I don’t write enough and I talk too much. That’s the God’s truth.

I had just come out the other end of the nastiest, saddest, most traumatic chapter of my life. Now I was safe, living at my brother’s house.

He had a gate spanning the driveway, and one sunny weekday at noontime I was out there doing something around the gate.

Two heavy-set black ladies wearing dark dresses were leaving the porch of the house next door, and heading down the sidewalk toward where I was. They were Jehovah’s Witnesses.

They came up the driveway and asked how I was doing. I said fine, Who are you? They said their names, I said mine, we shook hands.

I was excited to have visitors! They asked what religion I was, and I answered “Quaker.” They were interested to hear more about that, so I started talking.

And talking.

And talking.

They did manage to get one question in: They wanted to know more about Quakers’ non-violence testimony and refusal to serve in the military. Apparently Jehovah’s Witnesses have a similar stance. So I gave a long dissertation on that subject.

We also found common ground around the idea that there is no “angry” God, only a loving and forgiving God. Either they or I, I can’t remember who, said “God is your best friend.”

It almost started to seem like I wanted to convert them, so I stopped. Quakers are supposed to “keep low,” proselytizing is discouraged.

Then I realized that all this time we had still been standing on the driveway. “Oh!” I said, and I apologized. Then in a hearty, neighborly voice, I said: “I’d like to invite you ladies in for a cup of tea. How about it?”

They looked at each other and then said to me, “That’s very nice of you, thank you. But we’re only making short visits today.”

“Oh, okay,” I said. “Are you sure?” They were sure. We said our goodbyes and they continued down the street. They forgot to leave any Jehovah literature with me… I went back to whatever I was doing around the gate.

Tags: Jehovah's Witnesses, Quakerism, Religious Society of Friends of the Truth