'Grace' Revisited . . .

"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

 



Gate leading into garden at
Chester Beatty Library -
Dublin, Ireland

Now that I've returned from the Pilgrimage to Ireland and Northern Ireland and I've written quite a few posts here, the other night my mind went back to the name I chose for my blog 'I Shall Find Grace.' The thought was that maybe I should revisit that name, to answer the question, if I can . . . Did I, OR Have I 'found grace?'

First, I needed to go back and look at the definition of 'grace' that I found:

 

“Grace is the empowering Presence of God

enabling you to be who He created you to be, and

to do what He has called you to do."





St Kevin's Kitchen -
Glendalough,
Co. Wicklow, Ireland

I'd like to believe that those around me are able to 'see' who it is that God has created me to be. And my hope is that I am living my life in a way that enables others to see that, without having to look too hard. That being said, I know that I have several Friends/friends and some family members who see this so much clearer than I can or do. So, I'm not going to dwell on this piece of the definition.



My focus has really been on the last part 'to do what He has called me to do.'  So, Did I OR Have l 'found grace?' Did I OR Have I found what God is calling me to do? I don't think I'm there quite yet . . . but, I honestly believe I'm on the right path and that I'm getting a bit closer every day. And I'm OK with that. I'm going to continue to do what I do, what I enjoy doing, what I feel called to do . . . and I'm going to continue to enjoy it all.


Tree along the way
to Lower Lake -
Glendalough,
Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Take this last year, so much has happened to and around me. Some of that has been great and some of it not so great. Some things have meant a lot more work for me and other things have meant less work. Many have been enjoyable, pleasant, fun, well worth doing and others, well, not so much. It's been a year of ups and downs but I can honestly say that it's been an amazing year for me - full of several firsts!'

View of the mountains
from the Lower Lake -
Glendalough,
Co. Wicklow, Ireland

In December I became a Grandma and no, I'm not THAT old, but I just figured it out I became a grandma about 5 1/2 years later than my mom did. In February I took a giant leap of faith and signed up to go on a two week Pilgrimage to Ireland and Northern Ireland. I also applied for and received a passport, so I could go to Ireland. In May became a Great-Aunt, and that made me feel even older than becoming a Grandma! In late June, I began this blog as a way to keep in touch while on the Pilgrimage to Ireland. July 4th through 7th I helped with the United Society of Friends Women International/Quaker Men International Triennial (USFWI/QMI) and meet and became friends with several Kenyan Friends who were here. July 21st through August 5th, I went overseas to Ireland and Northern Ireland for two weeks - with and among Friends and fell in love with Irish Friends as well as Friends from England, Sweden and the Netherlands. 



But, along with all the 'firsts' I do know that so much more has happened to and within me this last year.





Path leading to
the Lower Lake -
Glendalough,
Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Take this blog for instance. One of the new Friends I met last month asked me in an email just last week if I was a 'story writer.' My answer was NO! I don't like to write now and I didn't like to write when I was in school. So I really struggled with writing this blog. I went on to tell this Friend: 'For the most part, my blog posts seem to write themselves - which really leads me to believe that God is with me and leading my words.' And then wondered if there was a blog post within those words. The encouragement and support shown to me by this Friend, a few other Friends, friends and family members has been a great blessing to me this year. So, for now the blog posts continue . . . I've still got stories to tell of ministries in Ireland and Northern Ireland to share as well as elsewhere in my life.

Path in the woods behind
Moyallon Centre,
Portadown, Northern Ireland

I've also been spending a lot more time listening this last year. Listening to what's going on around me, to what others are saying and to what's not being said. I've been spending a lot more time listening to and for 'that still small voice' inside of me. And there have been a couple of times that that voice hasn't been so still or so small! A couple of times that voice has screamed at me! Yes, and believe me I stopped and listened!

 

So, in a nut shell, I have found a bit of grace, but . . . I also know there's a whole lot more grace out there waiting for me.

 

 

Family Reunion Ministry . . .

"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



 

Sunday I attended the 54th Annual Rummel Family Reunion, up in Nappanee, Indiana. This is my mom's mothers' side of the family, and I can't tell you how many of them I've been to because I have no idea, but I've been to most of them. I've always loved going to the Rummel reunions, even if I don't know everybody's names and exactly who they're related to OR is that how they're related to me. Doesn't matter . . . we're family!

The Rummel family reunions have always been one of the highlights of summer for me. Whether we were at a park and we got to visit the zoo OR play games OR at a cousins house OR on the farm where we got to see the farm animals OR go up in the crop duster plane for a ride over the farm OR a ride in a wagon pulled by horses around the field OR a pony ride . . . Rummel family reunions have always been so much fun and a place where memories were made!

This year I drove up by myself, as the rest of my family chose not to go, again - so it was a long drive, about 190 miles one-way. I left at 6am to get there for lunch at 1pm. I know it doesn't take seven hours to drive up to Nappanee from Mooresville, but I do plan on a good four hours. I left extra early this year so I could stop by Quaker Haven Camp and worship with Friends there on my way up, since I wouldn't be able to worship at Mooresville Friends and get to Nappanee by 1pm. What a great start to the day!

I see family reunions as so much fun! But why?

Well, I think a lot of it is getting together with E-X-T-E-N-D-E-D family. For me this is the only time I get a chance to see many of them and I certainly enjoy the HUGS, food and conversation!


My 'Aunt' and 'Uncle'

OK, hugs from cousins? YES! I love 'em, they're great . . . even though there are some of those cousins that I was brought up to address as 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' - it was part of that 'respect your elders' that was taught in our house when I was a kid. I do know the difference. I know they are my mom's cousins but to call adults by their first name, when I was growing up just wasn't done in my family . . . and that went beyond just family - my brothers and I also called several of our parents good friends 'Aunt' and 'Uncle.' Even now, as an adult, I address them as 'Aunt' and 'Uncle.' I really enjoy giving and receiving hugs equally. Hugs are always welcome upon arrive but you've gotta give and receive them before you leave as well . . . a year in between hugs is a long time - and sometimes it's even longer!


Cousins - one and all!

Food now, what more needs to be said here? Seriously? OK, for all my Quaker Friends out there food at a family reunion, especially when it's the Rummel's or the Jena's, is right up there with any Quaker pitch-in or shared meal that I've ever attended, including the ones we attended and hosted in Ireland and Northern Ireland. And yes, we occasional have the same issue with food . . . heavy on the desserts, or salads, or vegies! Last year we had a table overflowing with desserts! And when that happens it seems to even itself out the next year.

The thing about food at Rummel family reunions is that a lot of it is home grown, which everyone knows makes it that much better! Most of this side of my family are or have been farmers and the rest of us at one time or another have had our little garden plots in the backyard. The little slice of the Rummel family that I'm a part of has been known to get together before hand and figure out what each family was bringing so that if no one else showed up (which never happened) we'd have a meal between us! I remember my Grandma Meller taking cubes of Colby cheese for years . . . for us grandkids. That thought came to my mind as I was trying to decide what I would take for lunch, so Saturday night I picked up a pound of Colby Jack cheese to take with me - but I cut it into slices instead of cubes. Large bowls of fresh picked blueberries and fresh sweet corn have also been seen on the table at our reunions.


Updating family records . . .

There's also something to be said about the conversations that happen at family reunions . . . for some it's catching up on the last year. Hearing all about the family - the kids, the grandkids, the great-grandkids, work, school, vacations and the like. The new babies, the graduations, the engagements, the weddings, illnesses and accidents and also sometimes hearing about the deaths of family members.


Record keeping . . .

After lunch, we had our usual business meeting. Reading the minutes from last year, catching up on all the statistics and such. This year, for the extended Rummel family, there was a bumper crop of new life - so many that I lost track! I was excited to announce the birth of what would have been my parents first two great-grandchildren - Miss Isabelle Ann in December and Master Austin Douglas in May. My first grandchild and my first great-nephew!


Sharing family history . . .

Cousin Meryl gave us some updates to the Rummel family history. This is always so interesting! I won't bother you with all the details of  my family history, but if you're ever in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - take note of the 'Rummel Farm!' Yes, that Rummel farm in Gettysburg is part of my family history and part of the history of the Civil War. History is fun, isn't it?


Sharing about my recent Pilgrimage
to Ireland and Northern Ireland

Before and during lunch I had been sharing with several of my cousins (multiple generations) about the Pilgrimage to Ireland and Northern Ireland that I had just returned from. During the business meeting one of my cousins asked if I'd like to share a bit about it with the rest of the family, so I did.

It's never quick or easy to leave a family reunion . . . first, you've gotta say good-bye to everyone. Second, it's giving and receiving that second round of hugs - and sometimes these are longer and harder than the ones given and received when you arrived. And third, it's just hard to say good-bye - you never know when OR where you'll see each other again.

So, where's the ministry in a family reunion? The ministry is in the hugs, the food and the conversations. The ministry is within the generations. The ministry is among the generations. The ministry is in the sharing and the gathering together. The ministry is in our shared heritage. The ministry is in the stories that are shared. The ministry is in the updating of the family statistics. The ministry is in the love that is shared among the members of the family. The whole of the gathering is . . . a ministry. OK, we have at least one minister or pastor if you will in the family, but we don't need that for our family reunions to be a ministry or to minister to each other.

Ministry in a family reunion? You bet . . . at least in my families. God bless the Rummel, Jena, Meller, Christman and the Hagee families.



Note: I didn't take any pictures this year, unusual, so I'd like to thank 'Auntie C' for sharing the ones that she took with me . . . that's why you see me in so many of these pictures!

 

 

Music Ministry . . .

"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



Music ministries seemed to turn up in some very unexpected locations . . . sometimes it turned up just around the corner out on the street and sometimes in more expected places. I'd like to share some of the music ministries I saw and heard while in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Accordion player
in Dublin

The first music I recall was while on the bus tour we took around Dublin, on Tuesday, July 23rd. I looked out the window of the bus and saw a man sitting on the sidewalk playing his accordion for donations, as people walked past him. I wondered what his story was. Why he was out on the street playing? It didn't appear that he was playing just to entertain those passing by. Was he homeless? In need of money to pay his bills? Did he have a family to support? Was he hungry? I'll never know the answer . . . the bus drove on.

Music during Ireland Yearly Meeting sessions in Cork was a bit of fun. The first music I recall was on Thursday, during the 'Singing' workshop that I attended along with two of my travel companions and several other Friends from England and Ireland. We sang several well known hymns/songs during the workshop in both English and Irish! Yes, we learned to sing at least part of each hymn/song in Irish. When I went into the workshop I was not expecting that I would be learning any Irish let alone find myself singing in Irish! I admit it was not easy, at least not for me to learn. That being said a few words were much easier to learn and pronounce than others. Before the workshop was over, we had agreed to sing a couple of songs, in a combination of English and Irish during the talent show on Saturday night. Yah, we were gonna sing in the talent show! We ended up singing three songs in English and Irish.

Saturday night the talent show was very musical. It was opened by a couple of Friends from the US, now working and living in London, England, who sang a couple of songs. The first was a very fun song about committees and the second one was one that he had written with his father, several years ago. A group of young adult Friends then did a really cute skit with a bit of singing included. The power point that I had put together was played - I used a couple of short recorded pieces of the Mooresville Friends bell choir with pictures of Mooresville Friends Meetinghouse, the Friendship House, Western Yearly Meetinghouse, Quaker Haven Camp along with Friends and activities that go on there. The choir, from Thursday's workshop, then sang three songs - we were able to get many in the audience to sing along with us. The Clerk of Ireland Yearly Meeting sang a song that she had written about clerking and we were encouraged to join in on the chorus. The evening ended with a couple of Friends teaching/trying to teach us several international folk dances. This was quite a bit of fun!

Before our 'shared meal' at Moyallon Conference Center, on Thursday, August 1st, with visiting Ulster Friends, they sang the Moyallon Grace for us, it was lovely! Thanks to the Friend who found the words and sent them to us. Now that I have the words, I need to find the tune, so I can learn to sing it, too! Here are the words:

'He giveth Heavenly measure,

Pressed down and running o're,

Oh what a priceless treasure,

Glory for evermore.

He supplies my every need,

He supplies my every need,

I do believe and His love received,

He supplies my every need.'

I've already posted about the 'International Storytelling' program that I attended with one of my Derry Friends, on Saturday, August 4th, and the singing that took place during that program, check out my post titled "Ministry in Story and Song . . ."

Guitar player on eastern walls
of Derry/Londonderry

On Sunday morning, August 4th, in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, we took a walk before we joined Bishop Street Friends for worship. As we walked to the Guildhall, there was a group entertaining the crowd out front. We then walked the eastern side walls, where we were entertained by a man sitting along the way, playing his guitar and singing for donations.

Several sights that we visited during our time in Ireland and Northern Ireland provided us with yet another type of music ministry, that which is found in nature – the waterfall I saw and heard at Blarney Castle, the rippling brooks at several locations, the birds flying and singing around us . . . that special music that God provided to help refresh us along our journey.

Waterfall at
Blarney Castle

It's been said that music soothes the soul. The music ministries that I experience and found myself a part of on this pilgrimage took on many different forms - accordion, guitar, bell choir, singing and the waterfalls and rippling brooks. All were freely shared with anyone who would take the time to open their ears and just listen. What an amazing range of gifts and talents God provided for us. I'm reminded of Psalm 100:

‘Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.'

A Black Taxi Tour . . .

"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



 
Our first day in Northern Ireland we drove from Moyallon Centre up to South Belfast. We parked the van at the South Belfast Meeting House, took a bus and then walked a bit to get to the Black Taxi Station for our tour. The tour will take us around West Belfast and give us some local history about the Troubles, the Peace Walls, the murals and memorials.



A section of the Peace Wall.

Now, before I go on about our Black Taxi Tour around West Belfast, let me say just a bit about the Peace Walls, in case someone reading this doesn't know about them - I didn't until I began reading the information sent out to those of us going on the Pilgrimage, and I still wasn't really prepared for what I saw. The Peace Walls are a series of barriers in Northern Ireland that separate the Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. The purpose of the Peace Walls is to minimize inter-communal violence between the Catholics (who are mostly Irish nationalists and self-identify as Irish) and the Protestants (who are unionists who self-identify as British).



Photos of some of those killed
during The Troubles on a section
of the Peace Wall.

The Peace Walls range in length from a few hundred yards to over three miles. They are made of iron, brick and/or steel and are up to 25 feet high! Some have gates in them and some are staffed by police that allow passage during the day but are closed at night.

The first Peace Walls were built in 1969, following the riots and 'The Troubles.' They were originally built as temporary structures meant only to last about six-months, but are now more permanent. And the number of walls has grown over the years as well. Most of the Peace Walls are located in Belfast. There have been recent talks about taking the Peace Walls down, but a majority of the residents feel there is still a need to keep them up.

OK, so now on to our Black Taxi Tour . . .



Our driver explaining the different
murals on this part of the wall.

Our taxi driver had a very heavy Irish accent and spoke very fast - making it a bit hard to understand everything he was telling us. I had to really concentrate on what he was saying and still only caught and understood about half of it. What this did tell me, was that this was all very personal to him and that he was very passionate about what he was telling us. He did tell us that he was a Catholic and that he had been shot at twice. He also told us about his brother-in-law, also a Black Taxi driver, who had been shot 7 or 8 times. So, what we learned about the Troubles was from someone who had lived through it and mostly the Catholic side of it, but he did try to give us a well rounded view of things. A comment was made in our group later, and we agreed, that we were afraid to ask him to slow down as we might be there all day!



Mural on the end of the
building and the
plaques on the front.

During our tour our driver stopped several times so we could get out and look around and take pictures as he talked to us, I also took pictures as we drove along. I didn't realize how many pictures I had taken during the taxi tour until I divided them up into folders after I got home this week. I was amazed to see that I had taken 243 pictures! He said he'd keep driving us around and talking as long as he knew we were interested - in part we showed him we were interested by asking questions, asking him if he'd stop to take pictures and by the number of pictures we were taking. The taxi tour was to be an hour and a half and I think we were out for more like two hours, but I wasn't keeping track of the time.

There were a couple of times when our driver turned the taxi around in the middle of the street. I thought this was odd, but just figured there was nothing special for us to see further down and that he was turning around to go and show us something else in the other direction. It wasn't until later that day when it was mentioned that someone in the group said no, he turned around as he didn't feel it safe for him to drive any further up that road. I hadn't thought of that.



Our driver pointing out the different
element in this memorial.
A section of the Peace Wall is behind
the brick wall where the photos are.

We saw the murals along the sides of the roads and those painted on the sides of the buildings.  We stopped and saw various memorials that have been erected. Our driver pointed out plaques above doorways and on buildings - all had significance. All of this done to remember and honor those who have been killed during the troubles. And the murals aren't just painted and left - they are ever changing, being painted over and over again.



Our driver pointing out the 'cage'
over the backyard of the flat just on
the other side of the wall of this
memorial - this is there to protect them
from items that are thrown over the
wall - on the left.

We saw part of the Peace Wall and drove through the gates. saw houses on both sides and saw what those families who live along side the walls have to do to protect themselves and their property. Before I saw the Peace Wall in person the only thing I could compare them to was the Berlin Wall in Germany - something that I grew-up with. Now that I've been to West Belfast and seen the Peace Walls for myself I know there's no comparison.

When we had gotten back to the taxi station I asked what time of day was the worst, and our driver told us there is no  'good' time of the day. Shootings can happen at any minute.



Mural on the side of a building.

The Black Taxi Tour was well worth it. I expect that we saw parts of West Belfast that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. I have the feeling that we spent most of our time driving around in the Catholic area of the city, since our driver was Catholic and he would have felt safer there.

It's hard for me to imagine living through the Troubles but harder still to see that there is still so much tension between the faith bodies.



Another mural on the side
of a building, note the red,
white & blue painted curb -
 do you know where you are?

We talked about this later and I commented that they just need to 'get over it' and 'move on' in our group. My words weren't well received. I don't want to sound insensitive because I do understand their need to talk about it and share it as part of the healing process that they need to go through, but how healthy is it to dwell on something like this? Our taxi driver talks about it, it's part of his job, it gives him money to pay his bills and take care of his family. But how long can one dwell on the past, on such violence?

Our Black Taxi Tour came up in conversation with other Friends later on in the week over one of the 'shared meals' we had at Moyallon Centre. One of our guests said nearly the same thing I did about getting over it and needing to move on. We discussed it a bit more.



This mural is dedicated to those
who died of starvation during
the Great Hunger.

So, there are ministries going on here, yes Black Taxi Tours are a ministry. The taxi drivers sharing their stories and those of their fellow drivers - those that are still here and those that have died in the Troubles, are ministering. But those of us that take the Black Taxi Tours and listen to their stories and talk with them minister to the drivers as well. It's a two-way ministry as I believe most ministries are or should be.

I've gotta go back to the Berlin Wall . . . it went up and it came down. There is hope that the Peace Walls that went up will too someday come down. It's only a matter of time.

A Visit to See the Quaker Tapestry . . .

"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





The prism panel

For those that know me and my love for needlecrafts, it won’t be hard to understand why the stop at the Mountmellick Museum, in Mountmellick, Co. Laois, Ireland, to view the Quaker Tapestry meant so much to me. Through guidance and encouragement from my mom and my Grandma Meller (her mother) I began my love for needlecrafts of all sorts at an early age – learning to sew, embroider, knit and crochet and a few years ago learning to quilt.

The story of the Quaker Tapestry is interesting and I’d like to share some of that with you here. The Quaker Tapestry had its beginning in 1981 from an eleven year old boy who was attending a small Quaker Meeting in the south-west of England who made a comment to Anne Wynn-Wilson, an accomplished embroiderer. Her vision was for a number of large tapestry panels telling the Quaker story. As this was not a commissioned piece, she was free to follow her leadings on this project.

Seems fitting to post this panel here
since I was on a Quaker Pilgrimage
when I saw the Quaker Tapestry.

Enthusiasm spread and more than 4,000 men, women and children from 15 countries had a hand in the creation of the tapestry panels. And what began as an idea in 1982 was completed in 1996, with a total of 77 panels that narrate the story of Quaker events and insights and is a celebration of the significant contributions made by them, from the 17^th century to the present. It’s a celebration of 350 years of Quaker life and experience. Various Quaker themes are used to tell the stories of not just the historical and but also the religious development of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain and around the world. The Quaker Tapestry is the largest community tapestry in the world, and makes it home at the Kendal Friends Meeting House in Stramongate, Kendal, Cumbria, England.

While we were only able to view 20 of the 77 panels that make up the whole of the Quaker Tapestry as this was a traveling exhibit, maybe someday I’ll be able to view the rest of the panels. This is an amazing piece of storytelling celebrating of the life, people, and events that tell of our Quaker heritage. Storytelling in a tapestry, yes, you see storytelling takes on many different forms – some are visual pieces of art. It’s amazing how storytelling has come up again in one of my posts.

Canada panel

After posting on my Facebook page that we were going to see the Quaker Tapestry a Girl Guide Friend in Canada commented that she had had the opportunity to work on one of the panels. She worked on the ‘Canada’ panel. This panel shows the first meeting established in 1801 at Yonge Street, north of Toronto along with several other important places and events in Canada.

Northern Ireland: Reconciliation panel

During conversation with one of my new Friends, from Bishop Street Meeting (in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland) over dinner last Saturday evening, I found out that she too had worked on one of the panels. She worked on the ‘Northern Ireland: Reconciliation’ panel. This panel shows the visitors center at Maze Prison and the Quaker Cottage in Belfast. While in Northern Ireland last week, we visited Quaker Cottage and learned of the ministry that they are doing there with mothers and children of all ages.

World family of Friends panel

The ministries here are many and varied, like the many branches of Quakerism. So many individuals came together to work on the tapestry panels, with everyone sharing his/her skills in needlework, artistry and Quaker heritage. The ministry can also be seen through the pictures and words depicted in the panels. But, the ministry hasn’t ended with the completion of the panels, it continues on as the tapestry panels’ travel around the world for all to see. Not just for those of the Quaker faith, but for others outside of the Quaker faith community. The Quaker Tapestry shares our history, story and faith with everyone who sees it.

You can check out the Quaker Tapestry by following this link: http://www.quaker-tapestry.co.uk/

What a blessing!

Ministry in Story and Song . . .

"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



Building where storytelling
program was held in
Derry/Londonderry

Last night after dinner I joined one of the local Friends and went to a storytelling program, just down from the Bed & Breakfast we were staying at. Now, it had been a long day for me already as we had driven up from Moyallon all the way to Derry, with a few stops along the way, and this program was to go until 11pm, but I went anyway.

It was a delightful couple of hours of international stories and songs. I quite enjoyed myself and was so glad I had gone. This was put on by the 'Storytellers of Ireland,' and they did a wonderful job. The rest of the Friends I was traveling with had gone back to the Bed & Breakfast and were all asleep by the time I returned.

Storytelling is an art and I will admit that it's not easy, it takes time and lots of practice but the rewards are priceless!

I couldn't help but to jot down some of the comments made during the program:


Banner that was on
 the stage

One of the singers was asked to share at a storytelling event and he said he didn't tell stories and the person that asked him said:  'There's a story in every song.' This is so true, songs are stories put to music.

One of the storytellers said that storytelling is 'passing on the memory of those you heard the story from.' I think we do this more than we think we do. We pass down stories not only though our families but though our Meetings as well. Just think about it for a minute.

What stories have you shared lately? And with whom? Why not take some time this week and share a story or  a song or two with your family or with Friends.


I will leave you with a few lines from one of the songs that was sung:

'Happy are we all together,

Happy are we one and all.'

Ministry Of A Sugar Cream Pie . . .

 "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

For this story we have to go back to the week of June 23rd - 28th, when I was up at Quaker Haven Camp (Syracuse, Indiana, USA) serving as a counselor for the week.

Sunday evening, after I had eaten my dinner I went up to the counter to get my dessert (a dish of ice cream) and was told by a staff member working in the kitchen that they had made 2 Sugar Cream Pies for lunch that day, my mouth began to water! I found out there was one piece left . . . but then the bad news that someone ate it! So not right. I gave the person who ate the last piece, a member of the camp staff, a bad time all week - as he knows how much I just love Sugar Cream Pie.

Well, Thursday night as I patiently sat in the dinning hall waiting for my table to be called to get our dinner, the gal from the kitchen came out and told me that she had a special surprise for me. Hummmmmm, wonder what that could be? I ate my dinner and went up to the counter to get my dessert and she asked me what I was doing . . . I was trying to decide which piece of cake I wanted. She reached behind the water pitchers on the counter next to her and pulled out a fresh Sugar Cream Pie! Oh, please don't tease me with that! I asked if I was going to get a piece and was a bit shocked to heard that the whole pie was for me! Seems someone, or a couple of someones, felt bad about eating that last piece on Sunday. WOW!



Slice of Quaker Haven
Sugar Cream Pie

She dished up a slice for me and I went back to my seat and enjoyed that slice of Sugar Cream Pie like I had never enjoyed one before! When I had finished, I went over and gave her a BIG HUG and thanked her. She asked how it was and I told her how it just slithered down my throat . . . you see it was still quite warm and hadn't quite set-up yet. I also thanked the other Friend, the one who had eaten the last piece on Sunday that I had given such a bad time to all week and gave him a hug too.I took the rest of the pie home with me on Friday and enjoyed every bite!



Quaker Haven Sugar Cream Pie

Now, what very few know, and I don't believe anyone at camp knows, is how much this Sugar Cream Pie meant to me that week. I had received a phone call from a friend that I serve on a Board with earlier that week with some information that I hadn't expected to hear. He told me a bit about what had happened at the meeting I had missed that evening, since I was at camp, and I was very upset hearing it. He called as he wanted me to hear it from him first and I appreciated that, but I had to put that aside and get on with camp.

So you see, the simple jester of that Sugar Cream Pie at camp was huge to me. It touched me very deeply. I felt so loved and blessed that night and still feel that way today. They had no idea about the phone call I had received earlier in the week and how upsetting that was to me, or how overwhelmed I was that they took the time to make a Sugar Cream Pie for me that afternoon. Their ministry to me was such a blessing!



Moyallon Sugar Cream Pie

Well, I just realized that was five weeks ago yesterday. And so yesterday, you could say, I continued that ministry and blessing as I made my very first Sugar Cream Pie with the help of my Friend, Margaret, who also loves Sugar Cream Pie. We used the recipe from Quaker Haven Camp, thanks for sharing it with us! We had to be a bit creative as we couldn't find a ready made pie crust to bake for it, or a pie plate, or any vanilla. So, we used a sheet of pastry - which had to be cut and spliced together in a square baking dish, used unrefined cane sugar (instead of regular sugar - since we didn't have vanilla). Several of us tasted the filling after I filled the pie shell . . . Yummy!

I called this Sugar Cream Pie the 'Moyallon Conference Center Sugar Cream Pie' . . . because it was made at Moyallon Conference Center in Northern Ireland. I so enjoyed being able to share it with the eleven Irish Friends who joined the six members of our Pilgrimage group last night for dinner and conversation. I did share what it was and where the recipe came from.



Me - taste testing Moyallon
Sugar Cream Pie

So you see, the ministry of that Sugar Cream Pie made and given to me five weeks ago continues on. I have now not only shared the whole story with all of you, but thanks to Quaker Haven staff, I was able to share a piece of my 'home' OR my heritage (my Great-Grandma Rummel use to make Sugar Cream Pie) with some of my new Irish Friends and my fellow Pilgrims on this journey.

For those who don't know it, Sugar Cream Pie is the State Pie for the State of Indiana.

And so goes the ministry of the Sugar Cream Pie . . .