Friends,
It is early morning as I write, the day after the election. The sun came up as it always does and always will. Still, the gray sky and falling rain match my mood. There are birds at the feeder outside my window moving through their day as if nothing has changed. Feelings wash through my body – shock, disbelief, dread, despair, and grief at the loss of what might have been. Yet, like the birds, I must find a way to keep moving. We all must find ways to keep moving, to keep doing what Unitarian Universalists have always done to keep the flame of our faith burning.
As the Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray says, “This is no time to go it alone.” We need each other for care and comfort right now. Strong is what we make each other, strength that will be needed in the coming days. For today, though, and maybe tomorrow and a few tomorrows after that, let us remember that these are tender times. Taking time to take care of ourselves, to feel what we feel – this is the first step into the calling of our faith for a time such as this.
We are called to keep the flame of democracy alive, practicing it in our congregations and teaching it to our children. For Unitarian Universalists, democracy is more than a form of governance, it is a religious principle and a way of life. It is more than a vote, it is giving everyone a voice in matters that concern them. It is showing up with each other and for each other to do the work of building a better world.
We are called to keep the flame of community alive, drawing on the power of covenant and the commitments we make to each other, teaching and nurturing the skills of relationship needed to create community and build coalitions of justice-seeking people. In our world today, communities are fractured. The skills we learn and teach in our congregations can help to heal the divisions.
We are called to keep the flame of love alive, caring for each other and creating networks of protection for the most vulnerable among us. Love is at the center of our shared values and is the core of our faith, a love without bounds, a love beyond belief.
Take good care, my friends, and know that you are loved.
Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
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