Breakfast at Beacon Hill Friends House, 3/19/07

Breakfast at BHFH is a casual, help-yourself affair. I was lucky though to arrive in the kitchen just as Holly, one of the resident directors, was making a fresh pot of coffee. We chatted a bit and she gave me some helpful reminders about where to find various dishes and foodstuffs. I chose the Grapenuts cereal. I haven’t had Grapenuts in years. It was yummy and easy.

After a bit, Tom and Liz G. came in and joined us at the breakfast table. I kept waiting for Raul to come down so we could go for a little walk around Boston, but in the meantime, the four of us had a wonderful talk – about dinner last night, about the FWCC annual meeting in Providence and my talk there, about the future of the Religious Society of Friends, about the history of BHFH. Tom was a resident there, I think he said 30 years ago. Holly told me the basics of the history and Tom added some anecdotes from his memory. Another young resident, B. from North Carolina YM (FUM), joined us at the table and in the conversation about the general state of the Religious Society of Friends.

By now I don’t remember too many of the specifics, but I know that two hours passed very quickly. At quarter to 11, I leapt up, washed my dishes, and finished re-packing my suitcase. Holly helped me check in to my flight and find out what time the train would actually leave for Providence.

Raul, Holly and I walked from BHFH to South Station, through the Boston Commons and Chinatown. (Thanks guys for helping with my bags.) We arrived just in time to buy my ticket for the MBTA and hug good-bye. I was pretty nervous on the train when I realized it was going to take 75 minutes rather than the 45-60 minutes I had thought. But the scenery was pretty, the train was on time, the taxi from the Providence train station to the airport was quick and easy and checking my suitcase and going through security took all of ten minutes, so I had plenty of time.