Complicated. Everything this year feels so complicated. The pandemic, the election, trying to find routines when our normal routines have been so disrupted. This is why, as we move into the holiday season, it feels even more important to concentrate on the meaning rather than on the trappings. The holiday season at UUCF is a place of joy and ritual focusing on connection to each other and the core messages of the season.
November is a time every year when I practice 30 Days of Gratitude, where, on most days, I post something for which I am grateful on my Facebook page. The Rev. Dr. Galen J. Guengerich, senior minister at the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, says gratitude is at the heart of our faith. In this 2007 UU World article Rev. Guengerich says, “Why gratitude? Two dimensions of gratitude make it fitting as our defining religious practice. One has to do with a discipline of gratitude, and the other has to do with an ethic of gratitude. The discipline of gratitude reminds us how utterly dependent we are on the people and world around us for everything that matters. From this flows an ethic of gratitude that obligates us to create a future that justifies an increasing sense of gratitude from the human family as a whole. The ethic of gratitude demands that we nurture the world that nurtures us in return. It is our duty to foster the kind of environment that we want to take in, and therefore become.”
Through all of the challenges and stress of the current state of the world, utter dependence on the people and the world around us cannot be denied, so as we travel this month of thanks, let us not forget to acknowledge those things that bring us so much joy, beauty and meaning.
Another moment of gratitude is upon us this week. As we observe Veterans Day, no matter how we feel about the violent conflicts brought about by humans on each other, let us be grateful for those who have served this country. There are plenty of wars and skirmishes Unitarian Universalists have felt the need to oppose, but please don’t let that diminish our thanks to those who have served.
I am confident UUCF will continue to seek and find joy this holiday season and for that I am truly grateful. We will find ways to connect and celebrate – get ready for an amazing Joy Service. Complicated indeed, but by no means impossible for us to find the connection and meaning that defines our shared journey through this meaning-filled time of year.