Composting Ouches Memorial version

Warning: RantWoman is in full curmudgeon adult who definitely does not yet have her whole act together mode. When RantWoman was new to worshipping among Friends, RantWoman found it reassuring that adults her parents' age did not fully have their acts together: RantWoman figured there would be space to figure out her own act guiltfree. RantWoman is humble about how her grace has frayed. Blame the pandemic? Blame the previous administration? Blame looming climate catastrophe?

RantWoman just write what you came here to write.

Pssst. Junior Friends, 

RantWoman heard your queries. Well RantWoman heard them once. But Oops, RantWoman forgot  to proclaim as loudly as possible everywhere that SCREENSHARE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE. Please either put in the chat or have a link in the chat. The point: RantWoman has a mind like sieve and what is going to stick there is highly variable. RantWoman remembers an inquiry about whether Friends have ever heard a much younger Friend speak in worship. Yes, VERY rarely and RantWoman always silently applauds when it happens. RantWoman also remembers an inquiry about how to learn from the experiences of older Friends.

RantWoman generally recommends not waiting around for someone to die. That said, Memorial minutes can be a wealth of things to remember.

RantWoman recommends This year's memorial minutes as one place to start

Three minutes stick out even though RantWoman also had words for others.

Judith Reynolds Brown whose memorial minute seems not yet to have made it either to the NPYM site or to the Western Friend Memorials page , the intrepid discerner of capacity from Nominating Committee who first persuaded RantWoman that she should take on the role of recording clerk.

Bill (William H) Matchett, the clerk of UFM when RantWoman first served as Recording Clerk.

RantWoman has decided not to name the next person she wants to uplift because of the nature of the message that a Friend brought during Annual Session Meeting for Memorials. Friends agreed that this Friend was "wired differently" and offered several accounts of the intensity that brought. One Friend also acknowledged as a Junior Friend teasing the deceased Friend in a way that was probably hurtful. There is no place in "Oops Ouch Whoa" land to put the comment "Gee, nice of you to say so now that the Friend is DEAD."

The names of two more Friends, former Junior Friends who died much too young came up in a subsequent worship along with the comment that they were well loved and other Junior Friend peers were able to walk with them through some painful and difficult situations. Through the miracle of worshipful composting, RantWoman in the space of a few hours went from "that's nice but RantWoman's experience of Baptist Sunday School was nothing like...and RantWoman might have been too much of a nerd to fit in." to "Ohhhh, maybe the Junior Friends have some magic some of the adults really really need help seeing." MAYBE

Stay tuned anyway because RantWoman has other OUCHES to compost.