Sunday in SoCal!

Good afternoon!  My Sunday mornings are quite full as I help open and greet congregants at Common Ground for our 9AM service.  I love being involved and contributing whatever it is I can as the energy of the community. 
This morning I found myself (and still do to some degree) feeling quite unsettled; words aren't coming to me very easily, having trouble remembering why I went into a certain room and what I went there for.  I had a very restful day yesterday and don't feel any particular stress, so . . . I guess it's just one of the days for me to be thoughtful and pay close attention.
This morning, I would like to talk about the 2nd of my favorite books listed in my profile.  Please understand the chronological order has nothing to do with the impact of each book upon my life, okay?
Anyway, "A God Who Looks Like Me" came into my life in 1995, the year it was copyrighted.  I wish I could remember exactly how I came to buy it.  As I recall, it was one of those times when I simply looked at the titles on the book stacks in the store and there it was.  At that time, I was volunteering time at the Orange County CoDa office in Tustin, answering phones, mailing out meeting location lists, that sort of thing.  So I took this book along with me and read as time allowed.  I also read after completing my morning meditation time on the days I didn't need to leave the house in a hurry.  (Actually, I was living in a mobile home at the time and that's another story for another blog.)  The more I read, the more I came to feel the honesty, authenticity and truth of Patricia Lynn Reilly's words.  Amazing! 
When I finished the book, I decided I had to do something to let her know how much she had changed my life.  So I wrote to Patricia, in care of the publisher, and much to my surprise and beyond all expectation, I received a reply in a week or so.  As I remember it, I received her note on Thursday, telling me that she would be in Santa Monica the coming Saturday for a one-day retreat.  I called a couple of friends and of course, we attended.
I remember walking into the foyer of the building and there was this young, slight, attractive woman standing to one side and as we approached, she came forward and said "Hello!  I'm Patricia!"  How did so much wisdom get inside that woman's heart?  As the time unfolded, it became very clear to me, she had been touched at a soul level about the importance of women coming to know the Feminine God.  And, before the day was over, she announced that she was presenting a full week seminar in the Santa Cruz Mountains that coming summer.  The idea of being in her presence for a full week, in the midst of the redwoods, with women celebrating their divinity was like the best chocolate you ever tasted, only more so.
As I recall (am I over using that phrase today?) there were four of us from Orange County who flew to San Jose and then were picked up and driven to the Quaker Center near Ben Lomond.  Phyllis, Joanne, Cheryl and I.  In all, I believe there were 20 or so women in attendance, some from across the land and some local.  Patricia had been leading groups in the Bay Area for some time.  Oh, now I remember one truly remarkable event.  There were several of us sitting at a table after lunch the first or second day.  One woman seemed particularly familiar to me, as I did to her, so we started talking about places where perhaps we had met.  She mentioned among other things, belonging to a group that met in San Ramon.  I mentioned I had a nephew living there.  Lo and behold!  She went to the group John facilitated!  How about that?
There isn't enough time or space in this one post to tell you all of what took place in those days and nights.  We sang, we laughed, we cried, we painted on large sheets of paper attached to the out-buildings surrounding the lodge with acrylic paint and tongue depressers.  We stood in the midst of the redwoods, drums in hand, celebrating the mysterious, mystical, miraculous truth of women's lives laid bare and in full bloom. 
The final night, I was given the honor of leading the circle into our favorite spot among the redwoods, having previously been crowned "Crone of All Crones"!  I was deeply honored and it title was bestowed because I was the eldest one in attendance.  I do believe the woman who was next in line was quite disappointed that she wasn't so honored. To be so named for having accumulated 64 years of life experience was thrilling.  As you can imagine, our parting was bitter-sweet and we vowed to stay in touch with each other.  Some of us did, for a time.  I occasionally hear from Patricia still.  She was most instrumental in inspiring me to do the organizing of previous writings and to allow my pen to move across the paper with new words, new ideas.  I shall be grateful to her, for her, all the days of my life!
And so, my dear readers, I close with a prayer that this day will be the day where we all celebrate the wonder and glory of being born in a woman's body, living a woman's life, loving the earth, the sky, the trees, the winged ones, the four-legged ones, the finned ones, the creepy, crawly ones and each other!  (I can't close quite yet without telling you about the lizard I saw on my walk around my apartment complex yesterday afternoon.  She is rather small, probably no more than six or seven inches.  She froze as I stood there, complementing her on her beauty and then I looked carefully at her toes.  Have you ever done that?  I was amazed!  They seemed no bigger than perhaps two or three strands of hair.  They were spread out, ready either to stay or to run.  And they were beautiful!)
Until tomorrow - or until the next time, whenever that may be -
Thanks for it all! ! !