Galina Evgeevna Orlova 10 May 1937 - 23 December 2013

Galina Evgeevna Orlova, one of the founders of Friends House Moscow, translator of Thomas R Kelly, Bill Taber and many other Quaker materials, passed away today. Blessings, prayers, gratitude for her life and all who loved and admired her!

Here is the Russian text of a memorial minute by Patricia Cockrell of Britain Yearly Meeting, as posted today on Facebook. Given last week's experience with Bing, I will either look for an English version of this item or provide one later this week.

Галина Евгеньевна Орлова
(10 мая 1937 – 23 декабря 2012)

Свои первые пятьдесят лет Галина Евгеньевна жила жизнью непримечательного советского гражданина. В университете она прошла обязательные курсы марксизма-ленинизма и вышла замуж за однокурсника Эрнста Абрамовича Красновского, изучавшего русскую литературу. После ВУЗа их вместе распределили на работу в школу на Камчатку, в девяти часовых поясах на восток от Москвы. Им нравилась и их работа и природа того края, но они скучали по культурной жизни столицы и были рады по окончании обязательного срока вернуться и устроиться работать учителями в Москве, где в 1968 году у них родился сын Глеб.

Галина впервые встретила упоминание о квакерах в одном из рассказов Николая Лескова. Ссылка в советской книжке поясняла, что это была секта, недолгое время существовавшая в Англии, а сейчас почти исчезнувшая. Поэтому, когда мы встретились у нее в школе в 1988 году, она была удивлена, узнав, что я квакер. Хотя у нас был очень плотный график, между уроков мы находили время поговорить о разном, но Галину особенно интересовали квакеры. В последующие годы, когда я со своими учениками по программе обмена приезжала к ней в школу, в моем багаже были книги и брошюры о квакерстве. Галине было интересно читать их, но чтение вызывало и чувство неудовлетворенности: частью из-за того, что она тогда не достаточно хорошо владела английским языком, а частью и из-за того, что каждый текст вызывал новые вопросы. Я посоветовала ей присоединиться к небольшой группе, проводившей в Москве молитвенные собрания по примеру Друзей, потому что квакерство должно быть прочувствовано на личном опыте, а не выучено по учебникам. Но это тоже не удовлетворило ее вдруг проснувшуюся жажду духовной жизни, хотя некоторые книги ей особенно понравились, в частности работы Томаса Келли и Уильяма Тэйбера на русском языке.

Галина завершила свою учительскую карьеру и посвятила себя изучению квакерской веры и практики. И для этого ей понадобилось улучшить свои навыки в английском языке. Она получила грант для прохождения курса обучения в Вудбрукском учебном центре, и там же она обратилась с заявлением и получила международное членство в Обществе Друзей. Она говорила о своем времени в Вудбруке, как о золотой возможности для внутреннего преобразования. Каждый день она участвовала в молитвенных собраниях и эпилогах, и до конца своей жизни сохранила привычку ежедневной молчаливой молитвы.

Когда она стала клерком только что признанного Московского месячного собрания, Галина с большим интересом читала о сути собрания и практических функциях клерка в книге Брайана Морли «За пределами консенсуса», которую она и группа Друзей перевели на русский язык.

1 января 1996 года, когда в Москве начал работу Дом Друзей, Галина стала его сотрудником. Она упорно шла по пути собственного духовного роста, и у нее хорошо получалось обучать как отдельных духовных искателей, так и группы квакеров на территории бывшего Советского Союза. Посетители офиса принимались с теплом и уважением. Для поддержки проектов Дома Друзей Галине пришлось много поездить – в том числе в Псков (поддержка детей-инвалидов), Краснодар (беженцы), Чечню (жертвы войны). Она также в течение многих лет посвящала уйму времени и усилий проекту «Альтернативы насилию», переводя материалы, готовя фасилитаторов, участвуя в работе Совета проекта.

Глубоко преданная целям Дома Друзей, Галина была несколько лет членом правления этой организации после того, как в 2004 году болезнь вынудила ее выйти на пенсию.Затем она посвящала себя уходу за внуком Кириллом, одновременно с мужеством и смирением борясь с постоянно возрастающими печальными симптомами болезни Паркинсона.

Она никогда не искала себе наград и говорила правду, даже когда это было неудобно. Она жила скромно и имела минимум личных нужд. Галина говорила, что время, проведенное ею в Доме Друзей, стало радостным опытом учебы, совмещенной с большими возможностями поддерживать других людей и следовать своим собственным духовным путем.

Патриша Кокрэлл (Британское Годовое собрание)
Из свидетельств Божьей милости в жизни ушедших Друзей

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I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas. Only a Hippopotamus will do

It's fourth Sunday of Advent or God present amidst all the messiness of life and family members are gathering 'round with all their giant Personalities and Issues and Holy-day Expectations and Clamor and Fuss and Frazzle and sundry other attractions that RantWoman is more than Bad Friend enough not so secretly to really enjoy, along with some FRUITCAKE. Uh, the fruitcake has not arrived yet.

Sensible Auntie would like to speak of a spirit of giving, of generosity, of thinking of the delights of others.

Sensible Auntie has gotten distracted from such centered efforts by "O Quaker Auntie." O Quaker Auntie is very relieved. Recently on one of the Rant Sister's Sunday parallel journeys to our respective houses of worship Little Sister thrilled the likes of O Quaker Auntie. Little Sister is not actually as charmed by the thought of middle school Nerf War at her house of worship as RantWoman might have suspected.

Okay, and...?

Little Sister further confessed another moment in the world of middle schooler and Nerf weaponry: Irrepressible Nephew knows how to modify the Nerf Blaster,  something RantWoman suspects looks even more like a weapon than ordinary Nerf Ware. In particular, Irrepressible Nephew knows how to modify his Nerf Blaster so that it fires better or something. Bad Auntie, inadvertant setter of less than perfect examples just wants to hide under the bed and really does not want to know more details of this armament modification.

Unfortunately for RantWoman's desire to live in denial, O Quaker Auntie got summoned to a confession that Irrepressible Nephew's school peers greatly esteem this skill. Irrepressible Nephew goes to school in another neighborhood so inorder for Nephew to realize his prowess, a teacher signs off on kids making the exchange at school under the teacher's supervision.

O quaker Auntie is stuck inventorying reasons possibly to hyperventilate. O Quaker Auntie is also meditating upon a number of youngish men she knows who have grown up in the bosom of Quakerdom who have gone off to join the military because they "needed structure." SO FAR O Quaker Auntie is managing to let Irrepressible Nephew and his parents find their own paths about the modified Nerf Weaponry. So far...

Remember Worse Auntie? Bad Auntie sets bad examples unintentionally. Worse Auntie says things like "you're darn right I did that. So?" or "You;re complaining of some or another RantWoman excess. What if RantWoman fears the world actually needs MORE of that very Behavior?"
--put Azalea into the search bar to find one piquant Worse Auntie Moment.

--RantWoman actually thinks maybe the world needs MORE of "Grab the Blind Person and Bless them." This happens all the time to RantWoman; RantWoman can attest that it also happens worse to other blind people. RantWoman thinks that every time this occurs on the way to a Quaker event she should remember to complain and exclaim LOUDLY.  RantWoman thinks she should do this for three reasons:

1. RantWoman has perhaps been remiss in taking really a VERY long time to start complaining of this in her life. Ask RantWoman if you really want timeline.

2. Maybe other people who hear RantWoman ranting will learn that this behavior is insane and even more optimistically that they too could speak up when they observe someone doing this or other behavioral cousins such as Grab the Blind Person and Drag them into traffic, Grab the Blind Person and Argue with them about walking route in traffic, or worst of all Grab the Blind Person and Impose someone else's physical needs on the Blind Person's choices.

3. MAYBE if RantWoman talks enough about her range of experiences, people will figure out which just have to be held in the Light and which really, really need more intervention and even immediate  intervention.

Well, maybe

--RantWoman thinks maybe service dogs is another area the world needs MORE, not less of. For LOTS of conversations, a service dog is a service dog is a service dog and the human handler is the embodiment of responsible animal stewardship. In reality:

1. Not every blind person takes appropriate care of their companions; RantWoman has been dreading the possibility of meeting one such challenged blind person.

2.  LOTS of people get their doctors to certify that it will be beneficial to live with an animal and then drag the animal everywhere, whether or not the dog gives even faint impression of finding this enjoyable. O Quaker Auntie is spending a good bit of time being pet furniture around one such creature!

3, Another RantWoman pet peeve, no matter how many certifications an animal has: feeding the dog human food and worse feeding the dog at the table.

4. And this is not even to mention intercultural issues and problems for people expected to help service dogs and their handlers get around even if the people themselves have dog-related PTSD.

Anyway, rather than go on about service chickens a service lizard, and the occasional service python, service emu or service gecko, even Worse Auntie is TRYING to get into the holiday spirit. In fact, Worse Auntie is just thinking about this fabulous hit:

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Only a hippopotamus will do.
http://youtu.be/7oOzszFIBcE
warning: closing trailer contains just SCANDALOUS language.

Worse Auntie also notes this historical example of communication from RantMom, should RantWoman ever have wandered near the idea of asking for a hippopotamus for Christmas:
RantWoman this is your mother. You will be getting a sweater. And you will write your grandmother a thank you letter!

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Unpacking one's knapsacks: Maine Wabanaki Reach

Blog as filing cabinet item about a project in Maine with Native Americans that RantWoman is fascinated to hear of.

http://mainewabanakireach.org/volunteer/

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Fresh Pond Minute on Corporate Support of Individual Ministries

Blog as filing cabinet item, stored here for ease of finding again even if interesting discussion ensues elsewhere.

Fresh Pond Monthly Meeting Minute on Corporate Support of Individual Ministries

http://nefriend.neym.org/FreshPond-SupportingMinistries.html

In the comments stream further detail from New England Yearly Meeting
http://www.nyym.org/leadings/PYM.htm

You, dear readers, were hoping to get by without a trademarkRantWoman tirade????

Sorry!

Not that sorry.

Cope!

First gratitudes at least:
1. RantWoman is rabidly, madly deeply grateful that these items are available in forms accessible to RantWoman.

2. RantWoman's experience is that God is bountiful, sometimes more bountiful than Friends know what to do with. RantWoman wonders whether some people find the labor-intensive aspects of Quaker mutual support sort of draining sometimes.

3. RantWoman is very interested to know what practices Fresh Pond Monthly Meeting uses to ensure a good pool of people for clearness and support committees.

The rest of these comments need to be held in the Light so that SOMEHOW the message will fall where it needs to. Those of fragile, easily rattled sensibilities are invited to stop reading and hold things in the Light.

What if the number of well seasoned leadings is larger than the capacity of the topical committees?

What if RantWoman is seasoning Leadings on others' behalf: just because some or another Friend cannot  do... does not mean ... does not need to be done.

What if (RantWoman means to write a generalized Live on Planet Earth item for her transit and transportation and eldercare ramblings on her other blog and maybe possibily has in mind not only for instance people who came up in a discussion at a local transit commission but also some Weighty Friends in her own Meeting)?

Hold that thought in the Light, PLEASE

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Day 8 Gratitudes and

Gratitude for current struggle
http://nbclatino.com/2013/12/04/film-justice-for-my-sister-becomes-movement-for-eradicating-violence-against-women/

Gratitude: The anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/overview/

Gratitude for struggle: Nelson Mandela, July 18, 1918-December 5 2013.
RantWoman will write minutes today that begin:
"The meeting (conference call) opened with a period of silence and particular appreciation for the life of Nelson Mandela."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25249520

"I was not a messiah but an ordinary man who had become a leadedr because of
extraordinary circumstances."
For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
"education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world."




Josh Groban and Aretha Franklin at mandela Day 2009, You  raise Me up.
http://youtu.be/OqUBHTy0PRM

Brenda Fassie, Vuli Ndela with Mandela
http://youtu.be/wFBGeQL6Gzk


Seems the Biblical sins of our fathers visted on the seventh generation may apply among mice exposed to bad smells too. RantWoman apologizes for not having acitation, but since the point is thematic resonance, perhaps her readers and bear with the problem.

And from Johan Maurer
http://johanpdx.blogspot.com/2013/12/myths.html
withs riffs on fathers and sons, peace in the middle east...
The last of 8 nights of Light: RantWoman needs to declare time warp and inner blowtorch blazing in order to come back and riff on the interfaith psychodynamics behind why RantWoman does not have the most positive associations ever with dreidls. It's one of those circumstances that could have come together MANY ways. It just happens that in the realm of the RantFamily dreidls are a fine shorthand. But What's on RantWoman's mind deserves its own space and RantWoman does not want to try to compete with Nelson Mandela.

But in the realm of peculiar gratitudes and love managing gnarly realities, RantWoman is REALLY grateful both for various abuse prevention educational events around her Meeting and grateful that parents show up and interact in much more centerd and informed ways than the Rant Parents ever could. And.....

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Hanukkah Day 6. Fire Photon Torpedoes

Again in the zone of peculiar gratitudes and ferocious Light, a  couple weeks ago Meeting for Worship featured two "please hold me in the Light" messages, one with an implicit request and one more explicit.

The more explicit request: a Friend was facing surgery for breast cancer. RantWoman found herself thinking of RantMom and a blind friend both of whom suffer miserably from neuropathy after their cancer treatment. RantWoman is terribly glad to have both still among us and terribly glad RantMom is finally admitting she finds neuropathy a giant nuisance in the kitchen. Blind Friend would quite like still to be able to read Braille and no longer can.:The words that did not make it out of RantWoman's mouth: "well, of course I must hold you in the Light...and we will still love you even if all the treatments give you neuropathy."

The implicit request to be held in the Light came from a Friend needing to monitor vision for signs of a detached retina. Friend REALLY likes to read and RantWoman has to assume the phrase "detached retina" sounds absolutely terrifying.  RantWoman GUESSES she gets to be grateful to have resisted slight nudgings toward "attack of the trauma all stars" comments. RantWoman definitely qualifies for opthalomology frequent flyer points and has plenty of opportunity to get in touch with joys of repeatedly being Exhibit A for newly minted opthamological technicians and having to remind them of long history.

RantWoman's history includes the term detached retina, twice, in 3 languages just to explain to key groupies. RantWoman's detached retinas did not qualify for simple laser beams tacking things back in place. RantWoman's option was MUCH more invasive including a band around each eye and a gas bubble inside for weeks. On the bus, one on one, RantWoman in other medical situations has found herself hearing some version of "been there. Done That.Got the T-shirt and a bunch of hardware and some more frequent flier miles besides. RantWoman has not felt called to spell things out in Meeting for worship for the whole community to hold either. Instead RantWoman gets to be grateful for Star Trek.
The one time RantWoman had to have something ophthalmological done with a laser beam,all RantWoman could think of was "Fire Photon torpedoes!" RantWoman does not want to speculate whether that comment would be helpful for the Friend who spoke. It certainly covered RantWoman's experience with a shock wave and a precise enough quantumof energy to remind RantWoman of some laser-themed mad scientist moments in summer science programs in high school.

Fire photon torpedoes indeed. Light up the blog screen.

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Hanukkah Day 2 Worship Aids

Thanksgiving; RantMom
RantWoman apologizes. She remembers generalized gratitude during Thanksgiving Meeting for Worship; she does not remember gratitude as precisely wrought as some years. Or maybe RantWoman was also too busy being tender toward RantMom. RantMom is recovering from pneumonia. She is recovering slowly. Hold her in the Light.

RantWoman is grateful too so far to have resisted several rounds of temptation toward SERIOUS Bad Friend behavior during Meeting for Worship, and not just on Thanksgiving when RantMom could probably still elbow an ill-behaved RantWoman in the ribs if the occasion required it.

--RantWoman continues to have all sorts of issues with certain printed worship aids but so far RantWoman has managed to resist any thoughts of a braille marathon on the offending documents explaining her point of view. RantWoman is seasoning a rather different suggestion. Please hold in the Light RantWoman's seasoning of what to do with these thoughts.

--Remember that clip of Shout to the Lord sung to Led Zeppelin?
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2013/11/angry-birds-led-zeppelin-samson-delilah.html
SO FAR, RantWoman and probably other worshipers are grateful that urges to play the clip in Meeting for Worship have yielded to the prospect of utterly pathetic performance as squeaked out by one of RantWoman's new auditorily underpowered Android devices

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Adult children; abusive parents

Adult Children and relationships to abusive parents wit h lots of links on the Mean to read list.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2013/02/abusive_parents_what_do_grown_children_owe_the_mothers_and_fathers_who_made.single.html

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One at a Time PLEASE

Dear Parents,

RantWoman LOVES your children, really she does. RantWoman loves having a community that includes kids, parents, crusty curmudgeons, and people with all kinds of life experiences that might not be obvious just sitting in Meeting for Worship.

RantWoman is Auntie, not a parent. RantWoman REALLY digs being Auntie, for one thing because she gets to Give the Kid Back. RantWoman considers it her holy duty to cheerlead parents doing the fulltime job. In other words, RantWoman means well! And sometimes RantWoman's good intentions work; sometimes they do not.

RantWoman also considers it the community's job to cheerlead parents and to nurture our children's growth and development. RantWoman sees no reason growth and development are incompatible with that glorious time at the end of worship when children come, meeting shortly closes, and thenthere are ANNOUNCEMENTS, love 'em or hate  'em. RantWoman personally really appreciates announcements--when she can hear them.

RantWoman has been trying to have a community conversation about the principle that one person talks at a time during announcements. RantWoman's Meeting includes a whole bunch of people who hear badly. The worship room is covered with sound muffling carpet all over the walls. RantWoman's Meeting is not any more blessed with people who find it easy to SPEAK UP than anywhere else. And RantWoman thinks there are lots and lots of people who will appreciate it if children and adults can learn to talk ONE AT A TIME. This does not have to be perfect and there is plenty of time for people to grow into this, but RantWoman has become clearer and clearer that this is reasonable.

The first time need to speak to this issue came to RantWoman there were MANY new families with LOTS of children in worship and RantWoman was more than willing to make allowance for "new" and very young children. Meeting for Worship featured the next in a series of "hold it in the Light" messages about a youth struggling with more teenage challenges than average. RantWoman does not remember what all came up during announcements except for an announcement of a death of another challenged youngish person who few people in the room knew. Announcements ran long and the many children were exuberant, vocal and understandably not on topic.

RantWoman found her stomach churning and had to sit with a whole bunch of personal issues before being clear to go home and do a customary RantWoman email. When RantWoman brought up her concern and the suggestion about talking one at a time, she received return email suggesting she just go worship somewhere else where there are no children. Fortunately for the future of quakerdom, there are no such options within RantWoman's one bus on First Days travel constraints. RantWoman has not heard back about any other ideas but RantWoman is PRETTY sure kids AND grownups can work this out.

If you would like to hold this topic in the Light, focus on growth in shared worship, and stop here, please feel free.




If you are game for another ride at the RantWoman spiritual amusement park, thank you and read on.
Warning: it's a spiritual amusement park. RantWoman reminds readers of her past as a Russian literature major and throbbing literature brain symbolism habits. Think parallelism between different scenes with common elements. Think long complex novels whose authors got paid by the cuarto. Think long complex novels where the characters are all referred to by multiple names. RantWoman has also dabbled in Latin American magical realism; one feature of that genre is that timelines are sometimes, to say the least not linear.

In other words, RantWoman pointedly does not guarantee easily digested nibbles. In fact, if people insist that God show up only in easily digested nibbles, Worse Auntie is likely to show up and foam at the mouth about who the heck are any of us to argue with God and why does anyone feel entitled to God as personal Butler, God perfectly sculpted in dainty easily digestible bites? Nor unfortunately can RantWoman guarantee there is anything to be fixed though Holding in the Light nearly always improves the experience.

RantWoman recently had a conversation with a Weighty Friend about a Famous Founding member of our Meeting. Famous Founding Member expected his children who came to Meeting to sit through worship from day one. Famous Founding Member claimed that this practice is why all of those children remained Quakers as adults. RantWoman notes this without further comment.

RantWoman is an oldest child. Especially with a young RantWoman, the RantParents did not necessarily have a great grasp on the concept of "age appropriate. RantWoman learned early that Mommy was a better person all week if she had a good experience at church, and RantWoman learned that the church service was usually a whole lot more interesting that whatever childcare options were available. RantDad as choir director usually could keep an eye on the Rant children from the front of the church 

RantWoman was also on the learn to sit still side of the sit still or get spanked when we get home norm of parental behavior expectations. RantWoman is not sure she is grateful to Little Sister for reminding her recently of this divide, but it does partly explain some of RantWoman's twitches around uncorralled children in worship: a stew of "someone is going to get spanked," "where ARE their parents?" "How come they get to run around and I don't?"

RantWoman reminds herself that she is a Quaker not a Presbyterian anymore and children are SUPPOSED to be allowed to breathe. Than RantDad shows up with his bad vision and unacknowledged frustration shrieking at young children who do the bobble around thing all young children do. RantWoman remembers being terrified about RantDad yelling; now unfortunately RantWoman can relate to the frustration but she considers it her holy duty to TRY to keep a handle on the shrieking.

Next come RantWoman's bus nerves. RantWoman has written extensively of the vast realms of rich spiritual experience and spiritual challenge available aboard the average public transportation system. Today's topic is children, small people who need to stay connected to the big people they get on the bus with while everyone quickly and safely gets stowed, small people who sometimes speak better English than the big people they get on the bus with, all kinds of situations where it helps if everyone pays attention to safety and courtesy.

But RantWoman, someone will say, it's Meeting for Worship, not the bus. Um, RantWoman's bus nerves have a single standard of Truth. They cannot tell the difference between the bus and Meeting for Worship. Sometimes on the bus that is a GOOD thing.

But RantWoman that's YOUR mental health issue. Can't you just go talk to your counselor (times 2 with a theme and variations motif)?


WARNING: TRIGGER ALERT for additional trauma!
Very Funny. RantWoman has a new mental health provider. About the second time RantWoman had an appointment with new mental health provider, there was ...ta-da...massive disruption in bus service all over the city for several hours because one of the humble public servants who drives buses got shot in the face by, please excuse RantWoman speaking plainly and HOLD THE GUY IN THE LIGHT --posthumously because of police action, an idiot with a gun who could not pay his bus fare.

RantWoman of course was affected by the massive schedule disruptions but had no idea initially what bus route was affected.

RantWoman managed an alternative routing that at least got RantWoman to her appointment but got her there very late. Not late enough to cancel, but late enough to exchange info: new mental health professional rides the route affected by the shooting all the time. RantWoman rides that route sometimes too. And when RantWoman's bus nerves want to flare into hypervigilance mode, RantWoman needs only to think about shooter on a bus at rush hour on a bus with lots of family destinations on the route.

Maybe other people can bear with RantWoman and her multiple time sequences and all the joy and tragedy and scarieness and love sitting in worship and can join RantWoman in holding THE BUS in the Light too.

And maybe we all get to count our blessings that Meeting for Worship usually is not as scary as the bus.

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Queer Syncroblog: We're Here, We're Queer. Some of us Even got Marriage licenses.

Big Thank yous to Peterson Toscano and his post about http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/eunuch-inclusive-esther-queer-theology-101/  for calling out this year's Queer Theology Synchroblog http://www.queertheology.com/synchroblog2013  .


RantWoman unabashedly notes the following points:

--RantWoman is running behind; her post will be dated October 2. It will be experiential theology, which is to say also full of conflictive thoughts, moments from practice as defined by the recent life of her Quaker Meeting, and exclamations of "See, See!"

--The Synchroblog link includes links to a number of other posts. Except for Peterson's post, the rest of the synchroblog links are presently on RantWoman's Mean to read list. RantWoman would enjoy hearing that others have read some of the other posts and what spoke to any readers.

In the realm of "See, See," RantWoman gives you:

--Vocal ministry from Meeting for Worship awhile ago by a Weighty Friend long married, for the second time, under the care of Meeting to another Weighty Friend of the same gender. Vocal ministry was about an organization of professional counselors including visible figures who are LGBT or just Q but who completely omitted mention of Queer relationships from discussion of some important topic where it would have been entirely appropriate explicitly to include such relationships. See, See, unfortunately STILL, nothing can be taken for granted.

--Two women from RantWoman's Meeting were among the first ever to ask their Meeting for marriage under the care of Meeting. That was almost 30 years ago. Over time views of and practices about marriage have evolved. There have been periods of great contentiousness. There have been periods when RantWoman's Meeting was not marrying anyone or when couples refused to interact with the issue of marriage licenses insolidarity with same-gender couples who did not have the option. There have been couples with marriage licenses whose actual relationships can be summarized as "It's complicated."

Most recently WA voters approved full legal marriage equality and a few months later the Supreme Court ruled the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional the same week and partly under the same reasoning that it struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act.

--The State of the Meeting report, written by a lovely heterosexual couple married under care of RantWoman's Meeting. The State of the Meeting report as first drafted contained nary a word about WA voters historic approval of Referendum 74, providing full legal marriage equality for same-gender couples. One excuse offered, by a member of a same-gender couple, for the whole Meeting countenancing ommission of this moment of history is that no one from RantWoman's Meeting was very active in this year's pro-Referendum campaign. Our Monthly Meeting helped ensure that our Yearly Meeting has been on record for 15 years calling for full legal marriage equality. The Friends Committee for WA Public Policy, which some of us ARE active in, endorsed the Referendum 74 campaign. But why mention the rest of WA catching up with us in our State of the Meeting?


Another, possibly more understandable reason for delayed rejoicing: the Friend in question still faced barriers to appreciation of this newly won right because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, another wall which as since fallen.

--At least four couples connected in some way to RantWoman's Meeting who have taken advantage of newly won rights to full marriage equality for same-gender couples, scheduled a celebration, gotten a license, and gotten fully legally hitched. The RantWoman approach to theology yncroblog would be to say a special blessing upon all these weddings.

Meanwhile RantWoman herself is:

--challenged in the area of respecting pronoun gender preference and appreciating changes in voice for someone in her circles now taking hormones. RantWoman wishes this person the best. RantWoman suspects her own challenges about the transitions implied: RantWoman does not get just to take hormones to make her body do things it cannot do right now and RantWoman has given herself permission to be a LITTLE crabby about the issue.



--dawdling about the question of getting dis-married from Ferrener Husband. There are plenty of reasons to dissolve the "it's complicated" legalities; RantWoman still cannot put her fingers on why she is not clear to do so but is quite clear to bless the weddings of people who have recently gone and had weddings!

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Howling About Dimishments Aunts and Uncles Division

On howling about Diminishments, relatives edition.


RantWoman is still aglow with the family warmth surrounding RantMom, 3 pairs of aunts and uncles, and RantWoman herself after a LOVELY excursion to the Oregon Coast. The glow endures even after numerous rain squalls, chattering sea gulls, rambunctious and smelly sea lions, lots of views of waves crashing ashore, other such seaside attractions.

The Howling about Diminishments part: EVERYONE, EVERYONE there was struggling with various physical frustrations, listed here with the Retired RantRelations' former professions.

RantWoman and RantMom were both counting our blessings to be there. The last time RantMom and her siblings tried to gather on the OR coast, they wound up at the last minute diverting to MT to help RantMom ease into the routine of treatment for her second cancer. RantWoman could not even help. Instead RantWoman got surgery for a second detached retina, a gas bubble in her eye and some no-fly orders.

This time RantWoman and RantMom got to get there and back primarily on public transit. RantMom especially found it a challenge to scramble in and out of one of the available vehicles but was otherwise comparatively spry for this visit.

But the maladies rundown:

Aunt Schoolteacher: now blind in one eye and struggling about things visual because of glaucoma. Not necessarily easy to chat much with RantWoman but seems to have some good social support.
Uncle Schoolteacher: painful to stand very long because of back and knee issues as well as neuropathy in feet lingering after long ago cancer treatment.

Aunt Office Manager: numbness in hands, in theory because of carpal tunnel issues.Needed to borrow RantWoman's fingers to open a bottle of laundry detergent.
Uncle Bus Driver: approximately deaf as a post. Wears hearing aids unevenly. Stand facing him to talk and he lipreads with enthusiasm. Do not expect him to interact with anything said to his side or from behind.

Aunt Travel Agent: on blood thinners and eschewing green vegetables after harrowing medical events in summer that turned out to be lots of small blood clots in lungs.
Uncle Beer Boiler Tender: walks a couple miles every day to keep serious heart issues under control.

Multiple people needed to put in their teeth in the morning before trying to say much.


The family has a tradition of trying to do a whole jigsaw puzzle over their time together. This means everyone is invited to participate. Some of the everyones ONLY do puzzles at reunions; some only look on and silently cheerlead. This year's puzzle got put back into the box in bigger chunks than it came out of the box. Save it for next time.

RantWoman sat through a conversation about dementia and personality changes and spent a certain amount of time thinking / trying not to think about present day RantMom.

There was mention of various teenage and preteen grandchildren. They did not seem to be missed.

And still RantWoman came back aglow.

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A sermon: Who do you say I am, and a blog

RantWoman  recommends this wonderful sermon: Who do you say I am?
http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/08/26/thing-who-do-you-say-i-am?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sojourners%2Fgods-politics+%28Sojourners+God%27s+Politics+Blog%29

RantWoman further recommends the conjectural navelgazing blog
http://anglobaptist.org/
RantWoman thinks the blog is a little bit an argument for further maturation, but still finds it energizing.

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Protect and Survive

RantWoman thanks her public radio infostreams for calling to mind to strands of thinking from RantWoman's past: Protect and Survive, the British government's civil defense initiatives related to the possibility of nuclear attack, and Protest and Survive, a slogan adopted by many nonviolent activists in the US during the 1980's. Protest and Survive gets its own post. Protect and Survive: a sampling of web links for Friends' amusement. And PLEASE be amused. There is much of seriousness to contemplate; a healthy sense of the absurd is also a gift, especially since history has marched forward with a whole new tangle of issues.

A wonderful archive of materials: http://www.atomica.co.uk/

Some graphics for the sake of nostalgia

Hiding out from fallout under a bridge, from this archive:
http://www.missourah.com/2009/12/28/protect-and-survive-disturbing-british-nuclear-survival-videos-1980s/

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Memorials, evaluating

1. RIP Manila envelope.

By the end of Annual Session this year, RantWoman's manila registration envelope was full of important things like:

--the Annual Session program

--extra query sheets and the worship sharing guidelines for her worship walking group

--a half-completed evaluation form

--copies of the Daily Bulletin under new editorship

--a stack of new FCNL bumper stickers. RantWoman occasionally meets people with bumpers to put bumper stickers on. More importantly RantWoman goes about taking notes in different meetings on different legal pads. FCNL bumperstickers are among the things RantWoman in "Let our lives speak" mode likes to paste on the back of tablets. Note to self: probably there are lots of ways to get more bumperstickers.


2. RIP Evaluation?
Alas, RantWoman's manila envelope somehow did not make it back to Seattle with her. RantWoman is not afraid to attach her identity to most of her opinions. RantWoman also tends to have more to say than fits in the spaces on evaluation forms but there is no electronic option available. So in the interest of the "how do you do that" thread of Quaker gatherings, RantWoman feels called to share more evaluation elements here.


3. "Let the dead bury their dead?"
Today's topic: Meeting for Worship for Memorials.

This year Meeting for Worship for Memorials bumped against the plenary where God needed to rearrange the agenda. RantWoman PROMISES to say more of what came to her from that but today she needs to start slowly. The main point for now: Meeting for Memorials was shorter than average anyway.

This year instead of reading the full memorial minutes, the Meeting for Worship for Memorial opened with someone reading the list of names, which for various reasons including a very recent death of someone who was not a member wound up not being complete. RantWoman is glad to have heard names added. RantWoman was glad to have a sense of time and space for Friends to offer more individual ministry in remembrance. RantWoman  (urk!) came in late and was grateful someone reread the list of names again towards the end of the time.

And...

RantWoman misses the "let our lives speak" aspects of reading Friends' full memorial minutes. RantWoman often LIKES the things she learns about people's lives, even people she does not know. Posting memorial minutes in tiny print on a wall in a noisy plenary room is not a substitute. RantWoman definitely assumes she is not the only one put off by tiny print on a wall or who just needs to hear something out loud and held by the whole group.

Also, RantWoman thinks offering at least something from each Friend's memorial minute would create a fuller sense of these Friends being present to those who attend. RantWoman wonders whether it MIGHT be possible to read a paragraph or two from each minute at the Meeting for Worship for Memorial.


4. RantWoman is seasoning a list of tweaks to suggest about various aspects of the Annual Session program. One that comes to mind is just to have a space somewhere during every time slot for open worship. RantWoman MIGHT think to put notebooks full of memorial minutes, epistles, and state of society reports in this room on a table so that people might have an opportunity to sit, read, hold worshipfully.

There.

Thank you for reading.

In the Light.

RantWoman

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Ministry? Not Ministry?

WARNING: This post contains references to someone coming upon the scene of a suicide, a parental anxiety theme, and RantWoman's usual subtle, sensitive, and nuanced treatment of many topics. RantWoman is grateful for a sense of God unquestionably showing up as well. This is from Meeting for Worship a few weeks ago. How many times might one say something here is / is not ministry at the same time?

Dear [Never mind who]

RantWoman was speaking recently of sparkling clarity: her Meeting gets three years of her attention to Worship and Ministry whether it knows what to do with it or not. Then along came a comment, never mind from whom in a recent Adult Education about rabbis not even considering people who want to convert to judaism until they have asked and been turned down three times.RantWoman is trying to decide whether to take that as a sign: Okay God, now what?

RantWoman writes: The following would fall under Quality of Worship. Maybe it was because I was sitting close to you at Meeting for Worship ... but during the first message you seemed to be rolling your eyes ALMOST as loudly as the World Champion of Audible Eyerolling sometimes does. Honestly, I have the same view of you doing audible eyerooling as of him: it's a nice accessibility feature, and I am unclear whether it is centered worship. It usually is not as high on my personal irritation list as other things, and sometimes...

What was bothering you the message accompanied by your audible eye rolling?

--The long exegesis about the circumstances of the Friend's fears of dropping her younest daughter off the catwalk at work?

--The throwing up several times as the image came over and over during the day?

--The driving home and coming upon the scene of someone having jumped off a bridge and then having to scour her neighborhood blog to find anyone willing to name the situation?

--something the message evoked from your personal experience or about someone close to you? Personally, I heard you sigh several times. I tease friends of mine that legally blind guests overlook a lot of housekeeping sins; I am wondering whether hearing loss also insulates some sitting nearby or not so nearby from distress about at least some audible eye-rolling. In any case, I am glad for a sense that after every one of your sighs, the message continued. I am glad of this particularly in light of:

--multiple other voices who seem to want ministry in easily digestible 30-second soundbites instead of the shared process of winnowing.

--multiple voices who howl about not understanding and seem to want the challenging just to go away rather than to sit with.

--multiple voices besides you who in general want messages to arrive perfectly formed and never ever by email rather than buffed into shape by community support of the birthing.

--another reviewer who said "well, it wasn't ministry. It was something unprocessed..." This reviewer at least got that one success of worship was how the community as a whole drew the message into worshipful fabric.We further talked about another recent Meeting for Worship where the whole community together held a number of difficulties very lovingly.

Have you considered the possibility if some message distresses you or does not seem obvious that you are to wait in faith for meaning to arrive?

Have you considered the possibility that you serve by being present, and even sighing repeatedly while a message arrives more directly to / through others?

RantWoman also was touched by the message and Literature Brain found much to work with:

--a Friend's anxiety about in a split second unintentionally doing something horrible that cannot be undone to a loved one.

--a Friend needing to be tender with the part of herself who knows to be horrified by what she kept seeing

--a Friend working with something weird that God has dropped into her lap.

--the power of shared observation of an actual event.

I found myself seasoning several messages, clear that the messages did not belong in the whole room, and clear that they are intended for someone though I am not sure for whom.

--After worship I told the Friend with the message, in my experience sometimes one just has to trust and pray, trust that one has what is needed when God drops something like that and that and that and maybe something else into one's lap and, more or less, that prayer is always a reasonable first way to deal and all the more if there is room to share

I did not tell the Friend of riding places with Tall Weighty Friend in the name of dialogue with "those other Quakers." I love riding with Tall Weighty Friend first because she is tall and, fuel economy be damned, her car has legroom in the back seat. Second, Tall Weighty Friend's default behavior when coming upon something horrible such as an accident is just to offer a prayer and a blessing.

--My radio last week was full of anniversary chatter about mass shootings at a local cafe and better mental health services as one way to cut down on gun violence. I was GLAD the message about the dream images supplanted possible anniversary ministry about the mass shootings.

I found myself thinking uncharitable thoughts of one person I remember offering ministry last year after the event. I sort of heard the ministry as "well I went by to bless the scene with my presence and yup it was real." Maybe my "I hear a lot of that Friend and have trouble hearing God around him" reflex is getting in the way of something I also remember about visiting the scene in the light of a new day. I remember seasoning a message myself about the same mass shooting events: My sister has moved to a new church. The organist there was driving by the woman who as shot on Capitol Hill. The organist stopped to help the woman and when it was clear that the woman would not make it, the organist stayed with her so she would not die alone. I consider that an act of profound spiritual accompaniment. ., a concept I do not hear very much but that could be applied a few different ways including perhaps simply to holding in worship.

BUT

Was there something in your audible eyerolling for the whole room OR was there someone the audible eyerolling was supposed to be a message for?

In the Light.

RantWoman

If you have made it this far whether or not meaning has arrived, perhaps you will enjoy one of these items. A very sweet one from Cherice Bock http://quakeroatslive.blogspot.com/2013/06/mama-does-god-hate-cars.html

Steven Davison on a gathered meeting. http://throughtheflamingsword.wordpress.com/2013/06/05/seeking-the-gathered-meeting/

Guy from Britain YM on trusting one's Meeting http://jollyquaker.com/2013/05/26/trust-in-the-spirit/ 

Confession the stuff in here about unity is making me really clear that maybe I just need to keep speaking about some threads BECAUSE I am out of unity with the prevailing understanding. Please hold that point in the Light.

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Dances with our Beloved, Doris

RantWoman


RantWoman again draws Friends' attention to dear Doris, a STALWART at Friends Committee of WA Public Policy Steering Committee meetings during Quarterly Meeting. This past time, Doris just beamed as she arrived. Seeing her made RantWoman SO happy there was much waving from the Recording Clerk.
Even more delightfully, RantWoman was assigned to room with Doris and her youngest sister Florence. RantWoman is feeling deprived because Little Sister's medical matters are more tiresome than average right now; RantWoman was touched just to soak up octagenarian sister vibe. The sisters giggled for 10 minutes when RantWoman confessed that if Little Sister were around, she and RantWoman might stay up all night giggling.

RantWoman is also holding tenderly reasons each shared with RantWoman that she worries about / frets over / just thinks the other sister is maybe a little batty. Please hold tenderly the thought from Facebook "Thank you for ordering the Crazy Cat Lady Starter Kit"  and the point that someone MIGHT not find that funny.

RantWoman did not really ask to have a roommate who needed to go to the hospital late on Saturday night; RantWoman is VERY grateful to lots of Friends who stepped in to handle different pieces. The stepping in is part of why Quarterly Meeting seemed so well held--in spite of....

=========
Invitation to Serenade Doris, who it turned out was not long for this world.
Why:
Because we love her
Because she loves us
Because music speaks to her heart
Because our hearts long to ease her journey
Because she cannot visit with all of us

What:
Gather and sing
songs from the Quaker song book
(extra copies will be there to share)
Sign the memory book
You may bring cards or poems to other items
to slip into the book if you like
Bring instruments if you are so inclined and can follow the music

When:
Date:   Friday, May 3, 2013
Time:  Singing will begin at ~ 6 pm.
(You can still make the Peace vigil at the old Federal Building from 4 
- 5
pm)

Where:
Outside Doris' home

How
CAR POOL and park a ways off -
please reserve parking near her home for handicap accessibility

=========
Finally, from Doris' daughter
Dear friends and family,
Please pass the word that Doris passed over, peacefully, around 11:20  p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2013. We tried to compose a "To:" list, hoping  that each of you who receive this, will know others who will want to
know, and pass the word.

This morning, she felt better than she had in days, and was sitting up  smiling, lots of energy around 9 a.m. But she was still extremely clear that she did not want to embark on any kind of hospitalization. She just
thought that because she was feeling so much better this morning, perhaps she had a few more days to say her good-byes. But she also expressed, many times, in the past several days, what a wonderful, full life she had had, and how she was ready to go.

One of the last experiences she was awake and alert for was a "serenade" by Friends and friends, who gathered in her backyard at 6 p.m. Friends hymnals were passed around, the window was open, and Doris's little cat Sunshine sat on the windowsill and looked -- a bit astonished! -- at the gathering. Mimi Freshley led the group with her guitar.

About thirty people began singing; as the minutes passed, more and more joined in, until there were nearly 50 people standing outside her window. As each person passed by the window, she could see their faces.
She smiled and waved.

The caregiver who was present with her in the room said she'd never seen anything like it,  in all her years as a caregiver.

I was so privileged to receive hugs and blessings on her behalf, afterwards, as well as flowers and cards. Later that night, when she became very sleepy, I read all the cards aloud to her. I think the love came through.

Later in the evening, I talked to her softly for about an hour, remembering good times, treasured moments, and then sang lullabies, as her breathing grew quieter and quieter. I knew immediately when she moved into the Light. "Go toward the Light, Mom," I said, as if she didn't know. "I love you." As if she didn't know.

You have all been blessings to me and to Doris, in her latest adventure. One thing I always honored about her was that she kept changing, kept growing, throughout her life. And now I see she still is.

In Love, Peace, and Joy,
Virginia

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Our Beloved Dead, Belonging

RantWoman is still basking in her rich Worship sharing experience recently at Quarterly Meeting. The theme was belonging, and the opening plenary featured many Friends' reflection on whether they hold membership, where they hold membership, where they feel strongest sense of Quaker community. The topic probably needs its own blog entry, but RantWoman is stuck on her beloved dead theme.
One time membership matters is marrying; another is burying. People can get married in the manner of Friends even if neither partner is a member of a Meeting. If a couple wants their marriage taken under care of Meeting, at least one person must be a member of Meeting and there is a clearness process. And, and.

DIGRESSION ALERT
RantWoman would find it frighteningly easy here to digress to her continuing implacable twitchiness about her Meeting's State of the Society report as perpetrated during last month's Meeting for Business.
Marriage Equality? What's that you said?

Our Meeting has only been talking about and in various ways on record in support of marriage equality for a couple decades. Our Meeting and our Yearly Meeting have been on record specifically in support of full civil marriage rights for 15 years so it's KIND OF big news that WA voters approved Referendum 74, becoming the next of several states to enact marriage equality.
WHO CARES whether Friends from our Meeting did much in support of this campaign this year? WHO CARES what choices individual couples make as far as legal paperwork? One of RantWoman's twitches is just that RantWoman has heard one half of  the couple who wrote this year's State of Society report more or less assume that all is fine and easy in spite of, to RantWoman's ear, very many struggles still.
END OF DIGRESSION

Oh wait, not end of digression. RantWoman remembers a recent membership transfer for a weighty Friend whose name is attached to the digression at a Quarterly Meeting; RantWoman remembers the same Quarterly bumped against the memorial for a weighty Friend from RantWoman's Meeting. RantWoman remembers the departed as a bit of a blowhard, a nice blowhard, but... RantWoman also remembers that that Friend found RantWoman oh, a bit much. He has lots of company.

Burying works a little the same way: Meeting might or might not hold a memorial for an attender but definitely will not write a memorial minute, even if the attender has been a member of a community for decades. Burying a loved one can also be a time that draws someone to become a seeker among Friends. Finally, RantWoman notes that a community might involve many people grieving loved ones.  RantWoman has found herself clearly and repeatedly called to draw Friends' attention to thess poinst recently. Perhaps that is enough said about this flavor of RantWoman needing to be true to her Light and true to her experience.

But, back to Quarterly Meeting, and beloved dead who show up as RantWoman comes BACK from Quarterly Meeting. There is a time warp. as whatever vehicle RantWoman is riding in drives back into cellphone range after Quarterly Meeting.
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2011/05/shame-vulnerability-courage-fertilizer.html

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Beloved Dead, Restated

The State of RantWoman's Meeting, once more with or without feeling: http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2013/04/as-stated_15.html

In particular the beloved dead, annotated
Rich Beyer, a widely enough known artist that Friends can use their search engines their own darn selves.
Bill Hansen
A whole welter of Beloved Dead when RantWoman went to look for a post about Rice Bucket Friend, including beloved dead from RantWoman's life as a teenage Baptist.
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/search?q=bucket&max-results=20&by-date=true

Fran Hain
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2013/01/because-god-asked-you-to-all-ministers.html
Fran had two husbands. RantWoman is not sure whether only one or both did things like smoke-jumping as conscienscientious objectors during World War II.

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Global Accessibility Awareness Day

RantWoman feels called to take a break from other matters roiling her soul. RantWoman specifically invites Quaker content providers to participate in Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

--RantWoman honors and reveres many weighty Friends who are paper only people. But RantWoman is impatient and prefers things she can access independently.

--RantWoman is deeply grateful to Friends publications that have electronic versions. RantWoman becomes crabby in the presence of various Quaker info streams that exist only on paper with no options for electronic access.RantWoman recognizes that this point of view comes with challenges. For the time being RantWoman is humbly holding in the Light improvements in these realities.

--RantWoman deeply appreciates Quaker blogs.

--RantWoman appreciates a wide variety of sound and video archives. --RantWoman becomes crabby when all kinds of content is published only on paper. RantWoman TRIES to make allowances for old material that is out of print. RantWoman TRIES to make allowances about this but succeeds unevenly. RantWoman thinks Quakers have a lot to say to the world today but unfortunately a lot of the world is digital and just won't find or interact with paper.

--RantWoman greatly esteems Quaker authors who make their work availabe through Amazon. RantWoman is aware of MANY issues for authors. Nevertheless, RantWoman is FAR more likely to interacti with authors' offerings if she can access material independently. RantWoman for example thanks John Calvi for making his forthcoming book available through Amazon and in electronic format! http://johncalvi.blogspot.com/2013/05/29th-beethoven-letter-may-2013.html

RantWoman apologizes in advance that her offering here is raggedy, disjointed, probably overpowering, and generally WAY TOO MUCH. RantWoman encourages Friends to trust your Light and read selectively from the following links for today.

A general enough item about Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Worth reading because it has a couple simple ways people can try to access web content without relying on a mouse. http://www.sitepoint.com/global-accessibility-awareness-day/

Friends who want to wander further into the topic are invited to use your search engines or click on links within the article.

RantWoman likes the Our Daily Bread site for providing material in LOTS of formats with LOTS of ways to adjust presentation.
http://odb.org/

A random good news about new paths to Kindle accessibility / bad news about the federal government item. http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-good-ios-accessibilty-for-kindle.html

RantWoman notes that Global Accessibility Awareness Day is only about accessibility of electronic content;Accessibility is a MUCH bigger area than that, so do what you can, do the best you can, but don't get complacent after dipping toes in only slightly.

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As stated?

Reviews in Business Meeting of the State of the Meeting report below, from those assembled: "Beautifully written" x about 5

Review from RantWoman: excellent, high-quality happy talk and twaddle. Not only is there barely any room for disability or difficulty or the next chapter of a long history, there is not even room for pain and challenge hanging silently on a clothesline. WHAT kind of wimpy divine presence are we talking about anyway?

The text after the authors and Business Meeting declined not only the extensive edits RantWoman previously proposed http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-meeting-as-stated.html but the two items she reiterated in Business Meeting, one about disabilities and difficulty, and one about marriage equality, imperfect as the WA measure is without federal changes.

State of the Meeting Report (April 2013)


University Friends Meeting


Our worship this year has been rich and balanced. Our meetinghouse hums with life: in addition to two First Day meetings for worship and midweek worship, our Social Hall is rented out most nights, a preschool thrives on our ground floor, and 20 homeless individuals find shelter in our worship room each night. At Quaker House, we welcome both travelers and six new social service Fellows each year through our QuEST program. This year we’ve had three new adult members, two new junior members, two transfers to other meetings, and three deaths of members: Rich Beyer, Bill Hanson, and Frances Hain. It has now been a few years since our Year of Discernment, a process many of us found to be quite enriching and strengthening, and this year we ask where the clarity we found that year might again serve as a way to reset our compass.

One question that weighs on us is how to respond to some members’ feelings that we are overcommitted or overstretched. With our numerous committees, care committees, two buildings to maintain, and a full roster of staff positions, some members wish for a greater lightness in our Society’s step. Are we attempting too much? Are our tasks and roles the right ones? Do we work in simplicity and Light? At a threshing session on this topic, a suggestion emerged that we might try a drastic winter pruning—cutting back on the number and size of our committees and endeavors, and from that cleared space, seeing what structural needs emerged. We wait to take action until we are clear we fully understand the challenges faced by staff, member/attender-volunteers, and staff support.

We have been quite clear in our commitment to properly welcoming and supporting our youngest attenders. To this end, in addition to our permanent preschool teacher, who is in her second year of working with our infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, we’ve hired two permanent First Day teachers, who provide regular programming for our elementary-aged children. (RantWoman is unsure of the precise wording re Junior Friends). A group of Junior Friends from our Meeting and South Seattle Friends Meeting meets the first week of each month.  We gather quarterly with young families at our meeting and South Seattle Friends Meeting, in order to grow our community and to share our experiences of raising children within the Quaker faith.


Our worship community includes survivors of sexual abuse as well as sexual offenders. We hold this balance carefully and with deliberate transparency. From this attention has grown a set of policies and practices geared towards the safety of our children.


At our fall community-building retreat, we considered how our worship nurtures our community. We are a large meeting, and there are many ways members and attenders find their home here: in play with our children, in connection to the homeless individuals sheltering with us who lead us to consider the plight of the homeless across our city, through the dozen individual care committees that allow us to focus our Light, through attention to the act of ministry in all its guises, by reaching out to the QuEST Fellows whose service work inspires us, enjoying each others’ company at Light Lunch, engaging in collective social action and political advocacy, tending to the native plants that surround our meeting house, and by greeting with open and attentive hearts the newcomers and old-timers with whom we meet for worship.

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