Quaker meeting

Here I shall announce my intent to attend Quaker meeting this Sunday. And hopefully it will make me remember.

Today I walked past a colleague whom I rarely see (he works on our campus but at hours when I don't) and his t-shirt said something about Quakers. So, I stopped him and we chatted. And he told me about a meeting very near Jenny's house - which on a Sunday morning is only about 10 minutes away.

It's a strange thing - people gather to sit in silence for an hour, and as the spirit takes them they rise to speak briefly. He spoke briefly about how it affects him, and I remembered that from the time or two I visited a meeting in Fairbanks.

I've been meaning to go again for years, so it was a sign.

I've always said I'd be Quaker if it weren't for that whole Christianity thing - but I just read this, and it says Christianity isn't necessary. Because while some of my dearest friends are Christian, I am most staunchly not. There are so many aspects of it that I find fundamentally wrong - superstitious and silly and not in a good way.

But the Quakers' speaking the truth to power, peace work, all that - that I can get on board with. And not being expected to smile when people praise jesus - well, that's a good thing. I grew up in a church and I miss the community and other features, but I will not be a hypocrite and pretend to believe something I most definitely not.

OK, I just got a second wrong number, and I never had before. Something strange.