Thanks, Dr. Arnold, for sending the invitation.  I look forward to further interaction here at QuakerQuaker.

Thy Friend Jim

Thanks for the welcome!

Thank thee for accepting our Friendship invitation.

Peace be to thee.

Timothy

Dear Dr. Bruce:  My quilting cirle members are not Quaker or plain.  It is the only guild in my area I found to be the least offensive, the least aggressive,  less in-guild  battling and  so forth.  Surprisingly, regular women can be very harsh.  The longer I am a member the more I see harshness and aggression in my guild and I often think of removing myself from it . . but I do so love quilting women. .  although these are fast becoming less lovely as beings.    That is why they find me strange. .   I don't hold their values for consuming, doing combat or taking on useless responsibilities.  I see people as sacred and quilting as sacred. . . working with our hands as sacred and so on. . . tis a beautiful thought.  But I'm (unfortunately) not surrounded by anyone who cares about the sacred but for myself. . . its very sad to me.  That is why this forum is so tremendously important to me; to hear beautiful words spoken is as a lovely balm, soothing to the soul. 

Just a brief explanation for why they find me strange..  . and why I could be the rogue member.   

Dear Dr. Bruce, I read your Blog posts and most especially appreciated the paragraph you wrote that I have copied below.  

most humbly,

Chris

In Quaker Plain I, I noted that for me plainness has more to do with being humble than it does with being good. The problem of spiritual materialism is a good example of why. Being good can very easily lead to self-righteousness, one of the most unlovely forms of spiritual materialism. Humility never does. You have to stop practicing humility in order to fall into spiritual materialism. There is no greater safeguard against it.