[Ansteorra] Peers...

[CE Huse/Lady Maria Cabeca de Vaca]

Buenos Dias!

With all the posts on peerage and the such got me to thinking that I need to
help defend those who are peers and nobililty....

I am not a peer nor of nobility. I have my simple AoA and that's it...I'm
not an apprentice nor a protege.  My best friend and my mentor is a peer of
not 1 but 2 circles. I have watched her tirelessly go to nearly every event
(no matter where) in order to attend peerage circles. Her phone rings
tirelessly off the wall with those seeking her advice on this that or the
other when I have been at her home. At events (between circles), she sits
and listens and talks to those needing her advice and wisdom. Does she "work
every event", I would say yes, though if you saw her sitting under a
pavillion out of the hot sun, you would probably think "no". I greatly
respect this lady for all that she has worked hard for in the past and what
she quietly works on now.

Are peer circles easy, not from the expressions I've seen on those lords and
ladies who have just come from one. They look mentally worn out and ready to
collapse sometimes. I know not of what is discussed, but coming from someone
who used to attend numerous business meetings, I know that meetings where
heavy decisions that have to made, can make one feel bone-weary and
exhausted.

I know quite a few of those that are of nobility and those that are peers. I
know from just watching them that they work hardest behind the scenes.

Now, I'm not saying that once one gets to this point in their SCA hobby,
they need to quit striving to a better person. In my humble opinion, peers
can do their best by not necessarily working physically at an event, but by
merely giving a good peice of advice and steering us in the right direction.

Yours in Service,
Maria