This year's Christmas gathering is another of life bubbling forth here at the Farm! The first toast at Christmas was always given by Helen Luke, then the evening opened for others to join in giving toasts. Others who took the lead in this tradition after Helen were Jane Bishop, Nancy Hector Kurilik, Don Raiche and Joan Yoder Miller.
The opening toast for Christmas 2024 was offered by Joan Yoder Miller.
Welcome to Apple Farm on this shortest day and longest night of the year. It is Winter Solstice, it is “O Dayspring” in the O Antiphons of Advent and it is Christmas in the Round House.
For over 60 years, individuals have gathered here because of the story of one luminous night in a stable some 2000 years ago. And while Apple Farm Christmas takes place each year, there has never been a night exactly like this one with exactly these people in the Round House.
 Helen Luke spoke of the contribution we each must make to any situation in which we find ourselves. She said no group or gathering would be interesting unless we each brought our own interest to it. We must not simply demand that something (a group, a play, a job, or even a party) prove itself interesting to us. So, let’s raise our glasses to one another here in this moment before this evening unfolds. |
The Farm Christmas card this year has a lovely stained glass image created by Don Troyer. Many of us see an angel in the image. Board member John Stempien suggested the inside of the card might include the words, FEAR NOT.
Those words grew on me. Fear is so often paired with night, with darkness in which we simply cannot see.
I remember crying in the night in the non-electric home of my Amish grandparents because there were bears in my room--in the morning light it turned out the bears were actually dark coats hanging on hooks on the wall. How do we stop being afraid? Well, at one level or another, we leave more lights on.
The poet Shel Silverstein
wrote about that fearful dark:
The baby bat
Screamed out in fright,
"Turn on the dark,
I'm afraid of the light.”
I'm Reginald Clark, I'm afraid of the dark
So I always insist on the light on,
And my teddy to hug,
And my blanket to rub,
and my thumby to suck or to bite on.
And three bedtime stories,
Two trips to the toilet,
Two prayers, and five hugs from my mommy,
I'm Reginald Clark, I'm afraid of the dark
So please do not close this book on me.
 In seasons when life is hard, when depression looms, when loss is in our face, less daylight makes everything feel harder. And some of us simply need more light than winter brings. I know this is true. Please do not feel bullied by what I am about to say advocating for the Dark. But here goes. We are everywhere trained to seek Light. You can’t see in the dark, remember? Yet creation stories and wisdom traditions teach us to seek out the Dark, not simply endure it. When we look into the Christmas story, we see that in the night sky, the shepherds were startled by the angels; that night was needed for the magi to follow the star to the birthplace of the child; that Joseph needed his nighttime dreams for guidance. And then there is the biblical Moses who found God in the thick darkness, and there is the darkness of the womb where each of us were formed. |
The darkness has gifts of its own and not only as a poor substitute for light. The mystics and poets give it adjectives: dazzling darkness, radiant darkness, luminous darkness, inviting darkness.
In the light there is darkness,
but don’t take it as darkness;
In the dark there is light,
but don’t see it as light.
Light and dark oppose one another
like the front and back foot in walking.
--from The Sandokai, 8th century Buddhist text
I will give you treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, Maker of All,
who calls you by name.
-- Isaiah 45:3
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
--Wendell Berry
The Darkness has a right and a responsibility to exist on its own and not always simply something to get through on the way to Light. I’m sticking up for the Dark on this longest night. And yes. I like to see bits of light in the dark. But not too many. And not too bright.
To the Dark and to Apple Farm…
--Joan Yoder Miller, December 21, 2024
 Apple Farm Board Chair Kathy Stiffney, toasting the Round House: To you who has sheltered us these many years. You are solid, inviting, full of the heart and mystery of many souls. We respect you and love you and we want to take care of you. As we work to make you perfect, please accept our work as healing care. We promise to remember what is sacred history. We will work with you. We will make you whole. To the place we gather. To our Round House.  We are delighted that Pam Bump was present this year. She commented that Helen and Jane and Else would be so happy to see this group gathered! Pam first learned of the Farm from Kay Heustis in 1970 as she returned home from her first year in graduate school at Columbia School of Social Work in New York. "Probably at Kay's request, Helen, Jane and Else invited me to tea at Apple Farm that summer. I was immediately drawn to the spirit of Apple Farm, and the feeling of the numinous present. There was a special kinship with Jane because she had been a teacher in Three Rivers, and I was studying to be a school social worker. In January of 1971 there was a job opening in Three Rivers for a school social worker, and I moved to Three Rivers, and joyfully joined the Apple Farm Community." Pam wrote after the event: Thank you for your beautiful Solstice Celebration! It was a magical evening! Even walking to the Round House circled in light was luminous. You thought of every detail to make tonight unforgettable! From the exquisitely decorated candle lit tables, to the moving welcome ceremony, toasting each person, to the delicious food and vast array of festive beverages--everything was absolutely wonderful! Thank you for the readings from different traditions, and from "Where the Sidewalk Ends," the selections of poetry at our table, and Lloyd's delightful "Spirits" game! Listening to Carl playing music from The Nutcracker was a joy! Thank you all for nurturing my mind, body and spirit! --Pam Bump |
Blog entry by Pamela Dintaman December 2024
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