Something for the Journey
Melissa Carvill Ziemer, Director of Ministries and Programs
I woke up very early this morning disturbed by an image of an out of control wrecking ball and immense destruction in its wake. After I breathed into my feelings of loss and fear, my first thought was “a little too on the nose, subconscious, don’t you think?” It is enough to be living through such challenging times, I want for myself and all of us some respite in our sleep! But as I sit now in the bright light of day while my children and their friends are playing some game of tag and kickball on the street in front of my house, I am mindful that what I want for myself and for them and for all of us is so much more than respite. I want communities of care and real connections we can trust. I want places where we can learn and grow and be challenged to shape our lives in alignment with our values. I want to be part of the dreaming and working and fighting for collective liberation. I want to deepen and widen my capacity to be present to it all including the joy that is our birthright. And here is the blessing – what I want is already available to me and to them and to you and all of us.
The UUMA is part of that blessing. Within our continental organization we have so many real communities of care and connection we can trust. We have important opportunities to learn and grow and organize and work and fight together for the world we dream. And we have steady invitations and reliable structures to support our growing and deepening throughout our vocational lives. I am so honored to have been part of leading this important institution in Unitarian Universalism and so grateful for you and all your beautiful ministries in this life-saving, life-affirming faith tradition we share. Thank you for doing your part to create and sustain the communities and opportunities and places and invitations that help all of us remember what we really want and what we already have and what we can still create, together.
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