Bench warming: Dana Smith on Exeter Quaker Social Café

12 Jan 2023 | by Dana Smith

‘There is no holding back and there’s nothing to hold back.’

'It helps us make sense of the story of our lives. For these few hours, we can slip into an easy sense of belonging.' | Photo: Gaelle Marcel on unsplash

We sit in the warmth, some knitting squares. For a peace blanket?  Refugees? Both? Posies made by our herbalist friend deck the tables with holy. A jigsaw is in progress while a woman, new to the group, brings fresh cinnamon buns, spicing the air. We are a mixed and contented lot: our liveries dropped, we recognise what we share. This day, and our humanity.

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