And on and on and on

The more things change, the more the past comes up behind you and pats ya on the back.

I went to Anacortes last weekend (and by "weekend", those that know me realize I mean "Sunday only) to take part in our little version of a Quaker mecca. We gather 'round, catch up, and remember stories of what used to be. Then we brush off what little "skills" we have and perform for each other.

Mine was not as good as I wanted it to be. There was a little Alfred Hitchcock homage which I thought was rather inspired... but as for the rest? Eh, could have been better. Our version of the Sound of Music family was of course delightful in their orchestrations. 3 different ones. A force to be reckoned with, that family.

But by going back and visiting old friends, I found someone who wants to go to my "new"er church. So from my old church I have a friend who soon becomes my new friend at my new church. Quakers don't really die off, they just come back for another round. (So long as they stay the same high-quality people, I like it just fine.)

Buckle Up, Kids

This evening, I will be off to Yelm. With 3 strangers in my car.

...to my way of thinking, that last phrase just sounds like some low-budget horror flick. (Okay, it might be a comedy, but either way, somebody's gettin' left at the side of the road in some dark wilderness area. Complete with low-laying fog and wolves. And coyotes.)

Yet, it is untrue. At least I hope so. In theory it will all be a jovial church-sponsored romp down to a retreat.

What can I say? The five minutes of greeting time at church doesn't really enable close, lifelong bonds to be established. Plus people always have somewhere to go after church. But a retreat? Yeah, you're stuck there. You paid to be stuck there. Get comfy.

There you have it. The story of an introvert trying to chat it up with some fellow Quest-ers. If it were indoors, I'd bail. This is happily not the case. I like being outdoors. I wear flannel for a reason.

Plus I get to ride a horse. Which I haven't done this millenia. That'll be nice. As for the rest of it? God only knows, right?

Goin' back home... to Anacortes

Nuthin' like goin' back to the ol' stompin' grounds (hence all the apostrophes).

Yes, I had always been planning to take a break from my church search and visit Quaker Cove. See, on of the upsides to attending North Seattle Friends Church is that we have our retreat out in Anacortes.

For supposedly being simplicity-loving Quakers, it can be a little fancy. Look at that! Two showers in one place? Flushing toilets?

And this is just the oldest changes. Inside our chapel you'll find what was once a fireplace is now a heating system, complete with spinning fans and vents! And there's a microwave and coffee maker in the corner! Myself, I'm still a little put out by the television I just saw there yesterday... Where's the escape from it all? Where's the nature? It's like people wanna be comfy. Well I want no part of it! ;)

However, the people and the place make up for all the "fanciness". People I've known all my life show up once a year and check in with me. Stories are swapped, spouses are met, jobs are checked in on. It's good times.

Oh, and for the message? A Quaker guy preached to us aobut the Quakerly way we could interact with the world. While talking about the first generation of Quakers! (Listen to God, know that there are truths which don't change [justice, love, truth], and apply those as best as you can through the current culture. But always remember that the relationship between you and God is what gave you waht insight you might have. That relationship is what matters most.) Needless to say, there was much less conflict of ideas than I've had in the past few weeks.

Besides, where else could we have an untalented talent show, and see things like this?



Good times. Well worth the break from "searching" through other places.