Yesterday brought the news that a second friend—and, like the first, a valued, pivotal member of this community—has been priced out of her Somerville home. So although yesterday was a banner day for the ‘ville,* I’m sad.
Sad: When I was younger, I constantly confused Anger with Sadness, frantically lashing out at whoever/whatever upset me. Sometimes that anger fueled, energized projects; sometimes that anger meant “Fix It!” (Sometimes I could.) But mostly my anger kept me fuming, stuck. It affected my health. It affected my family, my marriages, my children. Afraid to let what I was really feeling to come forth, afraid to let myself be sad, it seemed somehow safer to just get pissed off!
But over decades—and lots of therapy—I have come to appreciate Isaac Pennington’s advice to a F/friend in 1679: O! Keep cool and low before the Lord, that the seed, the pure, living seed, may spring more and more in thee, and thy heart be united more and more to the Lord therein. Coolness of spirit is a precious frame; and the glory of the Lord most shines therein—in its own lustre and brightness; and when the soul is low before the Lord, it is still near the seed, and preciously (in its life) one with the seed.
So, on this lovely morning with lilacs in full bloom, I will let my soul stay low for a while and wait to see what springs forth.
* The Green Line extension, which will provide much needed light-rail transportation to my neighborhood, was (conditionally) approved yesterday afternoon and, last night, Somerville’s aldermen approved a 20% inclusionary bill which requires that 20% of all new housing be affordable.
Dear Patricia,
Hi, there, Patricia, my so, so very For Always dearly precious and dearly special For Always sister and friend who you’re For Always so, so very much!!!!!! Wow, what an inspiring, interesting, and fascinating blog post article this is of yours which very much uplifted me and gave me such good cheer, sisterfriend!!!!!Sister, your brilliant usage of this quote by Isaac Pennington for the title of your very astute blog post article is just perfect here, Patricia! The picture which you have with the very stroke of genius featured with this astounding blog post article amazingly well complements what you have so delightfully shared and declared in this very fine and excellent article, my friend! I’m so sad, too, for your two friends!!!!!! How heartbreaking what they’re enduring and experiencing here, sister!!!!!! I’m for sure praying so much and so hard for them, my so, so very dearest friend, Patricia! Sister, what you so honestly and openly in such a dear manner shared about how you had been afraid to let yourself be sad as it seemed somehow safer to just be angry makes so, so very much sense, Patricia. I wonder if being and feeling angry for you back then, my precious sister, felt more powerful than being sad, sisterfriend. Sister, over very, very many decades I have been in past and continuing, ongoing therapy which has done wonders in helping me, too. When I was younger I thought being angry meant not loving, or not liking. This misunderstanding regarding what anger was all about is very, very much because of my family background of being severely abused in every way by my parents, older brothers, and lots and lots of other relatives, and with alcoholism and other addictions being very, very rampant in my family with my parents, brothers, and very, very much so on both sides of my family of origin. Anger was mean, cruel, brutal,and abusive from my family of origin which greatly led me to have misconceptions about anger that being angry meant not loving of not liking me or other persons, sister!!!!!! I continue to be estranged from my family and do not stay in contact with them, and am not involved with them because I must protect myself and my safety from their horrid violence. How so, so very sad but it is what I must do in order to keep me safe, sister. I so, so very much love and like the so, so very beautiful and lovely Isaac Pennington quote which you have very artfully used here in such masterful composition in the very written word, Patricia. What beautiful, lovely, sweet, sweet words for our spirits here with these very soulful and full of life and spirit words by our great Isaac Pennington, sisterfriend. I, too, will let my soul wait upon our So, So Very Sweet Spirit to see what springs forth for me, Patricia! What a greatly marvelous idea you have here, my friend!!!!!!! Here in my Iowa City, Iowa as well we had a glorious spring morn, and the whole day has just been such a gorgeous day, sister!!!!!! Things are blooming and blooming so, so very gorgeously in Nature’s sparkling and radiant display here in Iowa City also, sisterfriend!!!!!! Yay for us and our beautiful places where each of us lives, my so, so very dear friend!!!!!!!
This is just spectacular news here about the Green Line extension to your superbly super neighborhood, Patricia!!!!!! Yay!!!!! Also, what awesome news regarding how the aldermen’s approved 20% inclusionary bill requires that 20% of new housing be affordable, sister. Sister, I just know that this is vitally and urgently needed in your splendid Somerville, and we definitely need much more affordable housing in my Iowa City, Iowa and surrounding areas also!!!!! Affordable housing is such a dire need throughout our very special, blessed, and precious country, too, as we both know so very well. Wow, what great news this all is for certain here, Patricia!!!!! Yay!!!!!! Yay for your neighborhood and for all of Somerville, Patricia!!!!! Yay!!!!!! I thank-you, Patricia, so, so very much for very graciously and generously providing these very informative and excellent links here, my friend and sister!!!!!! Wow, what interesting reading there is for sure within these marvelous links here, Patricia!!!!!!
Sister, now I’m more renewed, re-energized, reinvigorated, and rejuvenated in my very spirit from this absolutely amazing blog post article of yours here!!!!! I feel just so, so very inspired and uplifted, too!!!!! It is just such a blessed joy for me to learn so much more about you, my sister, and to learn even more about your neighborhood and about your Somerville in even more detail, my friend!!!!!! Yay!!!!!! What a joyful blessing and pleasure to read your very remarkable blog post articles and other writings, and to very, very joyously respond with my very, very heartfelt and thorough comments!!!!!! My very, very joy, blessing, and pleasure, Patricia!!!!!!!
Sister, please have such a totally terrific and a very thrilling Tuesday, rest of your week, and a wondrously wonderful weekend ahead, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed, Patricia!!!!!! Patricia, YOU are my very, very joy and blessing, and so are your so full of such astute and acute sagacity blog post articles and other absolutely top-notch writings!!!!!!! Yay for YOU, Patricia!!!!!! Yay for your marvelous blog post articles and other very fine and excellent writings!!!!! Yay!!!!!! I’ve been praying so, so much, often, and daily that you’re able to find an agent and a publisher for your grandly great Welling Up, and I’m just bursting with such very, very eager anticipation to buy this grand book when it comes out and to very, very eagerly and delightfully read this fine work!!!!!!! Plus I pray for you in general keeping you covered in prayers and thoughts with sending positive energy all of your way, Patricia!!!!!! It is my very honor, joy, and blessing to pray for you, think of you, and to send to you such positive energy, Patricia!!!!!!! :)!!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my so, so very For Always dearly special and dearly precious sisterfriend Christian Quaker white woman, Patricia, with Such Peace and Love To You For Always, my friend, and with Such Blessings and Even More Blessings To You For Always, my sister,
Your sisterfriend Christian lesbian black woman For Always in the very spirit and solidarity, Sherry Gordon in Iowa City, Iowa