Bridges Not Walls

Another Display from the El Centro Day of the dead observance. This one says Build Bridges and not Walls.

Catholics mumble their confessions to a priest behind a screen.

Lots of Protestants mumble in unison through some statement printed in their bulletins.

The following meditation may or may not apply to a complex situation on RantWoman's mind. Or it may be just a Quaker confession. In any case, it is jumbled enough that RantWoman SHOULD let sit and go to bed. RantWoman is not going to do that but does reserve the right to edit further.

Friend, RantWoman would say thee has been treating RantWoman badly (and others have been enabling but that is a different problem.).

RantWoman thinks you fell on your face while doing so.

RantWoman hopes you did not skin your nose too badly and really really does want you to pick yourself up and keep going. RantWoman though is stuck and trying not to keep spinning in the same ruts.

RantWoman realizes the following comments are not necessarily going to sound respectful or confidence-building; RantWoman really does mean them in a more respectful way than they may come out.

You have been entrusted with the task of clerking a major complicated process. RantWoman has been going around saying how much it meant when she was way newer to meeting than you are to be included in something, RantWoman does not remember what exactly. RantWoman hopes you feel the same way. RantWoman acknowledges that unwanted advice probably comes with the territory. RantWoman keeps trying to just let unwanted advice be unwanted. RantWoman is not succeeding.

So far a question the campus discernment process has not touched: what kind of community do we envision in 10 or 20 years. What ifwe think ahead 100 years? How much is location tied up in what kind of community we imagine.

What conditions might make it absolutely necessary to move?
How might our community need to adapt as part of a chainging neighborhood?
How are all the changes, skyrocketing rents and dislocation... affecting Friends in our meeting?

In terms of immediate work, RantWoman has been thinking in terms of defining tasks that anyone new attender or longtimer could help with. RantWoman means to post some email lists that people could just follow and then share info. RantWoman thinks this level of participation could be very meaningful, but RantWoman feels like all her emails go into a black hole without even any acknowledgment. So RantWoman hesitates even to bring up...

RantWoman further wonders whether some past RantWoman moments would help about what RantWoman partly sees as "Don't take it so personally" problems.

Here is one blog post sort of on point.
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/12/letter-to-frank-stilwagner-of-flying.html
And another one
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2010/08/heartwarming-tale-of-successful.html