Unitarian Society of Northampton, Florence MA

January 2012

The fundamental things apply

As time goes by.

Casablanca is a movie that doesn’t get old, no matter how often you see it.  It has Humphrey Bogart.  It has all the elements of a great story:  unequivocally evil but incompetent Nazis, scrappy resistors, heroism, humor, a great love rekindled and then renounced.  Great lines like “We’ll always have Paris.”  And “As Time Goes By,” a classic song.

Does anyone ever actually say “Play it again, Sam?”  Apparently not.  Sam plays the song, reluctantly, first at Ilsa’s request.  And then again, near the end of the film, at Rick's: "If she can stand it, I can! Play it!"

The turn of the year, cold and dark as it may be, is a time for memories, memories that warm our hearts and memories that we can barely stand.  It’s a time for taking stock.  What are the fundamental things, as time goes by?

December 2011

WHY DO UUs celebrate Christmas?

Maybe one of our youth could answer that question. This fall, I was happy to be asked to participate in the two youth group orientations for new members. Like nearly everything the youth group does, these sessions are designed and led by youth. They do get some guidance, of course. But our youth program is intentionally and thoughtfully organized with a commitment to youth empowerment and youth leadership.

During the check-in, I heard some of the older youth testify to the ways participating in the group, and taking leadership roles, had changed them. I witnessed them effectively sharing facilitation of the session. I watched all the youth practice patient and respectful listening. I noted that it really was o.k. to pass, but that most, even those who hesitated at first, got enough support from the group to take the plunge.

November 2011

THESE ARE STRANGE AND MUDDLING TIMES.  It’s hard to absorb what is happening in our economy and our political system.

I had a conversation with a wise elder from our congregation recently.  He had met with a young woman who works for the firm that manages his retirement savings.  She spoke with him about “growth objectives.” He listened, and explained to her that he had a different perspective, because growth is unsustainable from an ecological standpoint.  This was the first time this irony had been made clear to her.  She told him she would go back to the office and speak with her boss.

Other young people (and not-so-young people) have already figured out that things are amiss.  Suddenly, over the last month or so, they have become “occupiers.”  They are criticizing corporate power and corporate greed, asking us to think about where power resides in our system, and how we might change that.

October 2011

“PUT DOWN THE DUCKY:”  Do you remember Ernie (of Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie)?  Or is he onscreen in your living room on a regular basis?  I have an image of Ernie, with his big eyes and stick-up hair, sitting in a claw-footed bathtub singing, “You’ve gotta put down the ducky if you wanna play the saxophone.”

The Coordinating Council and Board usually have a joint meeting in September, the official beginning of our year.  This year, instead of separating after the first hour, we planned a combined meeting facilitated by one of our UUA Clara Barton District staff, Doug Zelinski.  There were about 30 people in the room.  Doug started by asking us to introduce ourselves.  Then he put up a number, 285, the number of members we had last January when we reported our membership to the UUA.  (Today, that number is 292).  We found a partner, and had a few minutes to tell each other the story of that number.

September 2011

Do you have a favorite season?  Is it the time of planting, or tending?  Is it harvest, or the time to lay fallow?  Mine is fall, the season of harvest.  As I write this, fall is in the air and in the angle of the sunlight, especially near the end of the day.  This has always been my favorite time of year – September and October – those two rich, glorious and poignant autumn months.

Ten thousand flowers in spring

the moon in autumn

a cool breeze in summer

snow in winter.

If your mind isn’t clouded by

unnecessary things,

this is the best season of your life.

Wu-Men

June 2011

I look forward to summer for many reasons – gardening, sitting and admiring my flowers, being hot, cooling off, reconnecting with relatives I see only in the summer, eating ice cream.  This summer I look forward to a trip, with my husband Booker, to our partner church in Transylvania in late June.  And I look forward to reading.

What will you read this summer?

My summer list has a few heavy reads – books I hope will help me think deeply or learn something new; things you may hear me preach about in the future.  It’s hard to read heavy books when other demands are calling.  One of my heaviest summer books is Gary Dorrien’s Economy, Difference and Empire, about anti-militarism and economic, racial and gender justice.