 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2002 (XXXX 5) |
Members of the Media-Providence Friends community held an unusual meeting for worship Thursday evening, August 29, to support the Linvill family, long-standing members of Providence Meeting (PA). A disastrous fire on August 16 had destroyed the unique 1889 octagonal barn that was the center of their family business, Linvilla Orchards near Media, Pennsylvania.
The messages were alive with images, memories of the joy and delight that everyone in the room had experienced there, some since childhood: Baskets full of fruit. Shocks of corn. Cider press. Pumpkinland. Deer, horses, alpaca, goats, ducks, etc. An old tractor and fire engine to climb on. Christmas room. Smell of pies baking. Pick-your-own.
People spoke of magic, spirit, love, simplicity, sharing, and the feeling of belonging to an extended family. The Linvills always conveyed a welcoming spirit.
Paul Linvill's father Arthur bought the property in 1914 and converted it from a dairy farm to an orchard. Already they were welcoming visitors; my father and members of his Swarthmore College class had a party there the first year. All four of Paul and Peg's grown children, Sue, Steve, Nancy, and Jean, and their families, live and work on the property.
At the meeting for worship, Peg spoke about how she and Paul were in Ephesus, Turkey, this spring surrounded by ancient ruins and the beauty of new flowers. She found incredible strength in the message of Jesus as she read St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In her message, she shared how she felt uplifted by the community support and love as the family moves into the future.
It seemed like a memorial service for the barn, a time to grieve, to remember, to share the joyful times, and to extend love and support to the family. The orchard remains. Pumpkinland exists. The business continues, housed in a temporary structure. And continuing also is the spirit of community surrounding Linvilla.
Esther C. Darlington
Media Meeting (PA)
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM