A blessed Samhain and Halloween to you and your families tomorrow evening! We marked the holy day a bit early in our service this past Sunday. Thank you to those who brought vulnerable hearts and even tears into our worship space. You made it real and whole. And thank you to those who brought your amazing children in costume to trick-or-treat our UU values! A2U2 children and youth bring a ridiculous amount of joy to my life. 

As momentum builds towards Election Day this coming week, I’ve found myself with a weariness to my spirit I couldn’t previously put my finger on. That is, until I realized it has been a year since the last election. A year since my job as a parish minister in a radically progressive faith movement changed in ways I couldn’t prepare for. It has been an exhausting year of justice organizing and showing up to vigils, protests, and direct actions. It has been a heartbreaking year of witnessing the impacts of the polarization and violence of these times on all of our lives and souls. It has also been a beautiful year of deepening our connection to one another, leaning on each other, and rising up. It has been an impressive year of growth and energy for us as a congregation. Our work outside the walls of the church has been profound. I hope you are proud of this, even if you’re weary. I sure am. 

 

One of the things that can happen to people who live amidst constant talk of horrible, tragic things… who are in tune with the reality of the world’s brokenness… is that we can harden our hearts. We can become cynical. Jaded. Numb. These are highly effective forms of protective armor. Yet faith traditions across the ages and across the world teach that we must keep our hearts soft and open to stay human and to maintain connected to our naturally compassionate center. We will ponder this question in our service entitled “Hearts of Flesh and Stone” on Sunday morning and engage in a ritual inviting us to re-set as we head into the short days and long nights of winter. 

 

Next week, I begin two weeks of vacation to allow my own mind, heart, and spirit to recover from the past months. I will be fully offline and away from email from November 5th to November 20th. I look forward to returning rested and ready for the busy holiday season to come. Between Sundays will resume on November 27th, Thanksgiving. 

 

Be well, dear ones, until we’re together again.