Greetings, all- 

And many blessings to you as we enter the month of March! Mud season here in southern Maine. And, for those who observe it, the season of Lent. 

For the three years prior to serving here at A2U2, I worked in a federated UU / UCC congregation outside Boston. Most people were Christian-ish, with a healthy dose of UU skepticism. I learned to appreciate the liturgical calendar in Christianity, and have missed it since returning to full-on UUA-land. This time of year, though we don’t talk much if at all about it, I can feel in my body that it’s Lent. I can feel in the temperature, light, and ground beneath me that it’s mud season. There is a rawness to things… a heaviness… a desire to turn inward. A certain texture to life. 

Last night we had a gorgeous gathering at church where we came together to name and hold our grief. There is so much grief right now, in our personal lives as well as in our country and world. It was an honor to hear what others are holding, and to share in that burden. The load is lightened when carried together. 

Beginning next week, we’ll embark on a three-week worship journey through the ancient Hebrew psalms. I’ll put the three categories of psalms – lament, thanksgiving, and praise – in conversation with what contemporary spiritual author Anne Lamott calls the “three great prayers”… Help! Thanks! And Wow! How can these ancient songs and prayers help us understand the full spectrum of human emotion and experience? How might we surrender to the highs and lows of life in a body, in this world, with a spirit and a mind? 

We’ll dive in deep together, friends, and I can’t wait to see what we discover. 

Until then, be tender with yourself and those around you. And know that you are loved. 

In faith,

Rev. Tara