“Trust the process,” a dear elder of my Meeting counseled years ago. (She was NOT talking about this year’s mid-term elections.) She meant the slow and meandering and often exasperating process Quakers go through during decision-making deliberations.
I’d like to add another couple of words to slow and meandering and exasperating. They’re the two words my writer friends and I use to describe when we’re in all-over-the-place yet in-the-dark, when we allow ourselves to become totally non-linear and illogical, to vacantly stare at our computer screen or a sheet of paper or the ceiling for whole minutes at a time to then, maybe, jot down one or two words or—Oh, Wow! —an entire idea and then to immediately delete whatever we wrote and jot down something else. Something completely different.
Noodling around.
Trust noodling around as a part of that decision-making process, too. Trust messy moments when right brains and left brains tussle. Trust that when your committee or group of business meeting seem to be going circles, that just maybe something quite amazing is about to emerge. (Or, yeah, you ARE just going around a circles! So trust good clerks or facilitators to make good judgments.) Trust that Spirit can be in those moments, too.
Trust the process.
Dear Patricia,
Hi, there, Patricia! Wow, my dearest and precious sister, Patricia! Wow and wow! And wow and wow! I loved this all so true and very amazingly inspiring blog post article of yours, as well as your other sparkling and so, so very full of wisdom other blog post articles and other splendid writings! I can sure relate to what you so, so very generously and graciously shared in this very fine and excellent blog post article, my dearest and precious Christian white sister, Patricia! My beloved, precious, and special church here where I live in Iowa City, Iowa, Faith United Church Of Christ, sounds so remarkably similar to your very beloved, precious, and special Quaker meeting of all of you marvelous and so cool Friends people! At Faith when we have our Congregational meetings, committee, meetings, and other meetings and workshops, we, too, experience a very slow, gradual, and meandering process as we try to go through our decision-making deliberations. I, too, l love how the dear elder at your very inspiring and blessed meeting described this gradual and very thorough process of brainstorming and weighing all of the pros and cons. I can even see our political process being as well a very slow, gradual, meandering, and exhausting process, but this very process of our democracy is so very well worth our great and diligent efforts. I was able to get my absentee ballot turned in early. I don’t take a chance on trying to vote in person on Election Day because I have unexpectedly become sick on Election Day before, so I don’t take a chance on possibly being ill and missing the opportunity to vote, so I then vote by absentee ballot, sister Patricia!
I, too, my Sister, go through the same non-linear and illogical process as I try to write. I, too, will write down a couple of words, maybe even a few words, a phrase maybe, or one or two sentences. Somehow these writing exercises stir my creative juices, and fire my imagination, and help me to create and compose as I am energized as I brainstorm putting my ideas down in written form. I can sure relate to you and to your process, my sister!
I , too, will let myself trust our Spirit to be in those moments of my noodling process. I will truly Let Go and Let Spirit, and trust myself to our Spirit God, and trust that very essential noodling process. I, too, will trust those messy moments when my right brain and left brain tussle. I, too, will trust and encourage my church friendsfamily at Faith, just the same way in which you inspire and encourage your friendsfamily at your great and cool, so, so very blessed Friends meeting, to persevere when we seem to be going around in circles at all of our meetings because something quite amazing is indeed about to emerge from our steadfast, committed, and undaunted process. We can for always know and trust that our Good, Great, Sweet, Loving, Sensitive, Caring, and Powerful Spirit God is for always there for all of us in those moments, and in all of the moments of our very special, precious, and beloved lives. We can for sure for always be emboldened and inspired with our unfailing faith in the Faith which is our Faithful God, and for always trust the process.
My Sister Patricia, I for always keep you, your dearest husband, the rest of your dearest and darling family, and the special, precious, and beloved friendsfamily at your spectacular and blessed Friends meeting in my heart and love, and for always daily and often covered in heartfelt thoughts and prayers! I can feel all of the heartfelt, loving, caring, and concerned prayers and thoughts coming from all of you for me so, so very much!!!!!! I thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, each and every one of you, for for always thinking of me and praying for me! I cherish all of you and your prayers and thoughts, and this and all of you mean so much to me! May all of you have such a very nice, special, and a blessed Tuesday, and may all of your days be so especially and eternally blessed, my dearest and precious Christian white sister, Patricia!
Very Warmly and Sincerely Always,
Your Christian lesbian black sister in solidarity, Sherry Gordon