WEST GROVE: Meeting for Worship to welcome spring

This morning I attended a special "Welcome Spring" meeting for worship at the New West Grove Friends Meetinghouse on State Road. The 1831 meetinghouse is "laid-down," which means it's open only for special occasions. There is no electricity or plumbing, and the only heat comes from a Victory #20 pot-bellied wood-burning stove.
What a lovely hour it was! There were maybe 15 people there, bringing life and spirit to the normally dormant building. Even though it was barely above freezing outside, daffodils were in bloom. Three other ladies and I sat close together under a blue fleece blanket, and we had the warmest spot in the room, right next to the stove.
Silent worship in the style of Quakers is not actually so silent; you just hear different sounds that you don't usually pay attention to, like the singing of birds, the cawing of crows, the gentle creaking of wooden benches, and your own breathing and heartbeat.

Rubbings from two of the gravestones in the burial ground. These two families founded Conard-Pyle Nurseries.

The 1831 New West Grove Meetinghouse.