Hello, Friends. This is my first post. I'm not a blogger, not even much of a communicator, so today I'm just trying to say that I'm here and willing to enter into dialog. I'm learning, though not as fast as I'd like to. I have a life-long set of habits of argumentation, which I'm trying to leave behind; they seem too much to fuel ego, the desire to be right, the desire to be righter-than-thou. Now I try to hear what people are saying, not only in their words but in their heart (Chomsky's black box?) that chooses the words, and to respond with only what I know to be true. Not easy.

I belong to an FGC meeting in eastern Missouri. I long for it to be perfect, as I long to be perfect myself. Unless lightning strikes, or I live an unprecedentedly long time, that ain't going to happen. I have attended most of the biennial, multi-branch, Quaker women's conferences in Oklahoma, and find myself improved each time I go. I'm tempted to preach to women in my meeting about how they OUGHT to go to these conferences, too. But people do things they feel drawn to, not the things they ought to do.

Some of you have interacted with me on Facebook. I appreciate that opportunity a lot. It challenges me. I'm looking forward to meeting even more of you on QuakerQuaker--meeting you in that which is eternal--which is everything, if we approach it the right way.