Mulch or Weedkiller: Signs

Because why WOULDN'T 
the Mask of the Day help somehow?

Continuing a fine tradition of, um, Interesting moments in closing Meeting for Worship at Annual Session.

From a text exchange:

Did a deposit of mulch occur? Or weed killer?

Mulch I hope, though good mulch also helps prevent weeds.

Said deposit of mulch in question occurred in closing worship. RantWoman was in fact publicly eldering a former Presiding Clerk of Yearly Meeting. This does NOT mean things might have gone better in less public circumstances. As RantWoman wrote in an email awhile ago, we ALL need to pray..."

During worship a message that had several parts rose for RantWoman. RantWoman afterward sent an email to selected worshippers, all in Blind Copy, asking what they absorbed. RantWoman has gotten only one reply. RantWoman will specify more. 

First, RantWoman immediately wrote back "Thank you so much for a reply, any reply!"   It was sufficient. 

A bit of the reply to RantWoman's initial inquiry:

"Such an action would not have occurred to me.  I rather doubt that it occurred to the Spirit, either."

[Then there was something about timing and self-justification which RantWoman would rather rephrase as timing with a certain anniversary and signs that one must speak even if bringing up #ADA30 will come with way more tangle of what works and what does not than would fit into standard issue modern 1-hour Meeting for Worship.]. 

RantWoman's response:

Thank you for a response, any response.

Umm, extracting and elaborating on email reply

1. i have a versatile God who gets things done all kinds of ways. Versatile God was well-channeled for me at Annual Session by meanderings of Bible Study AND by both openings and space for acknowledgments in my worship

group. And a younger Friend's suggestion about where to start for Community Night were SO on point: Like I can ask for help and help that is actually helpful will come!

    I talked about all this a little with the Blind Prayer warriors (That honest to God is what this exercise in praying across difference calls themselves some of the time.) Sunday afternoon conference call prayer group and one person said she can tell a difference in my voice about the well-nourished part. Another spontaneously brought up a hat RantWoman wears outside Meeting that she cannot wear with integrity without trying (again? Trying souls about Meeting?) They were also too happy to help pray when I said I am sure I have pissed some people off. (So if RantWoman has pissed you off, please know that you are being prayed for, anonymously, by people you do not even know.)

   And I keep saying over and over several ways  how much I appreciate how hard many people are working to make virtual AS work.

2. I think it possible that people misapprehend nudgings of God but it would never occur to me to presume anything about what God is or is not telling another person.

(Not spoken:)3. Well, well, well, at least this Friend, when delivered of a problematic message did something besides tell everyone to ignore RantWoman's inquiry. So we are at least one up on the Pizza message aftermath, though Blind Copy also helped limit...)       

RantWoman's message had several threads.

Thin Mints and box
as a Placeholder for past
and future children

Concern about the future, resonating with the part of a previous message RantWoman hoped to be able to resonate with. RantWoman suspects, based on the response she received   that this point did not make it out of RantWoman's mouth on the words that did emerge.

A point about clerking and blindness and figuring things out. It is AWESOME to have 50 new clerks but if RantWoman asks to participate, in HOPES of helping figure out some blind person in meetings issues and the message comes back that participation is not permitted, cough. RantWoman is NOT called to go away; RantWoman is offended by the implied message that dealing with blind person in meetings issues is either optional or unsolvable.

Why stop at only the former presiding clerk? RantWoman also meant to elder her entire Meeting over the only come to memorials issue.

Affirmation of RantWoman's faith in praying across difference. Affirmation x 2, one piece meaning to say to another Friend "I see you. I hear you," the other bluntly holding in the Light another younger Friend in the same vein.

The Queen of Spades
Bemused

RantWoman is grateful for:

--Private messages in Zoom chat, such an interesting enhancement over in-person Meeting for worship

--TWO previous Meetings for worship where RantWoman got to speak of matters on her mind related to gunfire, oh and a child safety policy themed topic about which MAYBE more separately.

--The Queen of Spades, the cat dominatrix chez RantWoman. Between regular cuddles from the cat and daily showers, RantWoman is deeply aware of touch even without hugs.