From Our Minister
When I was growing up, the hour after church on Sundays held almost as much fascination for me as our RE classes. The adults would stand around with hot beverages, deep in intent conversation, and I would wander between circles of legs wondering what on earth could be so interesting.
Eventually my friends and I would start running up and down the stairs until we found Mr. S.—the one adult who always allowed us to interrupt. He would stop and ask each of us, “What did you learn that was good today?” We’d offer some quick answer about Buddha or nature. Then we’d watch him reach into the inside pocket of his suit coat, pull out a roll of peppermint LifeSavers, and slide one white circle into each of our waiting hands. (It took me years to understand how many hundreds of ways I could answer that question.)
Eventually, my whole family would end up helping put away chairs, clean up spilled sugar, and wait as the very last conversation finished. I can assure you that loud complaints of cruelty and abandonment were heard from us children more than once—as if finishing later than 12:30 were some terrible injustice.
I learned so much from the people in that congregation. In this month of gatherings, I find myself grateful for all those who taught me when I was young how to be part of a faith community—how to let go of what I wanted in a given moment, how to work together toward the good of the whole, and how hospitality could be something deeper than simply bringing food.
I learned how to be open to the different ways people express themselves. How to engage everyone in the room, not just the folks who looked, talked, or stood like me. I learned that being part of a community means showing up, helping, and staying until everything is done. I learned from those intrepid souls what it meant to treat every person with respect, acceptance, kindness, and compassion—no matter who they were.
I hope you know how much your presence and your work mean to both the oldest and the youngest among us, and that we are all both teachers and students in everything we do. Be safe and whole as you travel and gather with family or friends this holiday season. And as you meet with the wider communities of your lives, may you carry forward the values you hold most dear.
Peace in all you do —
Rev. Karen