Category Archives: Newsletter articles

I love Christmas. I love it in spite of everything we do to the holiday. Yes, I get tired of the mindless music in the malls and stores, the never-ending TV specials, the advertising that started back in September, the … Continue reading →

Every year we celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday which remembers the Pilgrims, who landed in the New World in 1620. The Pilgrims hold a special place in my family, because they’re part of my ancestry on my father’s side. I’m … Continue reading →

Quakers practice a “do-it-yourself” religion. To a degree which is absolutely amazing to outside observers, Friends get along without professionals, without priests, without people to tell us what to do, what to think, and what to say. One of the … Continue reading →

When I was a boy, Memorial Day marked the beginning of summer. At the end of May, people were still putting their gardens in, evenings were still cool, spring peepers were calling from the ponds, and farmers were getting in … Continue reading →

Last spring when I came to Springfield to interview, the Transition Committee told me they had done a meeting-wide survey. Everyone in the meeting, the committee said, agreed on three things: 1. We want to be non-judgmental2. We want to … Continue reading →

Everything in Christian life, thought and culture has its roots in Easter. It all starts here. Bach and Handel and Michelangelo. All of the hymns we sing. All of Christian art and literature. All of our history – every separate … Continue reading →

This is the time of year when garden catalogs have been arriving in our mailboxes for weeks. The worst of the winter is past. A few early flowers are poking green shoots above the ground. When I visit with people, … Continue reading →

Once there was a man who went back to school in middle age, where he signed up for an English course. During the first class, the teacher explained the difference between prose and poetry. At the end of the class, … Continue reading →

When a new person shows up at our meeting, YOU are the person who makes that person stay – or never return! • Introduce yourself to anyone you see who you don’t recognize or know very well. Try to learn … Continue reading →

You’ve heard the old saying that numbers aren’t everything. That’s true – numbers don’t always reflect love and commitment, prayer and spiritual strength. But numbers can help us to focus and re-direct our effort sometimes. It’s a commonplace observation that … Continue reading →