The mid-island community continues to gather every other Tuesday for supper at 6, eucharist-
sometimes implicit and at other times explicit but always with reverence and love- sharing feelings
and thoughts in our discussion and prayer. We are seven, and we miss Phil who had to return to
Toronto, and Carlene and Sheldon who likewise moved and now live in the diaspora in Saskatoon. We
have talked to them- at Sheldon's birthday, also when Carlene called to give us their good
news. We have also talked with Phil in Toronto and regard his emails as a constant contact. 

We have enjoyed moving around to each of our four homes, and on François' 65th birthday,
Dec. 28, we had a wonderful supper out at the Waterford in Chemainus. That night we had with us
Naomi's brother, Tom, from Chicago. On January 11, we were only three, Michael, Naomi,
and Chris, because the roads were icy; we three looked at pictures of Malta with Michael explaining
the features of each one. On January 25, at Brassbach Abbey, we were joined by Jesse Kelly from
Saanichton; we enjoyed hearing of her work in Africa, and we shared stories about our
' musical careers'. We ended by thanking God that our futures are not determined by our
pasts. 

After François' return from sailing in the Caribbean, in early March, we all went to Tofino
for two nights. There the time was spent sharing stories, meals, prayers, walking the beaches in
glorious sunshine, enjoying the panoramic scenes, and recalling how the group had helped with our
sadness in the Fall. At our last meeting at François and Connie's, we recalled what Spring
means to us and we put together the last details of the Enneagram Workshop in Brassbach Abbey on
April 7& 8. 

Chris Diamond, Cobble Hill, BC