Claude Peters, M.Div.

First the good news. I'm still here. My wife and I will this year celebrate our 50th anniversary. Mentally I'm still clear, except for some difficulty recalling names. I have an auto-immune condition called Polymyalgia Rheumatica, which after 3 years is finally going into remission. I am still able to care for our quarter acre lot and large vegetable garden as well as work out at the Y for an hour, 6 days a week.The not-so-good news. Like I imagine most of you, I wake up aching every morning. My energy level is not near what it used to be. I have had to retire from Literacy Volunteers, but can still deliver for Meals on Wheels once a week. I have to lie down for a couple hours every afternoon. I don't like to travel anymore, and I'm afraid I'm becoming one of those reclusive old men I used to criticize. And the other news. After leaving the UCC and joining a Quaker meeting for 12 years, I have returned to my roots to worship with my wife at First Congregational Church. However, I have been profoundly influenced by Quaker theology. I am now much more impressed with the mystery of God, our inter-relatedness with the Divine and with each other, and the necessity to turn inward to apprehend that reality. I am more drawn toward a mystical approach than I am to a theological approach. I see Christianity as only one way among many to perceive and relate to God. I like Marcus Borg's writings and his understand of Jesus and the Scriptures. I think a lot about death and hope that some elements of my self-consciousness will survive. I pray every morning. I attend congregational worship about twice a month, but don't find it particularly helpful in my spiritual journey. Yet I feel it important to remain connected to a congregation. I look back over my life, and while I have a few regrets, I am grateful for it and the consequences that came out of even bad decisions. Well, that's it in a nutshell. I would like to hear from any of you who care to contact me. I have a phone, email, and a Facebook page. Stay as well as possible and keep whatever faith helps you to be connected to God.