spicy porkI am reminded that around now (last week) is CSSM Ont. Conference time at Galilean. I used to really enjoy those -- BTW I will get back to pondering "Am I Happy?" and this post is not intended to say how much I used to enjoy those conferences (and OCA and CCI conferences in difficult to pronounce places such as Nottawananaskisaga) and that life is miserable now etc. etc. For instance, I am having a lot of fun in my new theatre experiences.
Anyway, when I'm shopping for LPs I come across Bible School Quartet or Chorus albums with earnest write-ups on the cover and lots of cat-eyed glasses. Yes, attending the annual personnel conference did often feel something like stepping into one of those album covers -- BUT -- somehow I could make the shift and I enjoyed the people and the setting, many of the sessions -- and the floor hockey.
I was on the printed schedule for the April 2004 conference, but was let go just before it was to happen. Yes, it would have been a bit awkward, but I figured we were adult enough to handle it. I must admit that the 2003 atmosphere was weird in a few ways: another of our camps was having problems and in fact it was decided not to have Communion because of their lack of reconciliation. So I wondered if we would in '04, but I'm guessing they did since by then I was excommunicated. Problem solved.
As well, the Americans were going into Iraq to wipe out all those WMDs and I felt almost totally alone in my uncertainty that this was the right thing to do. One older gentleman prayed that Canada's "president" would see things as clearly as did the USA's Christian President. So, I did kinda want to go back and ask about the WMDs, but I guess the issue would have shifted by then to taking out Saddam and lies about the WMDs would have seemed irrelevant.
I was telling timlap today about these conferences and described my feeling as being with a 70's group trying to break free of the 50's while the calendar read the 90's or 00's.
But somehow I made the shift. Maybe I don't fit in everywhere, but I can take a lot of different settings as they are. I didn't (of course) agree with everything that was taught in sessions, but I found it stimulating and uplifting.
And my last time there we did have some issues over micromanagement, but I wasn't the only one with the concerns. The evidence is that the local levels have been successful in voicing this resistance to the upper levels and such plans as a National application form (for eg.) have been abandoned.
And I do miss many of the people -- now this is not intended to be like Sideshow Bob announcing on Evergreen Terrace everyone he is not going to murder -- but there were those who felt like my peers, Mark and Tina (who do send me their newsletter) and Tom and Brenda. And Tom did phone. I'm sorry I didn't phone back, but at the point at which it came matters were a bit sensitive and then it felt irrelevant, but I appreciate it anyway. And even though they are older, Don and Shirley and of course Bob. ("D'yuh got a dawg?")
