Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Oct. 25th

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As the leaves continue to fall and the election nears, we’ve been hearing growing worries in the congregation about what Nov. 8 will bring, what the Jan. 6 investigation will reveal, what to do about the divisions in our community.
One of the best ways to engage with the voices of fear, cynicism, and judgment that can render us overwhelmed is to do something, one thing to have a positive impact. There are two opportunities on Wed. to do 1 thing-textbanking, one during the day, one in the evening to encourage others to vote. See #UUtheVote announcement below for more details so you can register.
Another thing is to tend to your spirit. One way we tend to our selves is poetry. The Rev. Mark Belletini, now retired, wrote this one we hope brings you some sense of our shared responsibilities to care for the world in stewardship and the interdependence of all life.
The Earth.
One planet.
Round, global,
so that when you trace its shape
with your finger,
you end up where you started. It’s one. It’s whole.
All the dotted lines we draw on our maps
of this globe are just that, dotted lines.
They smear easily.
Oceans can be crossed.
Even the desert can be crossed.
The grain that grows on one side of the border
tastes just as good as the grain on the other side.
Moreover, bread made from rice is just as nourishing
to body and spirit as bread made from corn,
or spelt or teff or wheat or barley.
There is no superior land, no chosen site,
no divine destiny falling on any one nation
who draws those dotted lines just so.
There is only one Earth we all share,
we, the living, with all else that lives
and does not live.
Everything,
everything, for good or ill,
is part of the shared whole:
sky, earth, song, words and now, this silence.
May you use your voice to vote so that the only silence we experience is sitting quietly perhaps with the splendor of the Earth, by choice, then cast your vote so that no people with marginalized identities is silenced ever again.
In hope,
Rev. Lynn and Rev. Wendy