Today I took a walk around Latham Park. It was a beautiful day and everyone seemed to have a touch of spring fever. Children called out from a school bus window. People gathered to eat lunch together on benches. A man played his trumpet for all to hear.
Of course, it is only February 22nd and the weather forecast calls for snow on Friday. Winter is not quite over- but we can dream of warmer, better days.
Inside the building things looks different too, with safety netting nearly complete to cover our entire sanctuary ceiling. Soon (but not quite yet) we’ll be regathering for worship in the sanctuary.
As we begin to move forward, it is time to vision and dream- and to use our imaginations for new possibilities. I invite everyone to join me for a Social Justice Retreat on Saturday, March 5th from 10-12 to begin some of this visioning work. We are a small congregation and there are many issues calling for our attention. Let’s reflect on where we might best put our energies to make a difference beyond our walls- and then go do it!
We can also use our inner skills of reflection and creativity to envision. For Christians, the season of Lent- which begins next week on Ash Wednesday- offers the invitation to daily prayer and contemplation. While most UU’s don’t celebrate Lent in the conventional sense, we do offer a collective practice that many of us on social media have found meaningful. The UU Lenten Photography Challenge is a daily spiritual practice of reflecting on a spiritual word and finding a picture to represent this word throughout the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter (see UULent on Facebook). This year, Elizabeth Jenkins-Sahlin is also offering a more intentional group gathering focused on mindful photography on March 26th to help us share and deepen the practice together.
Worship, Meditation Circles, Hikes, and Adult RE Classes are also on the calendar in upcoming weeks as opportunities that can help us to discern and see the future with more clarity. See upcoming events list below! And if you would prefer to just go for a walk or talk over coffee, please do reach out. I am primarily in Stamford on Wednesdays, but available to meet in person other days during the week too.
In faith,
Rev. Terri