"H" is for HUGS, Handshakes, History and Hiking . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

Friends walking through
Sandy Spring Friends
School campus

OK, this began as a blog about 'HUGS,' and quickly became 'HUGS and Handshakes' - and that's what I was going with until . . . I added the photos and was giving a last read over before publishing, when it then took on the  title of: "H" is for 'HUGS, Handshakes, History and Hiking . . .'

 

Handshaking among Quakers is a given - especially as a form of greeting one another at the rise of Meeting for Worship, but in my opinion there is nothing like a GREAT BIG QUAKER HUG! Now, I don't go around just hugging Friends or others that I meet along my way, but there are those Friends that I just gotta have my HUGS from . . . and the members of Friends Committee on Scouting, which I wrote about for "F" are those kinda Friends!

 

This last weekend I journeyed, OK drove/rode with two of my BSA Scouting Friends from Central Indiana, to Sandy Spring Friends School, in Sandy Spring, Maryland for the Annual Meeting/Gathering of Friends Committee on Scouting. Thirteen Scouting Friends from across the United States and one from Canada were expected, however one of our US Friends couldn't attend at the last minute as he was needed to help one of his Boy Scouts in doing his Eagle Scout project that weekend. Some of you have done the math, noticing that that means that there were just thirteen Friends attending, and that's my lucky number with FCS! And I did blog about the number thirteen a while back.

Friday night dinner at
Sandy Spring Friends School
 

Anyways, the only way I can greet my Scouting Friends is with a HUG and so it goes to say that when I first arrived Friday evening with John & David, I had joked with them that we should go into the cafeteria and announce that the Hoosiers had arrived. (The word Hoosier(s) describes those who live in the State of Indiana . . . known as the Hoosier State.) John told me to go right ahead. OK, why not??? I went ahead and as I opened the door to the cafeteria and walked in I said "Let the party begin, the Hoosiers have arrived!" Those Scouting Friends who had arrived earlier looked up from their dinner and welcomed me. But I didn't let the fact that they were eating their dinner stop me from making my way around the table and giving/receiving HUGS from each and every one of them! OK, I felt so much better - I was wide awake. ready to go and ready to get my dinner. The party had begun!

During the weekend I received and gave many more HUGS . . . you know that you can't give a HUG without receiving a HUG from the other Friend . . . I love that part of hugging! A few times I would be having a conversation with one of my Friends and they would look at me and say "I sense that you could use a hug." And they were right . . . and we'd stop right there and HUG! You'll never catch me refusing a HUG from this group of Friends! I hope there wasn't a policy on campus against hugging.
 

Friends walking through
Sandy Spring Friends School
campus

One Scouting Friend, Bruce, was only able to join us Friday evening for dinner, our 25th Anniversary Celebration and our reports from the various Scouting/Guiding programs that we have members representing, and it wasn't easy to say good-bye so soon to Bruce. You see, Bruce started all this, well over 25 years ago, he was the first Clerk and though we have had several email, Facebook and maybe a phone conversation or two, over the last 3 or 4 years, this was the first time that Bruce and I had met in person. There was so much more conversation and more HUGS to be had.

Saturday morning brought another Past Clerk, Sandy, to our meeting as well as Kim. I've had not met Sandy in person, but we have exchanged a few emails in the last couple of years. Kim joined us via Skype two years ago and was all set to join us in person last year but she came down with a bad case of the flu the weekend before and was forced to stay home, so super excited that Kim was finally able to join us in person this year . . . you guessed it, more HUGS! Sandy, Betsy (another Past Clerk) and Kim all had to leave Saturday evening to get home to their home Meetings Sunday morning . . . so more HUGS! Hey, and if you say you're leaving and you come back around again (doesn't matter why) yep . . . more HUGS!
 

Scouting Friends outside
Sandy Spring Friends
Meeting House

Sunday we hiked through the woods, seriously, over to the Historic Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House, past the original Sandy Spring, for Meeting for Worship. Being an un-programmed Meeting it was closed with extending the right hand of fellowship. We got a tour of the property and a bit of the history from Jim, our local FCS member and host for the weekend, before heading back through the woods for a bit more history, as we were hiking a part of the local underground railroad trail. Back at Sandy Spring Friends School in time for brunch, before leaving to head home.

The 'good-bye,' until we meet again HUGS are always a lot tougher than the 'hello' HUGS . . . they're also a lot longer and tighter HUGS . . . and the ones I don't want to let go of, as you never know when you'll see each other again.

Now I have lots of other Friends that I give and receive hugs from - some are members of my extended family - all those aunts, uncles and cousins, some are members of Mooresville Friends Meeting, Western Yearly Meeting, Friends I see once a year up at Quaker Haven Camp, FWCC Friends, FUM Friends - this includes many missionary Friends & their family members, my new Friends from Kenya, the Friends I journeyed around Ireland with last summer, my Irish Friends and all the Friends from other countries that were at IYM last year!

Scouting Friends hiking
back to SSFS after
Meeting for Worship

And in case you haven't figured it out . . . I'm a hugger! I look at hugging as a way of exchanging blessings with my F/friends and family, a way of showing that I care for them and love them. There are different kinds of hugs – from the short light hugs to the long tight bear hugs.

Are you a hugger? Do you give short, light hugs? OR Are you a long, tight bear hugger? OR Do you prefer to shake hands? A quick light shake? OR A firm tight shake? Why do you hug someone? OR Shake their hand?

Alright, time for a couple more recipes from my childhood. Both of these recipes were given to my mother, when I was in elementary school, by a family friend, Ann Turner, the wife of Roy Turner, the Grand Secretary for the Indiana Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. The Turner's lived in Franklin, Indiana.

 

 

 

HAM LOAF

 

1 pound each beef, pork and ham - grind together twice

1 cup saltine crackers, crushed

3/4 cup milk

1 heaping Tablespoon brown sugar

3 large eggs

scant salt & pepper

small onion, chopped fine

1/2 green pepper, chopped fine

8 ounce can tomato puree

Mix all together, except tomato puree, then add the can of tomato puree.

Put in a loaf pan and make drain along edge (that is leave a bit of space around the edge between the loaf and the pan).

Bake at 350 degrees F, for 1 1/2 hours, uncovered.

DRAIN IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

1 pound can Nestles Quick (sweetened powdered chocolate)

11 ounce jar Coffee Mate (coffee creamer)

1 pound powdered sugar

medium size box Carnation non-fat dry milk

Mix all together and store in an air-tight container.

Use 2-3 Tablespoons per cup of hot water, or to taste.

This can also be mixed up and then divided into bags and put in a nice ceramic mug and given as a gift.

OR

Divided up into pint or quart canning jars and given as a gift.



2014 FCS Annual Meeting
Sandy Spring Friends School
Sandy Spring, Maryland