A Quaker encounter with an old Christmas carol
“Now, at the start of a new year, the True Love gives as the first in a sequence of gifts a partridge in a pear tree. It is a pretty picture, even though it is so quaint. It belongs to another age; an age when there was more time, more opportunity, to escape into aloneness, to survey, to ponder.
Or does it?
The partridge has to find his pear tree. He had to leave his natural surroundings and seek it out. Once found and settled in it, he has no intention of leaving it until it has served his purpose. That particular kind of pear tree is a hardy variety. It can grow anywhere, once it is established – in a garden, or in a house; in the midst of busy moments, or in a crowd of people. But, as it is no ordinary tree, it cannot be approached in an ordinary manner: wings are needed to reach it.”
— Elizabeth Yates, 1958
Quaker author
Art by Nora S. Unwin, 1958
Book illustrator
Today’s Invitation
Spread your wings and seek out your hardy pear tree.
This Week’s Query
What does Christmas mean to you?
What is on your heart at this time of year?
Read the source of today’s quote
Banner art by Ruth A. Seeley
