A colleague reminded me of this poem by William Stafford called “The Way It Is.”
There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
As I near my ordination, I am reminded of the thread we all follow in life. Perhaps the thread is a calling in life, like my call to ordained ministry. Perhaps the thread is a deep push within you to serve others, a calling to feed the hungry or to grow vegetables for the community. Perhaps this congregation is a thread, with some joining and others leaving, all bound by the church we call home and our love of Unitarian Universalism. Hold on to your thread, beloveds.
On a practical note, the work of the Religious Education Search Committee continues. We are thankful to those who attended the RE listening circle in August. We are beginning interviews next week and are excited about multiple candidates. The search committee is me, Megan Brennan, Melissa Garcia, Alex Garcia, and Amy Pham. I’m grateful for their dedication to finding the right fit for RE at Pacific Unitarian.
I also appreciated everyone participating in our Pacific Unitarian Summer Read, What Happened to You? We had an engaging discussion with over a dozen Pacific Unitarian-ers reading the book. It has helped us understand more about our brains, racism, and the vital work of church community. The UUA just announced The UU Common Read for 2023-2024, On Repentance And Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Danya Ruttenberg. You can find more information here: https://www.uua.org/read. Let me know if you are interested in reading and discussing it together!
Sending love,
(the soon-to-be Reverend) Chloë
