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Lucile was a wonderful philosopher. I recently came across these words she published in Sacred Dimensions of Women's Experience: "I think of myself now as "Crone Longview," named "Longview" by my unconscious surprisingly but appropriately (because I consider myself a futurist). The term "Crone" claims the wisdom gained from experience in a long life. Each day I enjoy knowing the person I am becoming in this latest sense-of-self. I'm caught up in the sacred task of undermining patriarchy. This involves taking apart and examining the threads of the intellectual cocoon into which I have been acculturated and then constructing a more life-giving and life-sustaining world view, a new consciousness that includes a revised sense of the sacred."

The Women and Religion Resolution has been a great inspiration to me. The most important aspect of the resolution for Lucile is its call upon all UUs “to examine carefully their own religious beliefs and the extent to which these beliefs influence sex-role stereotypes within their own families.”  As I continue to examine this theme in both historical and contemporary cultures, I thank her over and over again for insisting on keeping this focus in mind: the way to personal AND social liberation for both sexes is through changing our family structures so that women and men are no longer required to sacrifice their full personhood to patriarchal roles. By continuing to do this work we are honoring her in the best way possible.

Lucile remains a shining presence who provided not only inspiration and guidance, but extended friendship, the greatest gift of all, to me and many others.

Bravo, Lucile!

Lucile – a visionary, yet always practical with ideas for do-able action plans

The main exposure I had to Lucile’s power was when she would attend the UUW&R November Gatherings in the 1990’s.  Her contributions included resource and reading lists and soft but firmly spoken assessments of how our liberation work was going.  Her self-assured gait and countenance exemplified the strength of the gifts she gave us.  “Go for it”, I heard her say in response to an idea that was “thrown into the ring” in one of our group discussions.  Those were exciting thinktanks with materials sent to us to study before arriving for the Gathering.  Those pre-requisite materials gave us the responsibility to give our all to our Gatherings’ content.

In February, 1977, Lucile’s clever strategy of publishing in the UU World (a newspaper then) her funny but profoundly meaningful “An Androgynous Fairy Tale”, helped pave the way for later UU decision making.  At the June, 1977 UUA General Assembly, our Women and Religion Resolution unanimously passed.  Lucile knew how to read the vibes of the time and found opportunities to make steps toward achieving her vision.  She was in tune with the positive life force, I believe, because she managed to reach enough maturity to live with honest wholeness (while hanging onto her shrewdness.)  Lucile is my model to act with self-assured wholeness.

Saturday, 22 May 2010