[A Black Shoe, a Lei, Other Detritus, AND a Fork in the Road]
“No one’s interested in anyone else’s dreams.” That quote—or something like it—and usually attributed to “The Philadelphia Story” (Well, it might have been that 1940 movie but . . . ) effectively shut down my siblings and me. For while my parents were always fuzzy when it came to both exact quote and attribution, their distain for their children’s unconscious creations was always crystal clear. We kept our dream-lives to ourselves.
So I offer a recent dream and its crystal-clear “listening in tongues” Aha with great humility (and trepidation):
I had this dream the night before I was to have “care of meeting,” i.e. to be the person who holds/prays for a meeting for worship. (Rarely, but still a part of the job description, having care of meeting can also mean being the person to intervene should someone offer a message that does not reflect Quaker values.) And then there’s ending the meeting when it’s both close to an hour but also has allowed time for quiet reflection at the end of worship. And inviting newcomers to introduce themselves. And encouraging the numerous people who want to make an announcement to be brief. And . . .
So, not surprisingly, my dream began when numerous members of my extended family, all with pressing concerns and questions and stories they wanted to share, simultaneously approached me! “Mom! Listen to me!” “What should I do about . . . ?” “Patricia! I really think you should. . . ” “Mom! You’ve got to . . . ! Right now!”
But as dreams often do, this nightmare suddenly morphed when, as my youngest daughter demanded an an immediate answer—about where a bicycle should be stored—her adult face transformed into a child’s. My child. My precious daughter. Wordlessly, my overwhelmedness transformed to love.
Quakers talk about ‘answering that of God in everyone.” Post that dream, I’m trying a silent next step: And look into everyone’s eyes to seek out and to acknowledge the precious child within.
Dear Patricia,
Hello, there, Patricia, my so, so very For Always special and precious soul sisterfriend who you’re For Always so, so very much!!!!! Wow, what an absolutely fantastic blog post article this is here of yours which is very inspirational, enlightening, and insightful! I’m just so, so very thrilled, overjoyed, and happy that there are more parts to this very powerful article with the very applicable to your great theme and topic title, Listening in Tongues, as I thought there would be more parts to this forthcoming when I say the number one in parentheses from last week’s brilliantly awesome post, sisterfriend!!!!! Wow, I for sure pray, hope, and wish that there are even more parts coming from you, Patricia, on this great topic and theme here!!!! The picture which you have very graciously and generously featured with this stupendous blog post article along with the very perfect words complementing your great article and the picture to absolute perfection are such delights to behold here, Patricia! All in all adding great meaning and depth to this very fine and excellent blog post article, my so, so very dearest friend!!!!!
I can for sure relate to what you and your siblings experienced and endured from your parents as they had disdain for your unconscious creations that was always crystal clear. I can just see why you and your siblings kept your dream-lives to yourselves. I learned the hard way that I had to do the very same with my parents. They tried to kill my dreams and my spirit, and they were unhelpful and unsupportive. They didn’t support and praise my creative writings and my other heartfelt yearnings. Sister, I am so blessed, and in fact we all are as your very, very many grateful and appreciative readers blessed by your great sharing here as you offer to each and every one of us an offering of a recent dream you had with its crystal-clear “listening in tongues.” I honor you, precious, precious, dear, dear Patricia for so, so very bravely, graciously, and generously offering this sweetly grand, beautiful, and lovely insight as such a blessed offering to all of us, sister!!!!! Sister, it would be beautiful to have “care of meeting” but I can also see how this would be stressful and scary to guide people in Meeting and to jointly share in unison in all of your sharing but also having to moderate and be watchful for proper Quaker conduct, messages, prayers, and sharings, along with maintaining time withing a certain time frame and schedule in people’s sharings so that time does not run out in going overtime, my so, so very dear sisterfriend. At my wondrously wonderful church here where I am a rejoicing and proud member fro decades called Faith United Church of Christ here where I live in Iowa City, Iowa we have something called shared ministry. When our minister is taking a Sunday off, some of our members lead the worship services as one of the many tasks available in Shared Ministry in leading the church service like in leading in prayers and providing a sermon. There is something which is each Sunday a part of our services called Joys and Concerns. With Joys and Concerns we take time to call on each individual person first with the concerns part to offer up openly her or his concerns for all of us to pray for in intercessory prayers, and when the Concerns part is completed, then each person offers up her or his praises in terms of joys we all can praise Spirit for in our very, very hearts, and our very, very hearts and spirits. I know that as much as I enjoy doing Shared Ministry like in giving my sermon and leading the prayers, I can for sure relate to how you experience all of the stresses and scariness, but also the vast joys and blessings, in “care of meeting.” I am a rejoicing and proud member of very, very many, multiple 12-Step Programs in all of my healings and recoveries. When I chair my various 12-Step Meetings I have to make sure order is maintained. Sometimes people in meetings can be inappropriate and disruptive, and I have to also be watchful that the time stays within a certain time frame and limit which means that I might have to very gently remind people to stay within a certain time limit when they are sharing. Sister, you whole “care of meeting” and the entire blessed process are just so holy and deeply spiritual here. Wow, sounds just very, very sweetly delightful here and profound in uplifting each and every one of you in Meeting, sister!!!!!! Sister, I just so, so very much love and like how when it’s close to an hour having allowed time for quiet reflection at the end of worship, how newcomers are encouraged to introduce themselves in being joyously welcomed, and in how people are able to make announcements but being brief because of time constraints, Patricia. Wow, I so, so very much enjoyed and very, very eagerly delighted in with sheer and blessed joy in your great sharing and telling here of your sweet dream beginning with your extended, numerous family members simultaneously approaching you with pressing concerns, questions, and stories. It is just very cool how this dream morphed into how you youngest daughter demanded an answer right then and right now regarding where a bicycle needed to be stored with her adult countenance manifesting itself into a child’s face. Wow, what a joy that your overwhelmedness transformed to love here, sister! Sisterfriend, I just so, so very much love and like how you, dearest Patricia, and other Quakers talk about answering that of God in everyone. I am just very glad and heartened that you posted this deep dream. Wow, I am just so, so very happy that you’re trying the next step and looking into everyone’s eyes in order to seek out and acknowledge the precious child of God within with each and every one of our sisters and brothers and Spirit God’s children. Sister, I aim to continue to do the very same!!!!! Along with you, Patricia, I say, “Praise be!!!!!,” very wholeheartedly with all of my very, very heart, and my very, very heart, mind, soul, and spirit, sisterfriend of mine, Patricia!!!!!!! Wow!!!!!! Yay yay yay yay!!!!! Wow, sister of mine, you have me feeling even brighter and more cheerful filled and uplifted with such inspiration, insight, and enlightenment!!!!! Yay!!!!! YOU are just so, so very good for me, Patricia, and my so, so very dear Christian Quaker friend of mine and sister you help me so greatly, immensely, and blessedly with my walk with Jesus!!!!!! Yay for YOU, Patricia!!!! Yay for our friendship and sisterhood, Patricia!!!!! Yay!!!!!!
Sister, I thank-you so, so very much for all of these very informative, fascinating, and great links which you have as usual as always very graciously and generously provided, Patricia!!!!! The very informative and blessed information in the Friends Journal link is very instructive and teaches and gives me more info on Quakerism, and on Quaker education in Friends’ schools, sister! Wow, what great and excited reading this was for me, sisterfriend! I so enjoyed the link on that old classic movie, The Philadelphia Story. Sister, I was unable to open the bicycle link. It asked me to link my WordPress account to my account at your awesome blog but I haven’t been using an account at your blog-I just sign in with my email and my full name. I already had a pre-existing WordPress Account under a different email but when I tried to link to your blog I couldn’t get it all to work so I will just still continue to leave my comment the way I have already been doing so with the other email I’ve been already using. Wow, what a blessed joy it is for me to very, very eagerly and delightfully read your very spiritual and uplifting blog post articles, and to very, very joyously respond with my very heartfelt, detailed, and thorough comments, Patricia!!!!! Sister, YOU are my very, very joy and blessing, and so are all of your magnificent writings masterfully composed in the written word with such sharply beautiful and lovely descriptive clarity and grace, Patricia!!!!! Wow!!!!! Yay!!!!!
Sister, you are just the very greatest and the best, and the so, so very epitome of such overall awesomeness, friend and sister of mine, Patricia!!!!! Yay yay yay yay!!!!! Please have such a totally terrific and a very thrilling Tuesday, a wondrously wonderful rest of your week and weekend ahead, and may all of your days be very, very especially blessed!!!!!! Yay yay yay yay!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my so, so very precious and special Christian Quaker white woman soul sisterfriend who you’re For Always so, so very much, Patricia, with Such Very Peace and Love To You For Always, my so, so very dear friend, and with Such Very Blessings and Such Very More Blessings To You For Always, my so, so very dear sister,
Your For Always soul sisterfriend Christian black woman For Always in the very spirit and solidarity, Sherry Gordon in Iowa City, Iowa