recognised Patience as an important attitude to achieve our goals in life. Perseverance too, requires endurance and commitment but should not be abandoned until the very end, avoiding any temptation to change.

This was followed by references and
readings from the main books of various faith traditions.

Lily a friend from Hindu tradition, who celebrated her sixtieth birthday a few days before, was able to share some experiences of her life. Also she thanked a few friends who helped her to make her life more enjoyable after having lost her husband few years before.

Lily cooked all kind the delicious Asian
food for the evening, that everyone enjoyed very much.
One comment that we received afterward was:

“Thank you very much for inviting me to your recent Women of Faith event.
I found it very heart-warming and my student friend enjoyed it too. We met some absolutely lovely people. You need to be congratulated in the effort you put into getting us all together and ensuring we have an enriching experience.”