tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359713537087862054.post2527940825046136311..comments2023-10-01T05:59:58.582-06:00Comments on Friendly Mama: Comfort and Challenge/Knowing and Being KnownFriendly Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12958152969639229916noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359713537087862054.post-47950165563965779982010-03-15T07:39:57.328-06:002010-03-15T07:39:57.328-06:00Karen--Yes, I agree that it does have a whole lot ...Karen--Yes, I agree that it does have a whole lot to do with fear of rejection and trusting ourselves as much as trusting the community. But, Pat, I also understand that there may be communities which are simply too unhealthy to allow for this kind of self-disclosure to be "safe" for all but the most centered and "weighty" of folks (certainly not me 99.9% of the time). We all carry our own baggage and sometimes that baggage becomes corporate and creates a closed, unwelcoming community for those who question the norm.<br /><br />Eric, you have helped me clarify many of my thoughts and ideas and I thank for your encouragement and your questions. I'm so glad to have you as a new friend (notice the lower case f).<br /><br />And Friend 123-you must bring a very interesting perspective to your meeting. You, dude, had been an AUTHORITY during your professional career. I wonder what it's like to set that down and simply be a Friend.Friendly Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12958152969639229916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359713537087862054.post-78106999087271701612010-03-15T06:21:20.001-06:002010-03-15T06:21:20.001-06:00I'm a retired Presbyterian pastor who attends ...I'm a retired Presbyterian pastor who attends Quaker meeting regularly. Your honest and well expressed thoughts will be helpful, I hope, to local Friends trying to thresh out some issues in their community. Thanks for the post!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06780651656284724337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359713537087862054.post-65011970792093308352010-03-04T20:50:24.970-06:002010-03-04T20:50:24.970-06:00This is a thought provoking and inspiring writing!...This is a thought provoking and inspiring writing! I like the way you go over some of the things you wrote before and spiral back higher or deeper to explain more. I am imagining some kind of a musical analogy of variations on a theme. I want to take more time to reflect and respond again.Eric H-Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359713537087862054.post-53681012570163530712010-03-03T09:41:03.515-06:002010-03-03T09:41:03.515-06:00Good post and one that I can greatly identify with...Good post and one that I can greatly identify with. The problem is the wounds that one must sometimes endure at the hands (or lips) of others. Sometimes those wounds are just too painful to push past to want to even try to reach a place of being known. Some ignorance is just willful and one has to be convinced that the work of helping people past their ignorance is worth it. Sometimes and in some settings, I don't think it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8359713537087862054.post-61708197781325758482010-03-03T05:41:07.384-06:002010-03-03T05:41:07.384-06:00I attend a tiny Meeting. The people there are elde...I attend a tiny Meeting. The people there are elderly and lovely. They're of mixed backgrounds. I've told one I'm a polytheist and pantheist who is coming to terms with what a lifelong reverence for Jesus means. She said, "Oh, what an interesting perspective to bring!" My fear of rejection by these people seems to be irrational - my need for deeper community with them is now more urgent than my need to cover my assumed differences with them. <br /><br />Experience tells me that becoming deeply honest and involved with a group of people involves running a real risk. If I allow myself to be who I am, it means allowing them to be who they are. If we stick to Quaker processes, we should weather the inevitable times of mutual incomprehension and distress; if we're not weathering them, it means we're more bound up with our Stuff than labouring together towards unity. It's all rather scary, to be honest. <br /><br />Your post has really pushed me to clarify my thoughts and feelings.Karennoreply@blogger.com