Business Meeting, oh my!

Today's Meeting for Business was full of LOTS of transitions.

This is the first month of our new clerk's term. This clerk is already very seasoned and wisely handled several schedule questions such as putting our Remodel Task Force first on the agenda.

Memorial minute for last founding member of our Meeting, check. She was 96 and passed away far away but had kept her membership with us the whole time even when she lived closer and worshipped with one of our daughter Meetings.

Our Yearly Meeting does not DO birthright memberships; Faith and Practice says junior membership ceases on one's 21st birthday. Minute recording that we dropped junior membership for 7 former junior members now in their 20's. Check.

Chagrined comment from parent of one of the more active and visible of the newly dropped Young Adult Friends about offspring not yet leaping to adult membership: Sigh. Check.

Tender comments from several others who have known many of said Young Adult Friends virtually their whole lives. Also Check.

Silent reflections from RantWoman about how much it meant when she came to Meeting toward the outer age limits of what is considered Young Adults to meet LOTS of sensible adults who were NOT her parents but whose examples could help RantWoman figure out many sensible adult issues on her own and whose role modeling in terms of gracious acceptance of and coping with eldering, feedback, community seasoning are part of what kept and KEEPS RantWoman coming back. Check. Special acknowledgment that RantWoman needs some herself now.

More comments about how some Young Adult Friends identify more with their age cohort than with specific Monthly Meetings. Check.

Silent snort from RantWoman: part of what RantWoman REALLY loves about our Meeting is the lifespan age range of those present including large numbers of quite a bit elders who in various ways steady RantWoman at many different moments. RantWoman has no idea how this relates to the Young Adult Friends' concerns and is continuing to seek light about the matter.

Ashley W. noting her last Meeting for Business as a sojourning member before her move south.. Sigh. Check.

RantWoman must now formally remind her readers that views expressed in this blog are those of RantWoman alone and DO NOT necessarily reflect anyone or anything else on behalf of her Meeting.. They are subject to change when properly seasoned with other Friends. RantWoman is not inclined to edit the past but may strive to go forward slightly differently.

If RantWoman's readers notice some subtle or maybe not always subtle changes in content of RantWoman's blog, they may assume that RantWoman has now taken her place on a certain committee long a subject of challenge in RantWoman's life and the life of her Meeting. This committee has been taking its own sweet time responding to RantWoman's request for some kind of seasoning and help about her blog, and RantWoman was relieved actually to have a real live telephone conversation with a human relating to such concerns.

The point of the phone conversation: this committee deals with many confidential matters and RantWoman is going to be accepting any and all feedback and specific concerns related to the world of blogdom and the world of seasoning matters live. As for what actually transpired in Business Meeting, RantWoman recommends telenovelas for better scriptwriting. RantWoman knows she is going to have to compile the elevator speech version and perhaps a Dial-a-Tirade version for VERY selected audiences. Other than that, RantWoman will henceforth be concentrating on her own problems and the life of her community as a whole. RantWoman expects she will have plenty to do.