Fistfighting with God in Worship

God and RantWoman were, um, wrestling during Meeting for Worship. FWIW, Eye Roller Friend was also feeling prophetic in advance of multiple messages. RantWoman does not recall whether this includes her own. Below is a distillation, subject as usual to RantWoman distortions, including imperfect memory of the order: RantWoman has a sense that others did not feel nearly as strongly called as RantWoman did to fly into a lather. WHAT ARE THEY MISSING? Thank heaven?

 

Message from very articulate woman about Mary Dyer and her friend Anne Hutchison, a Puritan both of whom were killed by the male power structure of the 17^th century.

[RantWoman inner monologue: Yep, still happening. Long Laundry list. Robin Morgan (?) quote: to be female and conscious anywhere on the planet is to be in a constant state of rage,” and… Why does RantWoman not want to go there just now?]

 

 Message from Preach it to the Heathen Friend, whose Nom de Blog RantWoman will explain anon: Quakers do not go out and demonstrate…Instead we sit and wait until….

 

[HUH!?!?!?! Speak for yourself Friend!!!!! Actually could it be that’s the PROBLEM????

And Furthermore:

RantWoman has been trying to figure out how to say this for awhile and so far gentle is NOT what is happening so hold the problem in the Light.

Furthermore, um, actually, speaking of #ada25, RantWoman has observed you in a number of work situations preaching the gospel of electronic accessibility to various flavors of completely unenlightened heathen. Like RantWoman can tell you more ways they are unlightened because of also walking among them. But STILL, you had a JOB, however thankless, and now you have a nice pension because of a bunch of people who DID organize and go to marches and stood firm on the need and the possibility…. This of course does not guarantee that any individual on whose behalf…. (Okay, RantWoman, CHILL. It’s too hot already for that today. CHILL.) ]

 

 Message from newcomer about a woman being vulnerable and ill in public.

[The only message delivered by someone male that did not make RantWoman mumble under her breath about mansplaining. Is this a wacky RantWoman brain circuit or the age of the speakers or….?]

 

Some kind of message noting an announcement in the bulletin partly about disaster preparedness a

(RantWoman apologizes. It is her moral defect not to remember anything but gratitude that someone else called attention to the message in the bulletin.

 
Wonderful message from another comparative newcomer about her daily twice a day practice of silent worship for 20 minutes.

 

Good spell of silence.

 

(Instant clarity. Message, selection from library on RantWoman’s mind about ferocious disability, difficulty, oh good grief personal decisions, and someone who is dying going to the hydroplane races in spite of annual fighter plane buzzfest Blue Angels irritation for the rest of us)

 

 Something long from Conflict is a Gift of God Friend about how do we find God among….

Children come in. YES! Starting to outgrow the Toddler Brownian Motion than…

 

Message about how mood shifts (yes) when kids come in and about a 5-year-old inviting his doctor to lunch and message RantWoman heard as can’t we all just lighten up and be more like 5-year-olds because adults have forgotten…?

 [Okay Doc, here’s the deal. RantWoman probably would not have thought to invite anyone anywhere. When RantWoman was 5, one theme was “I am SO outta here!” RantWoman was THRILLED to be going off to kindergarten, even though for awhile RantWoman’s favorite part of kindergarten was naptime. Traumas included some kind of broken zipper on a winter coat, oh, and not being able to color within the lines, probably because of slightly off glasses prescription; the color within the lines trauma eased somewhat midyear with new glasses. But NO, more like five-year-olds is not automatically a thought that works for RantWoman, but nice try.]

 

And closing meeting is….”RantWoman I’m not Interested in your Thought Processes “ Friend. I’m not interested… Friend’s perennial sin is to need to be exhorted multiple times by different people  to speak up andto remember the presence all around the room of people with challenges about hearing. Is there a dramaturg in the house? An elocution teacher? A Public speaking coach? [One of these days, RantWoman is going to figure out a context for blurting out something else “I’m not interested …Friend” is missing out on, but the how of that is still seasoning—and RantWoman is wishing for fewer opportunities to collect data about…. Hold in the Light….

 

(After worship RantWoman learned one child visitor sat through all of Meeting for Worship. GO KID!)