I appear to be completely incapable of writing my impressions of NEYM Sessions this year.
*sigh*
*sigh*
Well, that was unexpected. For the last year, ever since my mom's health took a sharp downturn, I've been my dad's ride to Florence Congregational Church on Sundays. That community has been important for my dad and the weekly outing with me was something he always looked forward to and enjoyed, so I didn't mind taking him there. It meant giving up attending my own Quaker meeting for the duration, but I had already been questioning whether silent waiting worship was working for me. I was ready for a sabbatical. A month ago, my dad was Section-Twelved into a geriatric psych hospital when his dementia started to make him emotionally volatile. I had been visiting him every day at his assisted living facility which was right on my way home from work, but the hospital was almost an hour away. I didn't see him at all for three weeks, and when I did visit him there, it actually took me a couple of seconds to recognize him. He was slumped forward in a wheel chair, lo
Comments
it always helps me when words fail
You've got a point. I'm not terribly visual--with me, it's all about the words.
But maybe if I can loosen up my attachment to logical sequences, and put out a series of impressions, without worrying too much about ordering them or building to one particular point or conclusion. I think that might work.
@ Hystery: that's a large question! In brief, we set aside our usual agenda to make room for more open-ended worship. What emerged was both good (lots of deep movement of Spirit among us) and less-good (compromises to Quaker process, and some of the strains and fault lines among us that are normally camouflaged by business being made evident).
It was complex enough that I fear that doing justice to one part of it might distort other parts. So I'm struggling.
A sort of word-collage may be the best way to describe it. It will not serve well as journalism, but then, can traditional journalism capture what it feels like to be in a body of people experiencing Spirit moving among us?
@ Fr. Jay: yeah. It kind of feels like I'm still to close to it to bring it all properly into focus.
I'll try my hand at a small snapshot or two over the next few days, and see how that goes.
Thanks.