Julie Harrison had been a member of Multnomah Monthly Meeting since 1994 and brought her strong sense of the Spirit with her. She was known for her heartfelt kindness, her courage and bravery throughout many difficulties, her willingness to engage with life and life’s hard lessons while still maintaining a sense of humor. She faced her emotions head on and learned to reach out to those who could support her. She learned compassion and empathy through her own struggles and generously shared her life-long sense of spirit whenever she was able and she was proud of earning her Master of Divinity degree. She loved the coast, good food, children (especially her own: Matthew, Andrew and Erin), Christmas, Quaker Meeting and good friends. When she raised her voice to sing, her strong spirit shown through. Julie was full of Grace.
She was interviewed by Ann Sharp and recorded as part of a Series done by Multnomah Meeting called Gift of Stories. (The compact disc of the interview is in the Multnomah Meeting Library). Maye Thompson transcribed the interview for her Memorial Service. These are Words from Julie:
I am very lucky to say that my relationship with the Spirit started really early in my life. I am thankful for everything that's happened in my life. Because it's brought me to the place that I am. And I'm very happy. And I have felt that Spirit hold me up through so many things.
It starts when I was about five and a half. And I would just say that my whole environment was incredibly abusive. And I really did not see how I could keep going. So one day, I was laying in my room, on my bed, and I was thinking, I can't do this. And all of a sudden, my room was filled with a light that was very hard to describe. It was very bright, pale yellow and very warm. And the whole room was filled. And I felt kind of held, or wrapped in a blanket. And I just had a knowing, that life wasn't always going to be this way. That there were good people and good situations, and that I was very deeply loved by whatever this was. And I knew that everything would be OK. I refer to that now as a mystical experience. I'm getting a Master’s degree in Divinity at Marylhurst University, and my thesis is on mysticism. I've had many mystical experiences in my life. Always very brief, but always very profound.
The first time that I went to Meeting, I knew nothing about it. But when I walked into the meeting hall, I almost felt like I was going to fall down. I felt the Spirit the most strongly, I don't know, I have felt it since then, but it was SO STRONG. The energy and the Spirit was there. And I knew that, this is where I need to be.
I became a Friend because of the Spirit. But it turned out that the values and beliefs of Friends are what I have felt and carried with me my entire life. I love Meeting, and the people there. I love when we have a gathered Meeting. I love that so much. I will have a little spark of a picture in my mind. And it's like everybody is connected, and it's like an electrified spider's web. And that's when you can really, really feel the Spirit.
Julie was predeceased by her daughter Erin, and is survived by her two sons, Matthew and Andrew as well as her former husband, Rick Snook. A Memorial Meeting for Worship was held at Multnomah Friends Meeting on December 21, 2019. Julie was dearly loved and we miss her.