Meeting for Grief and Hope
University Friends Meeting Worship Room
Saturday, July 30 1pm to 4pm,
Worship 1:30 to 2:30
Please come join us Saturday, July 30 for a Meeting for Grief and Hope to worship in the manner of Friends (silent worship), sharing our sorrow at the violence and deaths in Norway and our hope for a peaceful, multi-cultural future. This meeting for worship feels particularly needed because the victims in Norway were targeted because of their commitment to working toward a peaceful, multi-cultural world.
Let us gather to seek what love would have us do.
The title “Meeting for Grief and Hope” comes from the many gatherings held in the last few days in Norway as Norwegians deal with what has happened in their country. Jamal Rahman, a Muslim Sufi minister at the Interfaith Community Church in Seattle will worship with us.
Noon to 1:00pm – Come early and help set up
1:00pm – Gathering begins
1:30pm-2:30pm – Silent worship in the Worship Room
2:30pm-4:00pm – Social gathering outside
4:00pm-5:00pm – Clean Up
Because our social hall is under construction, hospitality will be
limited to finger foods and drinks outside in the Quaker House backyard.
If you would like to help put on this event, and do not already know how to contact the clerk of Worship and Ministry, leave a comment and RantWoman will route directly.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
The Most Recent Draft of the Overconsumption / Overpopulation Minute
Okay, okay, RantWoman wants EVERYTHING. RantWoman wants not only the most recent version of the overconsumption / overpopulation minute, she also wants notes from the minutes of the plenary.
RantWoman is also humble about her own limited capacity to interact with so many words on short notice during the Annual Session Business process. RantWoman is meditating about what to do about that including perhaps brutal editing. In the meantime, the version of this minute presented at the plenary July 15.
REVISED MINUTE ON POPULATION STABILIZATION
OUR VISION of an earth restored includes all creation thriving long into the future. It appears that our species is currently exceeding or on its way to exceeding the carrying capacity of the Earth. Current technological practices and consumption patterns waste precious resources and disrupt natural life and mineral cycles. As Americans, we recognize that in order to maintain our standard of living, we and other wealthy nations and peoples have been exploiting the resources of others around the globe, contributing to poverty and increased pressure on local resources.
.
In addition, world population has been growing at over 75 million persons per year, over 200,000 persons per day, over 8,500 per hour. Previously, world food production managed to keep up with increases in human population. Now we are reaching or have exceeded the limits of arable land, ocean fish populations, fresh underground water, fossil fuels, and other resources, and are crowding out the spaces and resources essential to other species. To accommodate the pressure of growing human population and consumption, forests are being cut down at the rate of 5,000 acres per hour, water tables are being drawn down at alarming rates, and wastes and poisons are polluting the air, water, and land at an increasing pace. Population growth is also a factor in persistent public health problems, poverty, crime, and wars.
In order to realize our Quaker vision of a peaceful, just society, we must seek ways to stabilize human population and consumption at levels that are sustainable for humans as well as all creation. As Friends in the United States, we realize that action begins with us as well as with others, seeking to live more lightly on the earth, seeing God in each person, and practicing what love can do. We also recognize that the reasons for population growth are greatly varied, and we encourage the development of deeper understandings of these complex issues.
We call for efforts to end the structural inequalities that perpetuate poverty and contribute to high birth rates, as well as voluntary measures to promote appropriate family size and reduced consumption, including (1) access to family planning services worldwide, (2) raising the status of women, and better access to education for women and men, both of which are key elements in reducing population, (3) support for those who choose adoption, shared childrearing, or to live childless, while honoring biological parenthood for those who choose that, (4) simpler lifestyles in high-consuming nations such as the United States, including fewer possessions, greater sharing, and more responsible choices in what we eat such as reduced consumption of meat, and (5) increased research on sustainable methods of food production, energy production, and other ways to meet human needs throughout the world without sacrificing the health of natural systems or the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
We believe that these and other voluntary approaches should be vigorously pursued now to avoid the inevitability of more coercive measures by societies in the future to maintain a needed balance of resources between present and future generations of humans and other species.
We urge Friends and others everywhere to join us in pursuing these and other population stabilization measures in our personal lives and in our local communities, states, and nations.
7/15/11
RantWoman is also humble about her own limited capacity to interact with so many words on short notice during the Annual Session Business process. RantWoman is meditating about what to do about that including perhaps brutal editing. In the meantime, the version of this minute presented at the plenary July 15.
REVISED MINUTE ON POPULATION STABILIZATION
OUR VISION of an earth restored includes all creation thriving long into the future. It appears that our species is currently exceeding or on its way to exceeding the carrying capacity of the Earth. Current technological practices and consumption patterns waste precious resources and disrupt natural life and mineral cycles. As Americans, we recognize that in order to maintain our standard of living, we and other wealthy nations and peoples have been exploiting the resources of others around the globe, contributing to poverty and increased pressure on local resources.
.
In addition, world population has been growing at over 75 million persons per year, over 200,000 persons per day, over 8,500 per hour. Previously, world food production managed to keep up with increases in human population. Now we are reaching or have exceeded the limits of arable land, ocean fish populations, fresh underground water, fossil fuels, and other resources, and are crowding out the spaces and resources essential to other species. To accommodate the pressure of growing human population and consumption, forests are being cut down at the rate of 5,000 acres per hour, water tables are being drawn down at alarming rates, and wastes and poisons are polluting the air, water, and land at an increasing pace. Population growth is also a factor in persistent public health problems, poverty, crime, and wars.
In order to realize our Quaker vision of a peaceful, just society, we must seek ways to stabilize human population and consumption at levels that are sustainable for humans as well as all creation. As Friends in the United States, we realize that action begins with us as well as with others, seeking to live more lightly on the earth, seeing God in each person, and practicing what love can do. We also recognize that the reasons for population growth are greatly varied, and we encourage the development of deeper understandings of these complex issues.
We call for efforts to end the structural inequalities that perpetuate poverty and contribute to high birth rates, as well as voluntary measures to promote appropriate family size and reduced consumption, including (1) access to family planning services worldwide, (2) raising the status of women, and better access to education for women and men, both of which are key elements in reducing population, (3) support for those who choose adoption, shared childrearing, or to live childless, while honoring biological parenthood for those who choose that, (4) simpler lifestyles in high-consuming nations such as the United States, including fewer possessions, greater sharing, and more responsible choices in what we eat such as reduced consumption of meat, and (5) increased research on sustainable methods of food production, energy production, and other ways to meet human needs throughout the world without sacrificing the health of natural systems or the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
We believe that these and other voluntary approaches should be vigorously pursued now to avoid the inevitability of more coercive measures by societies in the future to maintain a needed balance of resources between present and future generations of humans and other species.
We urge Friends and others everywhere to join us in pursuing these and other population stabilization measures in our personal lives and in our local communities, states, and nations.
7/15/11
Population / overconsumption / Climate Change
RantWoman returned from Quaker summer camp, aka NPYM Annual Session with her mind overflowing with inclinations to froth at the keyboard. RantWoman is unclear that her time available to froth will measure up to these inclinations but does want to note a couple links while they are fresh in her consciousness:
Contains the first draft of the "overpopulation" minute presented by NPYM Peace and Social Concerns at one of the early plenaries.
http://westernfriend.org/2011/06/north-paficic-yearly-meeting-annual-session-days-one-two/
RantWoman uses the drafters' term: population / overpopulation even though what emerged from multiple rounds of discussion at Annual Session is more about overconsumption!
A draft petition RantWoman received in the same time interval about climate change which specifically calls out the problem of which countries are currently the leading emitters of greenhouse gases. RantWoman includes it here in light of the directions the seasoning took during Business Meeting.
http://climateethicscampaign.org/statement
Further notes in the not-prettied-up, RantWoman tends to tell too much of the truth vein for which RantWoman is all too famous.
RantWoman spoke to a Friend from the Meeting where the proposed minute originated. That Friend said she was most definitely not at unity with the minute when it went forward.
Friends at the plenary mentioned in the link referenced above were not at unity with the minute the first time it came up. RantWoman is unclear whether the plenary minutes will get posted so Friends can evaluate the issues themselves.
The second time the minute came up, some changes had been made but Friends still assuredly were NOT at unity. Words like racism and overconsumption in the developed world were spoken repeatedly. There was vocal ministry of various sorts, including RantWoman's firm leading to ask for language about seeking Divine Light as we all learn to live in really changed circumstances.
And the minute was returned to Peace and Social Concerns to be worked over again this coming year. A strong suggestion was made that those seasoning the next iteration of this minute take into account what might be shared of responses gathered at the upcoming World Gathering of Friends to FWCC's queries about Global Change.
RantWoman thinks that, even though those bringing the minute are getting very strong messages only very slowly, the entire exercise is extremely valuable because the minute touches topics that affect our whole entire community and very rich discussion is progressing. RantWoman felt especially called to underscore the point about getting the entire community to carry the concern. For one thing, the Friend from the Meeting where the minute originated was still feeling both responsible and heartily sick of how long it is taking others to get her message. RantWoman can see her point about Quaker time!
La Times article
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-harte-population-20110721,0,715317.story
Contains the first draft of the "overpopulation" minute presented by NPYM Peace and Social Concerns at one of the early plenaries.
http://westernfriend.org/2011/06/north-paficic-yearly-meeting-annual-session-days-one-two/
RantWoman uses the drafters' term: population / overpopulation even though what emerged from multiple rounds of discussion at Annual Session is more about overconsumption!
A draft petition RantWoman received in the same time interval about climate change which specifically calls out the problem of which countries are currently the leading emitters of greenhouse gases. RantWoman includes it here in light of the directions the seasoning took during Business Meeting.
http://climateethicscampaign.org/statement
Further notes in the not-prettied-up, RantWoman tends to tell too much of the truth vein for which RantWoman is all too famous.
RantWoman spoke to a Friend from the Meeting where the proposed minute originated. That Friend said she was most definitely not at unity with the minute when it went forward.
Friends at the plenary mentioned in the link referenced above were not at unity with the minute the first time it came up. RantWoman is unclear whether the plenary minutes will get posted so Friends can evaluate the issues themselves.
The second time the minute came up, some changes had been made but Friends still assuredly were NOT at unity. Words like racism and overconsumption in the developed world were spoken repeatedly. There was vocal ministry of various sorts, including RantWoman's firm leading to ask for language about seeking Divine Light as we all learn to live in really changed circumstances.
And the minute was returned to Peace and Social Concerns to be worked over again this coming year. A strong suggestion was made that those seasoning the next iteration of this minute take into account what might be shared of responses gathered at the upcoming World Gathering of Friends to FWCC's queries about Global Change.
RantWoman thinks that, even though those bringing the minute are getting very strong messages only very slowly, the entire exercise is extremely valuable because the minute touches topics that affect our whole entire community and very rich discussion is progressing. RantWoman felt especially called to underscore the point about getting the entire community to carry the concern. For one thing, the Friend from the Meeting where the minute originated was still feeling both responsible and heartily sick of how long it is taking others to get her message. RantWoman can see her point about Quaker time!
La Times article
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-harte-population-20110721,0,715317.story
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Service Animals
RantWoman is digesting many circumstances from her recent journey to Quaker summer camp, the Annual Session of North Pacific Yearly Meeting. One event that RantWoman finds it very easy to write up quickly and with deep gratitude is the continuing evolution of the service animal concern RantWoman was called to raise over the last year in connection with Quarterly Meeting.
Annual Session always includes plenty of meetings which are convenient because those involved are already assembled in one place. One example is the quarterly meeting of representatives from Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups in Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting. RantWoman does not currently have any reason to go to this meeting except to follow up on her concerns about service dogs.
The recent meeting featured:
--thoughtful detailed research by our registrar.
--clear guidance as to the law.
--clear recognition by Friends that service dogs, people with allergies, and a host of other difficulties are to be accommodated in our gatherings.
RantWoman in addition notes particular gratitude and appreciation for:
--the many gifts and steadfast service of our registrar.
--space to discuss the question without either the hurt of past incidents or any specific current situations.
--the presence of the right combination of people in the room. RantWoman learned during a ministry of car ride moment that service dogs had in fact come up previously at this body. Everyone there thought "why should there be any problem." RantWoman is humble because she had not spelled out the previous past incident at the point of the meeting in February. Other people able to speak to other points also were not present previously. RantWoman is so grateful all the needed people and information lined up this time around!
RantWoman is SO GRATEFUL to share this burden. RantWoman feels very humble about the extent to which her saying "make it so" was picked up by others who could be calmer and interact more incisively than RantWoman could.
Finally, in case RantWoman's readers think they are going to make it through an entire post without engaging RantWoman's ranting proclivities at least once, RantWoman presents a real live apparent service animal moment from the Annual Session dining experience.
Ambassador Thwack was made to work once in the cafeteria but he was unhelpful as to the main vexations of that realm and RantWoman opted just to indulge his bent toward indolence. For RantWoman's trouble she got to be grateful several times to avoid a small though thankfully well-behaved dog on a leash which RantWoman can only assume is some kind of a service dog. Of course according to the law there is no way to ask. RantWoman darn well HOPES it's some kind of service dog because if she ever trips over the hound and breaks her face.... (Okay, easy, breathe, center...be glad the aggravation level is merely about average.)
Annual Session always includes plenty of meetings which are convenient because those involved are already assembled in one place. One example is the quarterly meeting of representatives from Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups in Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting. RantWoman does not currently have any reason to go to this meeting except to follow up on her concerns about service dogs.
The recent meeting featured:
--thoughtful detailed research by our registrar.
--clear guidance as to the law.
--clear recognition by Friends that service dogs, people with allergies, and a host of other difficulties are to be accommodated in our gatherings.
RantWoman in addition notes particular gratitude and appreciation for:
--the many gifts and steadfast service of our registrar.
--space to discuss the question without either the hurt of past incidents or any specific current situations.
--the presence of the right combination of people in the room. RantWoman learned during a ministry of car ride moment that service dogs had in fact come up previously at this body. Everyone there thought "why should there be any problem." RantWoman is humble because she had not spelled out the previous past incident at the point of the meeting in February. Other people able to speak to other points also were not present previously. RantWoman is so grateful all the needed people and information lined up this time around!
RantWoman is SO GRATEFUL to share this burden. RantWoman feels very humble about the extent to which her saying "make it so" was picked up by others who could be calmer and interact more incisively than RantWoman could.
Finally, in case RantWoman's readers think they are going to make it through an entire post without engaging RantWoman's ranting proclivities at least once, RantWoman presents a real live apparent service animal moment from the Annual Session dining experience.
Ambassador Thwack was made to work once in the cafeteria but he was unhelpful as to the main vexations of that realm and RantWoman opted just to indulge his bent toward indolence. For RantWoman's trouble she got to be grateful several times to avoid a small though thankfully well-behaved dog on a leash which RantWoman can only assume is some kind of a service dog. Of course according to the law there is no way to ask. RantWoman darn well HOPES it's some kind of service dog because if she ever trips over the hound and breaks her face.... (Okay, easy, breathe, center...be glad the aggravation level is merely about average.)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Quaker audio items for filing cabinet
One of RantWoman's goals in the blog as filing cabinet model of electronic raggedness is just to be able to find resources of specific categories sometimes without casting about among the turbulent waves of internet information floods. To that end, some links that do not necessarily always get you directly to audio but do get closer faster...
http://www.pym.org/blogs/sadie-forsythe/friend-speaks-my-mind-quaker-audio-experiment
look here for the composting quakerism podcast which RantWoman still has not interacted very much with.
http://gatheringinlight.com/
Peterson Toscano:
http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/
http://gatheringinlight.com/
http://www.pym.org/blogs/sadie-forsythe/friend-speaks-my-mind-quaker-audio-experiment
look here for the composting quakerism podcast which RantWoman still has not interacted very much with.
http://gatheringinlight.com/
Peterson Toscano:
http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/
http://gatheringinlight.com/
Monday, July 11, 2011
NPYM Annual Session Daily Bulletin Decrees of the Editor
Dear Friends,
I am writing as your Daily Bulletin editor. Here are some tips to help get our daily bulletin out on time and in forms that Friends can enjoy and use during NPYM Annual Session.
Daily Bulletins will be published Thursday July 14-Sunday July 17 of NPYM Annual Session.
Deadline for submissions is 7 pm sharp the night before each edition. Submissions may be made by posting a comment here, equivalent to emailing RantWoman, on paper in the designated box in the Annual Session office, or by phone / voice mail (number available in other fora) . If you make submissions on paper, it would be helpful to have a way to contact you in case of questions. If you make submissions by phone, please spell names of people and places. I am happy to receive submissions for the Thursday edition in advance by email.
Submissions should be brief and may be edited for clarity, space, and other considerations.
In consideration of NPYM minutes on earth care and resource conservation, only a limited number will be printed; if you would like to receive your Daily Bulletin by email, please either post a comment here or send a request directly to the posted email address.
In consultation with the Presiding Clerk and the Clerk of the NPYM IT committee, we suggest using the Twitter hashtag #11npym to help people find topical Tweets. This is an experiment. Please DO NOT submit Daily Bulletin announcemetns by Twitter because they may not be read!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Annual Session.
In the Light.
(RantWoman)
PS In case you think RantWoman has only bureaucratic interest in Annual Session, RantWoman highly recommends a preliminary peek at the queries for 4 days of Worship Sharing:
http://theredelectric.blogspot.com/2011/07/practically-spiritual.html
I am writing as your Daily Bulletin editor. Here are some tips to help get our daily bulletin out on time and in forms that Friends can enjoy and use during NPYM Annual Session.
Daily Bulletins will be published Thursday July 14-Sunday July 17 of NPYM Annual Session.
Deadline for submissions is 7 pm sharp the night before each edition. Submissions may be made by posting a comment here, equivalent to emailing RantWoman, on paper in the designated box in the Annual Session office, or by phone / voice mail (number available in other fora) . If you make submissions on paper, it would be helpful to have a way to contact you in case of questions. If you make submissions by phone, please spell names of people and places. I am happy to receive submissions for the Thursday edition in advance by email.
Submissions should be brief and may be edited for clarity, space, and other considerations.
In consideration of NPYM minutes on earth care and resource conservation, only a limited number will be printed; if you would like to receive your Daily Bulletin by email, please either post a comment here or send a request directly to the posted email address.
In consultation with the Presiding Clerk and the Clerk of the NPYM IT committee, we suggest using the Twitter hashtag #11npym to help people find topical Tweets. This is an experiment. Please DO NOT submit Daily Bulletin announcemetns by Twitter because they may not be read!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Annual Session.
In the Light.
(RantWoman)
PS In case you think RantWoman has only bureaucratic interest in Annual Session, RantWoman highly recommends a preliminary peek at the queries for 4 days of Worship Sharing:
http://theredelectric.blogspot.com/2011/07/practically-spiritual.html
Vocal Ministry Stats
Warning: the following is only part of RantWoman's spiritual excursion during Meeting for Worship this week. Only part of this got shared and only by phone.
RantWoman of late has been compiling a mental list of frequent flyer Friends, Friends who seem rather often to feel called to offer vocal ministry. Some of the ministry turns out to be weighty. Some of the time RantWoman finds herself wishing that Frequent Flyer Friends would subject their leadings to particularly fierce scrutiny. In particular, should these Friends take care, sit in expectant waiting rather longer than usual to see whether their message gets delivered from others' lips?
RantWoman admits to a certain flair for the quantitative. Inspired by the world of baseball where RantWoman wanders only rarely, RantWoman even found herself formulating a numerical frequent flyer index, the percentage of a Friend's messages that RantWoman wishes would wait to emerge from others' mouths.
Bear in mind, RantWoman is judgmental and opinionated, but even RantWoman would never permit herself to assign a frequent flyer index of 1, the suggestion that 100% of a Friend's messages should be forced to wait to be delivered through others' mouths. Meeting for Worship, after all is an act of faith. Messages meaningless to one are sometimes deeply moving to others. Friends who can muster absolutely no faith or forebearance for the Light as it arrives to their neighbors, either those who speak or those who listen, should at least face stern eldering. This most definitely includes RantWoman.
Nor would RantWoman make more than rare exceptions and assign a frequent flyer index of 2, equivalent to batting 500 in baseball. Okay, okay, in the case of one Frequent Flyer, RantWoman gets simply to be grateful that the Friend moved away before RantWoman got around to deciding what index to apply.
Today's worship featured Hold Friend in the Light Traumatic circumstance Pastoral Concern Definitely Due Friend flanked on either side by two Friends, Friends RantWoman respects and esteems but to whom RantWoman would still assign Frequent Flyer indexes somewhere between 5 and 6, Poetic Friend and Call Me Up and I will Figure it out For you Friend.
Lately Poetic Friend's messages have all been short, Heminwayesque. RantWoman appreciates brevity but herself tends to favor more florid word flow. RantWoman persists in her frequent flyer rating even though there is a great risk that Poetic Friend's messages would emerge more verbose and muddled if the Holy Spirit gave them to someone else. RantWoman is aware of many circumstances calling her voice to vexation around Poetic Friend so RantWoman feels especially called to check whether others assign Poetic Friend any kind of Frequent Flyer index at all.
Call Me Up Friend's messages run longer and frequently more judgmental and tied to specific circumstances than those of Poetic Friend. Today's offering came right at the end of worship. It was a "Thank you so much; maybe someone else will share on this difficult theme" message. RantWoman would SO like it if that Friend had exercised restraint RantWoman's gripe with today's offering: RantWoman had ALMOST gotten her mental broom closet lined up well enough to do exactly that, but Call Me Up Friend sucked away the last of the time and someone closed worship rather directly. So now, is RantWoman actually going to call up Call Me up Friend and say this...?
OR...
Is RantWoman going to call up Call Me Up ... Friend and talk about her beloved baseball, say fantasy baseball teams? See, RantWoman thinks just MAYBE Call Me Up ... Friend would relate to a long passed away gay friend of RantWoman's who compiled fantasy baseball teams based not on the statistics some fantasy baseball team compilers rely on but on long passed away friend's ratings of players' physical appearance.
Here RantWoman must acknowledge a problem, a full-on testimony on equality problem in the realm of gender equality: RantWoman would unquestionably consider long-deceased friend's ogling practices sexist if he directed them at women. RantWoman does not think it terrible if men also experience frank ogling, either by Call Me Up ... Friend or by long-deceased friend. Either way, though, RantWoman finds it all just a bit much but she is amused to get from frequent flyer vocal ministry to fantasy baseball to questions of gender equality around the Religious society of Friends
http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/gender-equality-and-the-religious-society-of-friends/
Just imagine where RantWoman could get with a real travel budget.
RantWoman of late has been compiling a mental list of frequent flyer Friends, Friends who seem rather often to feel called to offer vocal ministry. Some of the ministry turns out to be weighty. Some of the time RantWoman finds herself wishing that Frequent Flyer Friends would subject their leadings to particularly fierce scrutiny. In particular, should these Friends take care, sit in expectant waiting rather longer than usual to see whether their message gets delivered from others' lips?
RantWoman admits to a certain flair for the quantitative. Inspired by the world of baseball where RantWoman wanders only rarely, RantWoman even found herself formulating a numerical frequent flyer index, the percentage of a Friend's messages that RantWoman wishes would wait to emerge from others' mouths.
Bear in mind, RantWoman is judgmental and opinionated, but even RantWoman would never permit herself to assign a frequent flyer index of 1, the suggestion that 100% of a Friend's messages should be forced to wait to be delivered through others' mouths. Meeting for Worship, after all is an act of faith. Messages meaningless to one are sometimes deeply moving to others. Friends who can muster absolutely no faith or forebearance for the Light as it arrives to their neighbors, either those who speak or those who listen, should at least face stern eldering. This most definitely includes RantWoman.
Nor would RantWoman make more than rare exceptions and assign a frequent flyer index of 2, equivalent to batting 500 in baseball. Okay, okay, in the case of one Frequent Flyer, RantWoman gets simply to be grateful that the Friend moved away before RantWoman got around to deciding what index to apply.
Today's worship featured Hold Friend in the Light Traumatic circumstance Pastoral Concern Definitely Due Friend flanked on either side by two Friends, Friends RantWoman respects and esteems but to whom RantWoman would still assign Frequent Flyer indexes somewhere between 5 and 6, Poetic Friend and Call Me Up and I will Figure it out For you Friend.
Lately Poetic Friend's messages have all been short, Heminwayesque. RantWoman appreciates brevity but herself tends to favor more florid word flow. RantWoman persists in her frequent flyer rating even though there is a great risk that Poetic Friend's messages would emerge more verbose and muddled if the Holy Spirit gave them to someone else. RantWoman is aware of many circumstances calling her voice to vexation around Poetic Friend so RantWoman feels especially called to check whether others assign Poetic Friend any kind of Frequent Flyer index at all.
Call Me Up Friend's messages run longer and frequently more judgmental and tied to specific circumstances than those of Poetic Friend. Today's offering came right at the end of worship. It was a "Thank you so much; maybe someone else will share on this difficult theme" message. RantWoman would SO like it if that Friend had exercised restraint RantWoman's gripe with today's offering: RantWoman had ALMOST gotten her mental broom closet lined up well enough to do exactly that, but Call Me Up Friend sucked away the last of the time and someone closed worship rather directly. So now, is RantWoman actually going to call up Call Me up Friend and say this...?
OR...
Is RantWoman going to call up Call Me Up ... Friend and talk about her beloved baseball, say fantasy baseball teams? See, RantWoman thinks just MAYBE Call Me Up ... Friend would relate to a long passed away gay friend of RantWoman's who compiled fantasy baseball teams based not on the statistics some fantasy baseball team compilers rely on but on long passed away friend's ratings of players' physical appearance.
Here RantWoman must acknowledge a problem, a full-on testimony on equality problem in the realm of gender equality: RantWoman would unquestionably consider long-deceased friend's ogling practices sexist if he directed them at women. RantWoman does not think it terrible if men also experience frank ogling, either by Call Me Up ... Friend or by long-deceased friend. Either way, though, RantWoman finds it all just a bit much but she is amused to get from frequent flyer vocal ministry to fantasy baseball to questions of gender equality around the Religious society of Friends
http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/gender-equality-and-the-religious-society-of-friends/
Just imagine where RantWoman could get with a real travel budget.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Freedom Project Fundraiser July 15
Led by long-standing Quaker involvement and a personal concern for Prison reform and Nonviolent Communication, Seaoned Friend has recently joined the board of directors for Freedom Project.
http://www.freedom-project.org/
Freedom Project is a Fremont based non-profit that fosters community by teaching Non-Violent Communication and Mindfulness to convicts in Washington State prisons
and works with returnees in our local Seattle neighborhoods. It is an impressive organization that does wonderful work with almost no resources. Freedom Project is holding a fundraiser at Om
Cultural Center at 7pm on 15 July which will feature Dave Dahl of Dave's Killer Bread. All members of the UFM community are invited to attend. A $10 donation is requested at the door and we invite guests to bring their checkbooks for an evening filled with Playback Theater, Music, and Stories of Courage and of Heart!
http://www.freedom-project.org/
Freedom Project is a Fremont based non-profit that fosters community by teaching Non-Violent Communication and Mindfulness to convicts in Washington State prisons
and works with returnees in our local Seattle neighborhoods. It is an impressive organization that does wonderful work with almost no resources. Freedom Project is holding a fundraiser at Om
Cultural Center at 7pm on 15 July which will feature Dave Dahl of Dave's Killer Bread. All members of the UFM community are invited to attend. A $10 donation is requested at the door and we invite guests to bring their checkbooks for an evening filled with Playback Theater, Music, and Stories of Courage and of Heart!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Greater Tacoma Peace Prize
RantWoman phone conversation in connection with a visitation by the 2011 convention of the Lions Club international:
I will trade you one Greater Tacoma Peace Prize
http://www.tacomapeaceprize.org/
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/news-and-events/international-convention/about-the-convention/parade/index.php
full disclosure: when RantWoman put OSSB Lions Seattle into the search engine of her choice, the entry from her non-Quaker RantWoman blog popped out on top. Than RantWoman realized she had reprinted the press release above.
from the Rose Parade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SavfY5gHV70#Rose Parade video
I will trade you one Greater Tacoma Peace Prize
http://www.tacomapeaceprize.org/
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/news-and-events/international-convention/about-the-convention/parade/index.php
full disclosure: when RantWoman put OSSB Lions Seattle into the search engine of her choice, the entry from her non-Quaker RantWoman blog popped out on top. Than RantWoman realized she had reprinted the press release above.
from the Rose Parade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SavfY5gHV70#Rose Parade video
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Healed, Blessed, Jesus!
If Readers want a concise excursion through a single topic RantWoman is also highly familiar with, you could do worse than this item.
http://www.matildaziegler.com/2011/07/05/feature-writer-alena-roberts-prayer-will-not-cure-my-blindness/
RantWoman is more of a believer than the writer above; RantWoman is unclear whether that helps in such moments.
If you are game for another ride at the RantWoman Spiritual Amusement Park, allow RantWoman to discourse further about a similar adventure. Recently RantWoman and Ambassador Thwack were fogging home along a busy street from the RantFamily Fourth of July Festivity.
A white pickup truck pulled up alongside RantWoman and then turned into a driveway ahead of RantWoman, blocking RantWoman's path in the sort of intrusive way that, if RantWoman still had active stalker issues in her life would make her immediately want to cross the street, unfeasible at that point. By the time RantWoman reached the driveway, a man had gotten out. He placed his hands on RantWoman's arms and proclaimed "Jesus loves you."
RantWoman "and he loves you as well" (GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME BEFORE I HAVE YOU CHARGED WITH ASSAULT!)
Man from Pickup "In the name of Jesus, I proclaim you healed."
RantWoman (Okay, sure. Lord knows, there's A LOT I probably need to be healed of; it did not occur to me to ask, healed of what? I THINK he meant vision and I sure cannot tell any difference I must have been healed of SOMETHING. Maybe it didn't take. Or maybe it only lasted a nanosecond or two. But, sure, thanks ever so much.) "Thank you."
Man from Pickup "Have a blessed day!"
RantWoman, beating a fast path further on her spirited journey, (Oh heavens, another white person who uses the word "blessed" in the 'hood!) "You too!"
http://www.matildaziegler.com/2011/07/05/feature-writer-alena-roberts-prayer-will-not-cure-my-blindness/
RantWoman is more of a believer than the writer above; RantWoman is unclear whether that helps in such moments.
If you are game for another ride at the RantWoman Spiritual Amusement Park, allow RantWoman to discourse further about a similar adventure. Recently RantWoman and Ambassador Thwack were fogging home along a busy street from the RantFamily Fourth of July Festivity.
A white pickup truck pulled up alongside RantWoman and then turned into a driveway ahead of RantWoman, blocking RantWoman's path in the sort of intrusive way that, if RantWoman still had active stalker issues in her life would make her immediately want to cross the street, unfeasible at that point. By the time RantWoman reached the driveway, a man had gotten out. He placed his hands on RantWoman's arms and proclaimed "Jesus loves you."
RantWoman "and he loves you as well" (GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME BEFORE I HAVE YOU CHARGED WITH ASSAULT!)
Man from Pickup "In the name of Jesus, I proclaim you healed."
RantWoman (Okay, sure. Lord knows, there's A LOT I probably need to be healed of; it did not occur to me to ask, healed of what? I THINK he meant vision and I sure cannot tell any difference I must have been healed of SOMETHING. Maybe it didn't take. Or maybe it only lasted a nanosecond or two. But, sure, thanks ever so much.) "Thank you."
Man from Pickup "Have a blessed day!"
RantWoman, beating a fast path further on her spirited journey, (Oh heavens, another white person who uses the word "blessed" in the 'hood!) "You too!"
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Crazy Holy Hungry Ones / Apostatepalooza
RantWoman's summer travel plans are leaning heavily toward books on her new Kindle and a couple weekends heavy on indoor obligations and and hopefully not too heavy on insects. None of that is preventing her from being enthralled by opportunities for vicarious enjoyment of other people's encounters with spirituality, diversity, and as needed insects.
RantWoman's blog roll served up several items about the first Wild Goose, an interfaith festival of art spirituality and action:
http://www.wildgoosefestival.org/intro
Julie Clawson
“Blessed are the good-hearted, poets, and the dreamers. And all us crazy, holy, hungry ones who still believe in something better.”
http://blog.sojo.net/2011/06/30/crazy-holy-hungry-ones-my-wild-goose-festival-reflection/
RantWoman especially wants to uphold the bravery of parents who travel to such events with young children. That is something the RantParents never would have attempted.
Sojourners staffperson Heather Wilson
http://blog.sojo.net/2011/07/01/dissenters-monastics-and-doubters-my-kind-of-faith-at-the-wild-goose-festival/
and Peterson Toscano reminding readers that comfortable as one can be in some locales, congregations and individuals still stuggle mightily:
http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/what-i-carried-into-wild-goose/
RantWoman had a conversation recently about how "speaking Baptist" sometimes helps her find ways to speak across Friends lines of history; n the case of Wild Goose, RantWoman is wondering whether any Friends were led to participate. Personally, RantWoman thinks this event sounds like FUN even though she is confident she would not automatically fully "fit in" any better than she does anywhere else, RantWoman always being able to find some vexation leading to some or antoher form of apostasy.
RantWoman is also busily upholding everyone gathered at FGC
http://www.fgcquaker.org/gathering
and MAY even trak thinks via #11fgc.
And for nostalgia's sake:
http://peacecampherstory.blogspot.com/
Full disclosure: this blog is part of an oral history project for something RantWoman in her youth and sometimes Amazing Artist Friend spent a lot of time at. RantWoman participated in an interview but for eccentric reasons has not felt clear to sign a release for use of her image.
Last time RantWoman and Amazing Artist Friend talked by phone, we were reminiscing about peace camp, the peace camp witches, and numerous threads that someone who has not lived through might or might not even want to fathom. We were especially bemused both by references to the tracks left over in state bureaucratic practice from Woodstock and by interpersonal drama way beyond the imaginings of a couple church lady peaceniks who just wanted to hang out with our girlfriends and talk about peace. There would also be the exasperating and exhilarating realities of interfaith collisions, Jews, Christians, agnostics, quite the range of goddess worshippers and feminist spirituality.
RantWoman also remembers LOTS of challenges about accessibility. A wooden path was constructed to make it easier for people to get around. Construction involved lots of heroic efforts, in a few cases by complete novices about construction work. RantWoman supposes that attributing the challenges of group meetings to different cognitive styles would be the height of diplomacy. Meals presented innumerable challenges for instace for Blind Roommate when she visited. Lots of women found taking a shower outdoors with solar-heated water kind of a trial though RantWoman is especially prone to nostalgia about that practice. Maybe reminiscence is as close to insects as RantWOman should try to be this summer.
RantWoman's blog roll served up several items about the first Wild Goose, an interfaith festival of art spirituality and action:
http://www.wildgoosefestival.org/intro
Julie Clawson
“Blessed are the good-hearted, poets, and the dreamers. And all us crazy, holy, hungry ones who still believe in something better.”
http://blog.sojo.net/2011/06/30/crazy-holy-hungry-ones-my-wild-goose-festival-reflection/
RantWoman especially wants to uphold the bravery of parents who travel to such events with young children. That is something the RantParents never would have attempted.
Sojourners staffperson Heather Wilson
http://blog.sojo.net/2011/07/01/dissenters-monastics-and-doubters-my-kind-of-faith-at-the-wild-goose-festival/
and Peterson Toscano reminding readers that comfortable as one can be in some locales, congregations and individuals still stuggle mightily:
http://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/what-i-carried-into-wild-goose/
RantWoman had a conversation recently about how "speaking Baptist" sometimes helps her find ways to speak across Friends lines of history; n the case of Wild Goose, RantWoman is wondering whether any Friends were led to participate. Personally, RantWoman thinks this event sounds like FUN even though she is confident she would not automatically fully "fit in" any better than she does anywhere else, RantWoman always being able to find some vexation leading to some or antoher form of apostasy.
RantWoman is also busily upholding everyone gathered at FGC
http://www.fgcquaker.org/gathering
and MAY even trak thinks via #11fgc.
And for nostalgia's sake:
http://peacecampherstory.blogspot.com/
Full disclosure: this blog is part of an oral history project for something RantWoman in her youth and sometimes Amazing Artist Friend spent a lot of time at. RantWoman participated in an interview but for eccentric reasons has not felt clear to sign a release for use of her image.
Last time RantWoman and Amazing Artist Friend talked by phone, we were reminiscing about peace camp, the peace camp witches, and numerous threads that someone who has not lived through might or might not even want to fathom. We were especially bemused both by references to the tracks left over in state bureaucratic practice from Woodstock and by interpersonal drama way beyond the imaginings of a couple church lady peaceniks who just wanted to hang out with our girlfriends and talk about peace. There would also be the exasperating and exhilarating realities of interfaith collisions, Jews, Christians, agnostics, quite the range of goddess worshippers and feminist spirituality.
RantWoman also remembers LOTS of challenges about accessibility. A wooden path was constructed to make it easier for people to get around. Construction involved lots of heroic efforts, in a few cases by complete novices about construction work. RantWoman supposes that attributing the challenges of group meetings to different cognitive styles would be the height of diplomacy. Meals presented innumerable challenges for instace for Blind Roommate when she visited. Lots of women found taking a shower outdoors with solar-heated water kind of a trial though RantWoman is especially prone to nostalgia about that practice. Maybe reminiscence is as close to insects as RantWOman should try to be this summer.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Agnes Schmoe
Welcome to this Memorial Meeting for Worship to remember and rejoice in Agnes Schmoe's life. We ill sit together, at first in silence; at times an individual may be moved to speak, offering a memory or a message. All are welcome to do this. This celebration will come to a close when we shake hands with our neighbors.
RantWoman does not know when she first met Agnes Schmoe or how Agnes so deeply and immediately impressed RantWoman. RantWoman thinks it must have been at Annual Session, either in a worship-sharing group or interest group where she first met Agnes. RantWoman only knows that a few weeks ago when she learned that Agnes had passed away, RantWoman immediately knew she would be called to try to attend the memorial held June 25 at Eastgate Church of Christ in Bellevue.
RantWoman apologizes: RantWoman tried to find a link for an online obituary but completely lost patience with the torrents of ads and general electrified muddle spewing out of her search engine. RantWoman is going to settle for correct spelling of Agnes' name and let her readers filter for themselves.
Agnes was tall and gracious and dignified long past when it was easy for her to stand to her full height. Agnes was the daughter-in-law of our founding member Floyd Schmoe who also was tall. RantWoman thinks Agnes' height alone probably helped her hold her own with the Schmoes. In worship the Sunday after Agnes' death was announced a Friend shared a point RantWoman already knew: Agnes' husband of 52 years Ken, was killed by a falling tree while walking in the woods after a snowstorm. RantWoman did not know, until she heard in worship, that Ken died pushing Agnes out of the way of the falling tree.
Agnes was born in Canada but grew up in Seattle. Her mother died when she was three and a brother died while she was in her teens. Agnes went to nursing school in MN. She and Ken worked for a time in New York at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital before returning to the Seattle area, eventually settling near Issaquah and Tiger Mountain.
Agnes was passionate about children, education, cooking, gardening, bees, education, schools, peace. Agnes became a US citizen so that she could vote in school levy elections and maintained lifelong engagement in peace causes and politics including longtime service as a precinct committee officer, protestor at Bangor submarine base, letter-to-the-editor writer.
The memorial bulletin writes:
Agnes never stopped trying to change the world for the better, beginning with herself, and never lost faith that such change was possible. She ...truly liked everyone she ever met.
RantWoman acquired most of this info from the memorial, but first RantWoman was called to show up in full-bore RantWoman to the rescue, RantWoman WILL speak up mode. RantWoman thanks the bus driver for pointing out that her destination, the church with a sanctuary three times as large as the worship room at Eastside Meeting, was right across from the bus stop RantWoman requested. RantWoman is grateful for a worshipper who, seeing RantWoman fog into the packed room a few minutes after the start of the memorial, moved and yielded an easily findable seat in back to RantWoman.
A Friend spoke, with noticeable microphone fortification shortly after RantWoman entered. Then a family member spoke without using the microphone. RantWoman was immediately beset by a neighbor and several nearby voices murmuring things like "what's he saying?" RantWoman decided that she must impose absolute Bereaved Relative forebearance; she also decided she could not just shadow the speaker for her hearing-impaired neighbors. Instead RantWoman concentrated on hearing the bereaved relative.
Then someone else rose to speak, again without the microphone but this time clearly not a relative. At this point, in the middle of the other Friend's message, RantWoman was almost dragged to her feet with words something like "FRIENDS, WE ALL LOVED AGNES and WE WANT TO HEAR all the messages about her life. WILL YOU PLEASE USE THE MICROPHONE AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM so we all can hear your messages. I cannot see the mike but I can tell it is there and WILL YOU PLEASE USE IT?" RantWoman feels very blessed that Interrupted Friend graciously maintained equanimity, moved to the microphone and set an example followed by almost all of the people giving the remaining messages.
Someone spoke of a visitor expressing concern about a bear known to be in the woods near their home on Tiger Mountain and of Agnes saying "Where else would the bear be?"
Another Friend spoke of Agnes' enthusiasm for his new interest in beekeeping and an offer to give him a beehive. It took two tries on two different nights and between, Agnes sewed a special cloth bag to cover the hive and keep the bees in while the hive was being moved.
RantWoman is especially fond of a peek into the language of another Meeting: one Friend spoke of Agnes complaining about stop lights as if the stop lights were a conspiracy specifically to slow her down. This Friend spoke of how she and Agnes came to make peace with the stop lights over and over in their conversation
Toward the end of worship, a Friend offered a quote about "sometimes we receive blessings that are a little hard to live through." RantWoman grabbed that one for multiple reasons!
Someone else spoke of Agnes' passion for a group called Faith in Action and somewhere shortly worship closed.
RantWoman hopes that by the end of her own memorial at least half as much courage and inspiration is still hovering in the room as was in the sanctuary at Agnes' memorial.
RantWoman also hopes that if someone has to stand up at a RantWoman memorial and make a loud call so everyone in the room can see or hear or participate better that the person gets thanked at least as many times as RantWoman did at the end of Agnes' memorial. And RantWoman still feels the courage infusion.
From the program:
Decide to be peaceful
Render others peaceful.
Be a model of peace.
Irradiate your peace.
Love passionately the peace of our planet.
Do not listen to the warmongers, hate seekers, and power seekers.
Dream always of a peaceful world.
Work always for a peaceful world.
Switch on and keep on in yourself the positive buttons,
those marked by love, serenity, happiness, truth,
kindness, friendliness, understanding and tolerance.
Pray and thank God every day for peace.
Pray for the United Nations and for all peacemakers.
Pray for the leaders of nations
who hold peace of the world in their hands.
Pray God to let our planet at long last become the planet of peace.
and sing in unison with all humanity,
"Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.:
Robert Muller
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