Book of Days

The Book of Days chapter of August 6, for the celebration of the Arrival of the Shakers in America, drew a lot of interest. I don’t share many videos, but I thought you might like this one. It’s about an organization known as the Friends of the Shakers, and the Friends host a couple of work days each year at Chosen Land, the Sabbathday Day Lake Shaker Community, to lend the Community a hand (again, “Hands to work, hearts to God”). And in mid August each year, fast on the heels of the Glorious Sixth, is Friends Weekend.

I actually did two internships with Brother Arnold at the Shaker Press, one in 1996 and the next in 1997. Both of those summers were wonderful, and once Friends Weekend came around, I knew that my summer was wrapping up, and it would soon be time to pack up my belongings and drive the long lonely road back to Alabama for the fall semester. It was always a bittersweet weekend for me.

Michael Graham, Director of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum, reminded me yesterday that this weekend has been Friends Weekend. He also shared this video that I liked so much, I decided I would share it with you, too. The singing of the volunteers in the Herb Department feels a bit over the top, though to be honest, Chosen Land is a kind of place where it’s not surprising to hear someone singing in the least likely place. Shaker music is like that: it’s like water, like air. It’s just part of life when you’re there.

The video is brief and it shows much of what is good about Chosen Land. Sister Frances and Brother Arnold make many appearances in the video, and I recognize many of the other faces, too, from those Friends Weekends that I experienced. The New England accents always make me smile, especially Sister Mildred’s. Sister Mildred, who I never had the pleasure of meeting, for she left this world long before I arrived at Chosen Land. But Brother Arnold speaks of her so often, she’s like an old friend even to me, and that’s her voice you hear in song as the video closes, and perhaps you’ll recognize an old friend in her, too. Enjoy.