Our attempts at blogging have been well intended but meager at best. We have come to realize that our schedule just does not allow opportunity to care for a blog, and our dial-up connection does not provide the best Internet access. So, we have decided to return to our "old fashioned" format of a newsletter. This way, we will be able to share updates and keep up with our duties at Quaker Monastery at the same time.

To save trees and reduce the carbon foot print of our newsletter, we will feature the Quaker Monastery Newsletter here at our web site, and sending it out primarily via e-mail to subscribers. If you still would rather it be sent by regular mail, please let us know.

If you would like to be put on our electronic mailing list, send an e-mail to: quakermonastery@gmail.com and we will be happy to get you on the list. Please share our work with others!

5th Month, 2010 - Thawing Out, Daring to Warm up
Spring seems to be arriving early this year. We hardly know if we can trust the early signs, but it is easy to find oneself wanting to take chances in the garden for instance after being away from enjoying the outdoors for so long.

We are in the process of having The Quaker Quill Monastery Blog available in a more interactive format through wordpress. We opened the account a while ago and are learning as we go. Eventually, everything will be there and we hope it is for the better. Until the transition is complete, the Quaker Quill Monastery Blog will be here and there.

4th Month, 2010 - The Precious Gift of Service
We celebrated Maundy Thursday this year with our friends at St. Andrews by the Lake Episcopal Church in Harrisville, Michigan. They hosted a special passover dinner, and afterwards there was a foot washing service. It was quite a learning experience all around and we had the great pleasure of providing and cooking the lamb for the meal fresh from the farm.

There was a marvelous educational presentation about the many aspects of the passover meal which was presented while we ate the traditional dishes and foods. It was wonderfully informative in so many ways.

Participating in the foot washing service afterwards was very enlightening and provided such insight into the character of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It was a spiritual aspect of Christian service and tradition which I personally had never known and it was very moving. How grateful I am to have had the privilege to broaden my understanding of this Christian custom. I can honestly say that I never quite understood Peter's response to our Lord as fully as I do now.

Easter day found us at a sunrise service in our little town of Harrisville. It is actually a city, but has the warm feel of a town that has never lost it charm to excessive leaps of industrial progress.

Anyway, we decided this year to start our Easter day of ecumenical fellowship with the United Methodist Church of Harrisville, who held a sunrise service at the harbor on Lake Huron. We couldn't remember a year in nearly the past decade when this could have been possible for the weather is always utterly prohibitive for outdoor activities on Easter. But, this exceptional year provided a beautiful opportunity for a sunrise service. The prayers and a capella singing of hymns seemed all the more spiritually uplifting for the glory of the sunrise that made its way above the horizon and bathed us in its light.

After the group disbanded, we sat in silent meeting for worship and therein the Lord led us to His peaceful presence and in holy silence we were keenly mindful of the profound and powerful meaning and spiritual message to be contemplated of the Resurrection.

Then, we made our way to St. Andrews by the Lake Episcopal Church for Easter communion with the wonderful church community there. Father Pete gave a moving talk that asked the question, "Where is the God of My Childhood". Tender spiritual points to ponder were delivered and there was much to be considered and discussed later.

3rd Month, 2010 - Unexpected Joy
This month has been just full of blessings and joys - my cup runneth over! First, Spring babies are still arriving early this year and though there have been some orphans, their presence makes us smile and laugh no matter how severe the weather is!

Then, what seemed like a slow start to the maple sugar season has turned out to be quite nice. We are collecting lots of sap several times a day and the maple syrup is plentiful. What a miracle of creation that God gave us the gift of such delicious sugar from the sap of a tree!

But, the best part is (I can hardly contain my excitement) - we received the gift of a precious copy of the 1599 Geneva Bible and it is a true treasure. Such a joy during this season. How wonderful it is to be able to read the heart-felt deeply spiritual and humble prayers of those who used this edition when America was very young. I'm only sorry for the lack of time there is to really delve into it this time of year. But, it will be a treasure-trove waiting to be explored and study next winter - I am actually looking forward to next winter already because of it! Though our favorite study bible is the Jerusalem Bible, I feel very glad inside for the Geneva Bible. What a privilege to be able to add it to our library and be able to actually read it. Such excitement makes me feel like a child inside!

A Passover meal was prepared and shared in silent fellowship at the Monastery with a Bible study afterwards.

2nd Month, 2010 - The Balm of Winter
Winter weather has been a bit better than winters of the past few years. There haven't been as many sub-zero days as yet. Time is in fact going by swiftly and it leaves us hoping that we are investing our creative efforts to the full. Time here at the Monastery lingers just a bit longer in winter than at other times of the year. This provides us with opportunities to do things that can not be accomplished in any other season. So, we take full advantage those extra moments and thank God for them!

Contemplative prayer also seems complemented by shorter days and snowy nights. There is a feeling of prayerful intimacy unique to winter which seems sad to pass as spring approaches. But, the promise of new life in the combination of the comming of Easter season and the new birth at the farm makes us feel ready to let go of the quite solitude of winter and greet spring with the joy that new life brings.

The Quaker Kitchen project continues to grow, one subject at a time. Winter provides such a good opportunity for filming cooking projects, there is time available now that just won't be afforded in just a few more months. I hope we get all of the subjects covered that we have on the schedule, if not, we will just do what we can. People are sending subject requests in and we look forward to working on them. We are working on having every video closed captioned.

The question of advertising came up again. Another company made an offer for ad space on The Quaker Kitchen web site but we are committed to having space that is not intruded upon by ads, especially given the fact that we would have no control over ad content. Our leading for The Quaker Kitchen is to create learning space that is Christian in content and wholesome as a learning environment. Ads will not be a complement our work.

Thought not due until 5th month (we thought!), we have had lovely newborn lambs already and baby goats too. We have been filming bottle feeding baby goats and lambs for the Quaker Kitchen and we - can't wait!

1st Month, 2010 - New Beginnings
The year begins with an important project finally in place. We are calling it the QuakerGreen project and it is located online at www.QuakerGreen.org.

The QuakerGreen project seeks to explore and create ways to increase environmental consciousness.

An outreach of Quaker Monastery, the QuakerGreen project began in the in late 2008 as a Christian ministry of stewardship through a Quaker perspective whereby education and resources about climate change and sustainable living could be offered to the public through modern mediums of technology including a web site which will feature pod casts and online videos on subjects relating to climate change and sustainable living.

It has taken more time to put together than first thought but the fact that it is on its way now is a comfort. We intend it to be an online resource and look forward to steady progress. The issues of global warming and climate change are far to important to ignore and time is of the essence. Living on earth is more than just taking, we must invest in and nourish the planet. The smallest contributions make a difference.

This global concern effects people of every land and culture. Living in a more sustainable way and decreasing our carbon foot print in all walks of life is critical to the survival of the planet and the cultures that share it.

As a Christian ministry, we hope the QuakerGreen project grows and blooms with good things, and as in all things, we turn its future over to the Lord and ask His blessing.

Our first litter of Collies has been born for 2010. We have several that will be placed in therapy programs and we will be training them at the farm this summer.