Sunday afternoon

We all went to North Valley Friends this morning. Brendon and I went to the unprogrammed service which is basically a small group there for meditation for 45 minutes or an hour. They do some sharing and it is interesting to hear the stories of the older folks who are deep into the Quaker tradition. Two who spoke were from the Midwest originally. How their parents used Thee and Thou when speaking to each other in Meeting, etc. Then Aleene, Amy and the kids came for the programmed service. Brendon was in the nursery while I double dipped.

The programmed service was unique. It was the first Sunday of Advent the they had an Advent candle suspended from a device on a table. Suspended in that each candle was round like a ball and hung in tiers...three purple candles, then the pink candle up a bit higher and the Christ candle on the top. In the Quaker tradition, the first Sunday is devoted to Christ's admonition to care for the poor. There was scripture and a reading about that. Then there were four centers located around the sanctuary (which remember is very informal). They were like learning centers in an elementary or middle school. Each center would comfortably accommodate about ten people at once.

The first was a power point of people around the world who live in less than we do (which made Aleene think of Nicarauga). There were about ten slides that rotated on the screen of a lap-top. You were to watch the slides, pray or contemplate the immages, and then you could light a small candle that was on a table with about thirty candles...much like the candles in a Catholic church.

The second center was a table with baskets of small loaves of bread. This is as close to Communion as Quakers get. You were to break off a piece of bread and either take it yourself or share it with someone and pray a prayer of thanks, either silently or outloud to someone that you shared it with.

In the middle of the sanctuary were two tables covered with butcher paper and you were to draw a picture of what Christ's coming means to us. This one was more popular with the younger set than adults, although lots of adults took part.

The last station was a group of scriptures written on colored card stock. You were to read one and then leave a brief reflection on a post it note on the wall adjacent to the table. I read the the scripture from a song I used to sing... "Consider the Lilies.... of the field, how they grow. They toil not neither do they spin, nor gather into barns." That was always a difficult song for me to sing because of the range, but I can recall the KJV words very clearly and found this to be quite moving.

We did this for about 45 minutes...there was some sharing, we sang a carol and then went home.

The word is out here that we are moving. Very interesting reactions from the various folks. The younger set are envious of Amy and Bren to have grand parents close by to be there with and for their kids. The older ones...as one lady said to me this morning...mention the importance of grand parents in bringing up children, especially in the younger years. They understand precisely why we are willing to move. "That is almost the call of a pioneer," one retired Fox faculty person said to me. Yep, we are pioneers...as close as we will ever get.

We went over to the Meridian house yesterday and measured everything and took lots of pictures. We have begun to think about plans...this will be an adventure. It is small, but very sturdy. We had not been in it for two years, so you forget.

We head back Wednesday, so these next couple of days will be lasts of this or that, for a while. The kids are doing well and we are anxious to be here permanently come May.

On a lighter note, I love the early start to the NFL games...you get home from church in time to see the fourth quarter of the early games so you know if they are any good or not and then you can either watch the second game or take a walk since it is still daylight. We did both.