From Winter to Spring

The winter tree Resembles me,
Whose sap lies in its root:
The spring draws near
As it, so I Shall bud, I hope, and shoot.
~ Thomas Ellwood, 1639-1714

As winter drew to a close and spring arrived, a few Friends were hard at work behind the scenes calling contractors for bids, appealing to insurance agents, sending around flooring and countertop color samples for opinions, cordoning off the mess, putting up signs around it, and taking care of all the details that in the end allowed us all to gather once again in our almost hundred-year-old meetinghouse by the end of March. We offer our deep appreciation for the time and energy they expended.

And while the sap had not yet risen in the trees outside, and potlucks could not yet resume, there was much business to be seen to for the meeting--primary among them the coming together for the writing of our yearly State of the Meeting report to South Central Yearly Meeting, which was tackled by those gathered online and in the front room on the 12th. Meanwhile four Friends participated in an intergenerational activity in the back of the house creating our next t-shirt designs to help us become more visible in the community.

Though the kitchen was off limits, Zoom and the moving of an electric tea kettle to the front room allowed first-hour discussions to continue all month, with Jim Pym's book Listening to the Light being the focus on the 5th, and our continuing journey into Compassionate Communication being led by David on the 26th. We were very pleased to be joined that day by a Friend who has been active in our meeting without being present for quite some time. She joined via Zoom from another town in Arkansas.

Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business took place on the 19th, and afterward we were delighted to welcome a newcomer who had driven all the way from the Hot Springs area for spiritual communion in the absence of fellow Druids in this state. We peppered her with far more questions than she got to ask us!

Liz Lesher, joining online from her home in Oklahoma, reminded us of the fundraiser for the animals of the late Rex Friend that have been taken in by a kind couple up the road from the ranch from which Rex used to join mid-week worship--often accompanied by his old white horse, Sweetie.

Outside, purple irises in pots out front began unfurling their flag-like petals while decades-old wisteria vines twisted and arched over mossy stone walls, dripping in clumps of bell-like blossoms.