Memorial minutes

First words from Rumi

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

— Jalaluddin Rumi, translation by Coleman Barks (The Essential Rumi)

RantWoman sometimes just has to trust her Light, for instance about why to open reflections on several recent deaths with Rumi's The Guest House." The poem DEFINITELY speaks to RantWoman's condition!

One reason probably has something to do with seasoning a really outrageous Dial-a-Tirade rant which may or may not need to follow reflections on how the world has lost 3 very kind people and if RantWoman needs more not less kindness in the world, she might really need to try to get her kindness act together a little better. Or maybe Rumi is a sign.


Steven Matchett Memorial minute
RantWoman did not know Steven well but Steven is the sort of person who has a CaringBridge site where dozens of people leave greetings every week. RantWoman is in awe both of the nmumbers and of Steven's ability to handle the numbers. Beyond that, please enjoy the memorial meminute


Henry Bernstein Memorial Minute
RantWoman knew some though not all of Henry's story; RantWoman was always touched by Henry;'s gentlenessa nd wisdom. RantWoman also misses seeing his daughter and son-in-law in worship but has no idea whether worship in its current realities would speak to their condition.

Henry for the last several years of his life came to worship on paratransit. RantWoman wishes there were not so much data to collect about tiresome customer service practices but thanks Henry for inspiration to keep fighting to improve things.

Henry was also on RantWoman's mental list of people dealing with severe vision loss. At its peak, the list had 13 people on it. 3 of them , all women in their 90's with macular degeneration as well as Henry have now passed away. RantWoman had conversations with him about large print and use of audio books. RantWoman will miss Henry. And RantWoman is grateful for continuing technological revelation and the internet and other phenomena Henry probably did not care about.

There is a Dial-a-Tirade topic connected with RantWoman's mentla list of 13 blind people. Stay tuned.

Tom Craig Memorial Minute
As RantWoman has written elsewhere, RantWoman had no idea where Tom spent his working life. RantWoman's notes his description of the concepts behind his worship. RantWoman appreciates Meeting for capacity to pray together across many differences. RantWoman remembers Tom most fondly though for use of the highly technical accounting concept of "peanut buttering costs / income across years instead of quarters." RantWoman also remembers taht generally the conclusion was "we took in less than we budgeted but we spent less than we took in."

Beads on a String, part n+1

RantWoman is having one of those moments where Things Must Be Shared even though the message is coming in the form of beads on a string and "How DID all those thoughts need to be herded into words at once?" Think of it as Narrative Theology, defined as "How is the Holy Spirit moving around RantWoman?" RantWoman is happy to elaborate but would prefer simply to wade into the signs and miracles or not.

Some Music and Musicology to help Center.

Christopher Costanza on Bach Cello Suite No 5

The whole suite one movement at a time. This and the words of commentary make everything both more digestible and more penetrating than just viewing a performance of the whole suite.

More on the Suffrage Movement in anticipation of August 26

NYT on Queer Women and the Suffrage Movement 

(NB as with the abolition of slavery, Quaker women campaigning for suffrage were not necessarily intensely supported by their Meetings. RantWoman wishes she had time and patience inconnection with this anniversary to engage more about all this history, but...)

Make it PINK

RantWoman notes info in the media to the effect that, in a sign of pandemic anxiety,  gun sales are up. It's a freaking VIRUS . How are bullets going to help?  Recently, though, RantWoman  was speaking of Little Sister and her husband, Brother In Law's interest in personal protection for his wife. By personal protection, Brother in Law means purchasing a pink camouflage BB gun. Said pink camouflage BB gun must also be prominently displayed in the living room in appreciation of the gift. RantWoman can barely stop laughing about the phrase "pink camouflage BB gun" long enough to tell the story, but someone RantWoman knows can top that. 

RantWoman's counterpart in a conversation shared her own personal protection story. Last year for Christmas, her sister-in-law gave her...drum roll please...a bright pink jewel-encrusted personal pepper spray dispenser. Said item now lives in the bottom of the gift recipient's bag but recipient, like RantWoman wonders how she would access it in moments of need. RantWoman also considers possible difficulty finding one's pepper spray some kind of Divine mercy: RantWoman has heard that pepper spray can be hard to handle without getting oneself contaminated. 

RantWoman further wonders what would it mean if the many local police departments needing to pepper spray anti-police-brutality, pro-police accountability demonstrators got to pepper spray from bright pink jewel-encrusted dispensers. Welcome to Absurdistan.

Protest Fatigue: What if there were a panel of judges like those cooking shows?

RantWoman and God keep having a dialogue about the current local civil rights and window smashing festivities. : what if protests were like one of those cooking shows where there is a panel of judges, some kind of multi-round competition, and people get voted off the island between events? Readers, what dimensions would you rate contestants on?

   

Hold in the Light Item #1

RantWoman sent this item off to Computer Science professor friend

At the intersection of Queer and Country Music Yes there will be an error but 

In return, RantWoman received an obituary and a couple very funny stories for someone RantWoman has never met but whose death will leave a big hole in Professor friend's life

"Nony" Mary Powers Preston

RantWoman notes that "leave a big hole" comes with some gnarly family stories! Leave a big hole also comes with the volunteer role in an Episcopal church called junior warden." RantWoman mentions this because of the next bead on the string.

Hold In The Light Item #2 a very sick Guide Dog

Recently RantWoman called up another friend just to check in. Friend happens presently to be Senior Warden at a nearby Episcopal cathedral. Readers will note reference just previously to Junior Warden. RantWoman has no idea what Junior Warden meant but here Senior Warden, as RantWoman may already have posted means a giant ring of keys and needing to go to more meetings than God. Can you top that Nominating Committee?

RantWoman had tried a couple times before to contact this friend and was worried. The conversation started with the usual "how are you" Exchanges. Friend told RantWoman "you first." RantWoman blurted out "I had a colonoscopy and an inflate your intestines  CT scan SIX days ago and I am still burping and farting (Odorously!) from all the added air in my gut but so far I have managed to avoid mass murder. I mean it's a low bar, but can we honor the achievement?" 

Friend is used to RantWoman saying things like that and RantWoman completely trusts her to say something if anything sounds too far over the top. This time Friend took a deep breath and said for the last two weeks she has been dealing with a very sick guide dog. RantWoman knows that guide dog well enough to smile thinking about his preferred Guide dog on the bus misbehaviors. RantWoman has also been around lots of blind people long enough to stop rolling her eyes when blind people speak in extremely abundant detail of of their animal partners' lives.

RantWoman is very sorry to hear about illness and guide dog retirement. Guide Dog thinks he is still working and somehow has not absorbed that he does not have to wear his harness anymore but also that means he cannot enjoy many guide dog privileges either. But many days after that conversation, guide dog is still holding his own, and news has come to RantWoman of two other guide dogs who have to be retired in connection with injuries to their handlers. And how is your pandemic going?

RantWoman needs to Go Off Item #1 Teenager

In the realm of Teenager possibly saves the world, RantWoman wishes sincerely to thank 15-year-old Claudia Conway, daughter of Trump 2016 campaign manager KellyAnne Conway and Republican political consultant George Conway. RantWoman has seen her video or a video of her statement about being abused and belittled by her parents. 

Why of Course! Considering the bullying tone of communications emerging around Kellyanne and the communications patterns of who she works for, RantWoman, come to think of it, is completely unsurprised to realize that is probably going on at home too. RantWoman thinks that in the same rueful way she thinks of Woody Allen: Allen spent his whole career making movies about older man attracted to younger woman and pretty soon we learn the sordid details of what that means for family members.

RantWoman imagines that the President Orange Foolius re-election effort will lurch along without KellyAnne and RantWoman applauds the phrase "Less drama, more Mamma" and hopes there will be opportunity for the public to learn from the family's break from public life. 

Topic to go off on # 2

Who are we kidding? RantWoman is pretty self-absorbed. The Conway family story makes RantWoman reflect on ways she sometimes sounds like RantDad, sometimes like RantMom and to say the least not like the best part of either. RantWoman mostly considers herself lucky that, although childhood religious experiences were a mixed bag, RantWoman still emerged with a sense of being loved by God, sometiems no matter what others around her are doing, and also some capacity to stretch, extend grace, work with forgiveness, over and over if necessary. Well sometimes.  

RantWoman is aware of some big Owwws around her. RantWOman feels terrible for a number of reasons about them. RantWoman KEEPS expressing willingness to try for bridges. RantWoman said this over and over around the Care and Accountability Committee but besides the Committee's utter unwillingness to engage about how disability affects different circumstances, there was much handwring and no coherent followup steps such as maybe clearness committees resulting. RantWoman is holding all of this in the Light and is clear both about further data releases and about specific actionable steps that would go a long way....

Topic to go off on # 3

Yes, indeed RantWoman is a little stuck on some of the better moments in the gospel of Mark, specifically the two instances where Jesus heals a blind man using spit. In one case, Jesus just spits on the ground. In the other the text seems to say Jesus spit into the man's eye. RantWoman knows real blind people who have had someone offer to try this. Once again, DO NOT try this unless you are Jesus!

Hurricane

RantWoman has not been doing as well as she would prefer about having only centered well-considered reactions to the ReCoronation, er Nomination Convention for President Orange Foolius (See?) The Queen of Spades has been striving valiantly to intervene.to no avail. RantWoman has also been humbled to realize how many others around her suffer from the same need to be relieved of inappropriate prayers. RantWoman for instance has been thinking that when #POTUS45 delivers his acceptance speech on Thursday people should just bring Bibles and loudspeakers to Lafayette Park across the street from the White House and do some serious Bibling and praising. RantWoman is pretty sure she could find some people with Bibles who at least know how to hold the right side up. RantMom for her part just mentions a certain hurricane which may or may not make it that far up the coast. RantWoman just burst out laughing at this revelation.

Lead us all not into temptation!

Fourth Saturday Worship Calendar 2020

Invitation to Fourth Saturday Worship. 

Please share as led. 

Topic: (RantWoman's) Zoom Meeting

Time: This is a recurring meeting. The link will stay the same for Fourth Saturdays through December 2020.

Join Zoom Meeting

Fourth Saturday Worship

Meeting ID: 957 6969 6552

Passcode: Prayer

Queries and Reflections

We settle into Quaker expectant worship for approximately an hour then will respond as led to the queries here. 

When RantWoman was new to Quaker worship, a good while after she was new to Quakers with big infulence in her life, one of the things that most strongly drew RantWoman to Quakers was a clear commitment to prayer across differences.

How do we understand this idea?

Do you see this idea realized? Please speak from our own experiences.

Have you taken advantage of the opportunity through Zoom to "travel among Friends" including Friends who might be quite different from you?

Further points for reflection:

RantWoman had no idea until she read the memorial minute for former UFM treasurer Tom Craig where he spent his career. Tom Craig Memorial Minute Considering different points of view among people we worship with, what might praying across difference mean for worshipping with Tom?

One of the iconic (To RantWoman) photos in connection with recent Seattle civic life was police chief Carmen Best praying with leaders of many local African American churches. What in Quaker practice might contribute to more prayer in connection with police community relations?

Random threads of Difference

YES Mzagazine: what women's suffrage owes to Indigenous Culture

Friends Journal learning from programmed Friends

Friends Journal on one Meeting's experience about pastors

Difference, BESIDES a Christmas Carol in July: dedicated to "No Arks" Friend. People can't just go 2 by 2. RantWoman still does not understand all the allusions but quite likes the sending out in different numerical flows.

Johny Cash Children Go Where i Send Thee

Finally, Wednesday night Bible Study is reading the book of Mark. RantWoman's call to talk about disability is showing up amid all the miracles and parables. For instance, speaking as an actual blind person, DO NOT TRY the cure blindness with spit thing UNLESS YOU ARE JESUS. NOT sorry for the all-caps because actual blind people have experienced this form of "Grab the Blind Person and Bless them."

Oh my heavens! Saturday August 22 is the Fourth Saturday! 

RantWoman received an automated message early in the Stay Home orders that the Montlake library is closed and all meeting room reservations are cancelled. Some library branches are providing services related both to circulation and use of public restrooms, but meetings are not an option.

There had been conversation about perhaps meeting with social distancing in a park out of doors. This thought appeals to RantWoman but rain is forecast. RantWoman also realizes that her own risk profile is probably quite different from others' travel patterns. Considering the general flow of COVID numbers in WA and that King County is only in Phase 1 of the state's reopening plan, it seems most prudent not even to try in-person meetings yet.

So let us meet in Zoom without the burden of travel or rain or ...

In light and faithfulness

RantWoman.

Fight the pandemic with silliness, the Beach Boys and God Only Knows

This post is dedicated to a Friend who recently had a leading to test a social networking platform with a short Youtube campaign asking EVERYONE to send in a petition asking that George W. Bush and Barack Obama sing a duet of the Beach Boys' "God only knows." The idea has not exactly gone viral. Still, the phrase "God only knows" speaks to RantWoman's condition even if the context here might be a slight mismatch.

RantWoman thinks the idea is basically "right on,"  right on as far as capacity to generate mirth but not right on as far as actually occurring and RantWoman knows nothing of either ex-president's.singing capacity.

RantWoman easily found two videos of God Only Knows. RantWoman likes this one because of the fits and starts of the recording session. Fits and starts are a necessity. RantWoman finds it steadying and centering to preserve the evidence and not pretend that the song sprang forth fully aligned with no process tweaking. 

RantWoman is also a show your work recording clerk. Stay tuned where that is headed.

2020 Swarthmore Lecture, Openings to the Infinite Ocean with bonus Blindness Tourism

RantWoman is grateful to someone attending the FLGBTQC worship for recommending this year's annual Swarthmore lecture from Woodbrooke.

There are many great quotes to harvest / distill though RantWoman has not done so yet.

"It's in British" as a very weighty Friend who had worked in the London office of FWCC once said of a document about data privacy she wanted RantWoman to interpret. The speaker, Tom Shakespeare has written several books about disability which RantWoman will immediately add to her "mean to read" list.

RantWoman will also find it frighteningly easy to digress about terms she needs to have more commonly understood by Friends around her. Terms such as "alternate formats" and "the Marrakesh treaty" the international regime under which blind people can get access across borders to materials in alternate formats such as braille or large print. RantWoman is not super up on how negotiations go about rights related to ebooks and audio books but definitely lumps both into her mental categories of "alternate formats."

And RantWoman just invoked the holy search engine of her choice to note, after considerable delay, in February 2019 the US Senate ratified and President Orange ... even SIGNED documents to ratify this treaty.

WIPO item about US ratification of Marrakesh Treaty  All this is a long-winded way of saying, RantWoman thinks there is a pretty good chance she will be able to find this Mr. Shakespeare's books in a format accessible to her. 

To read more Wikipedia Entry on Sir Tom Shakespeare

With that, RantWoman will let this moment of blindness tourism come to an end and invite everyone just to enjoy the video with the understanding that there is a pretty good chance, RantWoman will need to go off again at some point about a standing invitation from God to show up in all her flaming vexatious LOVING glory and not particularly on the schedules understood by others who think they rather than God are in charge. 

Celebrate the Centennial of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment and women's suffrage throughout the US.

RantWoman is shamelessly reprinting an item from her email to help readers choose from a number of ways to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women throughout the US gaining the right to vote. RantWoman is also prefacing the email reprint with her own related considerations so that readers have time to do such additional research as they may be led to. 

George Lakey article about womens suffrage movement

RantWoman awhile ago downloaded several books on Quaker history from BARD. One was a bio of Susan B Anthony. Another was a bio of Abby Tayler Foster. It is kind of sobering how much the suffrage movement was also riven by racism. The Lakey article above presents some of the basics way better than the rest of RantWoman's limited reading.

RantWoman also thinks it is very important to note and celebrate the point that women in several western states got the vote a number of years before the 19th amendment was ratified. WA, OR, MT, UT, WY ..RantWoman invites readers to check before RantWoman gets around to it. 

Now the email full of celebration options

Begin forwarded message: From: Wild West Women Inc with Martha Wheelock <info@wildwestwomen.org> Subject: Centennial Plans are in sight -- Martha Wheelock and Wild West Women Date: August 11, 2020 at 11:57:17 AM PDT To: dstemarie39@gmail.com Reply-To: info@wildwestwomen.org WildWestWomen.org Dear Wild Women and Friends, “Women, be joyful today.”  It is our Centennial. It is our day, Women’s Equality Day. Today we celebrate the Perfect 36. The ratification of the 19th Amendment. This victory for Equality moves me beyond words: 900 local, state, and national campaigns, by foot, by petition, by parade, by speeches, by lobbying, by imprisonment, by non-violent, direct action. All tactics and principles we can praise and imitate. Be joyous with us, in celebrating the constitutional right to vote.  Our August emailing features: Carrie Chapman Catts radiant and inspiring speech, Be Joyful Today A virtual gift of our Suffrage Films for you, August 18 – August 27 The invitation to enjoy August 26 with films and festival from The National Women’s History Museum The Suffrage Emporium of woman made items, Susan B Anthony items, masks, sashes March, march—many as one, Shoulder to shoulder and friend to friend.  Be Joyful Today  Suffragists were never dismayed when they were a tiny group and all the world against them. What care they now when all the world is with them?  March on, suffragists—the victory is yours. The trail has been long and winding; the struggle has been tedious and wearying, you made sacrifices and received many hard knocks. Let us celebrate today and when the proclamation comes, I beg you to celebrate the occasion with some form of joyous demonstration, in your own home state. Two armistice days made a happy ending of the war. Let two ratification days, one a national and one a state day, make an ending of the denial of political freedom to women. Ours has been a movement with a soul, a dauntless, unconquerable soul ever leading on. Women came, served and passed on, but others came to take their places while the same great soul was ever marching on through hundreds, nay a thousand years. A soul immortal directing, leading the women crusade for the liberation of the Mothers of the Race. That soul is here today and who shall say that all the hosts of the millions of women who have toiled and hoped and met delay are not here today and joining in the rejoicing that their cause at last, at last has won its triumph. Women be glad today. Let your voices ring out the gladness in your hearts. There will never come another day like this. Let the joy be unconfined and let it speak so clearly that its echo will be heard around the world and find its way into the soul of every woman of any and every race and nationality who is yearning for opportunity and liberty still denied her sex. Be joyful today. Carrie Chapman Catt National Women Suffrage Association convention on February 13, 1920 in Chicago, Illinois CENTENNIAL EVENTS Wild West Women Films Presents The Centennial Film Festival August 18 ~ August 27 Your Home We hope you have fun with your own private showing of our three suffrage films. Have a suffrage party with the family and all you are sharing quarantine. All screenings are free.  Votes for Women California Women win the Vote Inez Milholland: Forward into Light CLICK HERE for Vimeo Showcase Your password is www2020      AUGUST 26 events  sponsored by the  National Women’s History Museum August 26, 2020 11 a.m. PT, 2 p.m. ET Screening of  Finding Justice: The Untold of Story of Women's Fight for the Vote.  Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women's Fight for the Vote tells the story of how a 2,000-pound bronze bell became a celebrated symbol of the women’s suffrage movement. The creation of suffragists in Pennsylvania who were agitating for the right to vote, the Justice Bell helped rally support around the cause in the last crucial years leading up to the passage of the 19th Amendment. Click to Register for this free event www.justicebell.org  https://wildwestwomen.org/our-projects/justice-bell/   August 26, 2020 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET Inez Milholland ~ Forward into Light & Into Light  screening and discussion panel Join this free virtual screening of two short films about suffragist Inez Milholland: Inez Milholland - Forward Into Light and Into Light. The films will be followed by a panel discussion with actress Amy Walker, producer Martine Melloul, and Forward Into Light filmmaker and advisor Martha Wheelock. Inez Milholland - Forward Into Light, will introduce you to Milholland, the woman who rode the white horse as a Joan of Arc on March 3, 1913. This film will be followed by Into Light, which takes us to Blanchard Hall in Los Angeles, on October 23, 1916, as Milholland addresses 1,500 cheering and curious attendees. The outcome of that evening would be an inspirational and emotional impetus for the final push for woman suffrage. CLICK here to register for this free event https://www.intolightofficial.com/   https://wildwestwomen.org August 26, 2020 6 p.m. PT, 9 p.m. ET Women Take the Stage Concert and Rally The National Women's History Museum is pleased to partner with top musicians, changemakers and activist icons for Women Take the Stage: a free, multi-ethnic concert and rally to increase votes by and for women before the November election. Livestreaming on the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the event acknowledges that we have yet to achieve free, fair and safe elections for all. Viewers will be inspired by performances and stories from Gloria Steinem, Dolores Huerta, Lily Tomlin, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Indigo Girls, BETTY, the B-52s’ Kate Pierson, CA First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, poet Staceyann Chin, anti-racism leader Rev. Jacqui Lewis, and many more. Opening the show is NY’s groundbreaking Attorney General, Letitia James. CLICK here to register for this free event  https://womentakethestage.org/ Susan B. Anthony Dollars Looking for Suffrage mementos or awards? We have mounted Susan B. Anthony dollars on a sterling silver key chain and on a necklace, (adjustable 18" black satin cord). $25 each.  Available in the Wild West Women Shop #masksbyZoe Since April 2, Zoe has sewn over 2,000 masks. Every one made to order. Zoe has hundreds of fabrics. You can suggest colors and motifs, such as Fall, Halloween, floral, animals, and Batiks. For more information and to order visit Zoe Nicholson dot com  Centennial Suffrage Sashes ~ Order at MissAlicePaul.com “Be Joyful today…March on, Suffragists, the Victory is yours.” And ours.  Lets celebrate together in spirit and song.  Buttons, Sash, Hat and Heart for all the women who marched for this Hundredth Anniversary. Whisper or shout to one another, Thank you for my right to vote, I pledge to always vote, and I will help others to be able to vote – for equality, justice, liberty. Women’s History is a movement.  Honoring the dedication, toil, courage and hope of our sister suffragists.  Let us know how you are celebrating and thinking about equality. Martha and Wild West Women.  Martha@WildWestWomen.org 800-428-7136  818-970-0097  ‌  ‌ Wild West Women Inc | 12400 Moorpark Street, Suite 2, Studio City, CA 91604