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I am on Sabbatical through the end of the church year. My plans are based on spending a lot of time with my spiritual practices: yoga and writing. I see more and more that such practices, our day-to-day, week-to-week disciplines that change our lives and change the world. So, I will be spending many hours with these two practices that open my mind and heart. I will share some poetry with you from month to month in this space.
I will also be reflecting on the questions the Board asked me. And I hope that you will be reflecting on the questions I asked you in the final service:
What is going well at FUUSE? (there are many things that have been going well for a while or are going well very quietly, this is a good time to notice these)
What is the deep purpose of this congregation — for you? for the congregation as a whole? The world beyond our walls?
I will be visiting at least three congregations to learn from them about ministering to a changing congregation. I will also be working on an Adult Religious Education curriculum about how people of various religious backgrounds come to understand Unitarian Universalism. I look forward to trying out that course with you in the fall or winter!
I have also set up many chances to reflect with colleagues and other people with a perspective on ministry. Sabbatical is a time to turn things over and see things differently, a time to re-imagine . It is in that spirit that I share this poem with you. It’s not a new poem, but one I am revisiting as I begin my writing time.
Totems
the hand is the giver’s hand
when feeding the untamed horses
of children’s dreams
keep your palm open, flat
the spiral
is my grandmother
my mother
and me
unraveling into the world
and spinning back to each other
and the fish
the fish is me
small-eyed and wondering
bobbing just below the surface
the round faces
in a row, brighter than life
one to shine, one to watch over
and one to squint into the distance
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