This weekend my daughter, Elisa, attended her last UU Youth Conference in Montclair, New Jersey- and next week she will sing at her last High School Chorus Concert. This is a season of lasts, as she prepares to graduate in June and move away to college at SUNY Oneonta in August. Mother’s Day was bittersweet for me, as I enjoyed our precious time together and reflected on all these changes to come. It is a tough day for many people, and for many reasons– for those who have lost or are separated from their mothers and/or children, for instance, and for those who have difficult or complicated relationships with their mothers and/or children. Thank you to Amy Greenberg and John Umlauf for lifting up their own Mother stories this past Sunday- stories which break through the Mother’s Day ideal and connect with our real life experiences.

This is a season of lasts, but also firsts- as every ending moves us to a new beginning. On Sunday we will celebrate some of those transitions with Religious Education Sunday- a day of recognizing the accomplishments of our children and youth this past year, and the caring commitment of our teachers. We will also welcome and dedicate a new child to our community– and offer blessings to our high school seniors. What a gift that we get to celebrate and support one another through these milestones together as a multigenerational community!

Rev. Terri