From Our Minister: Dwell in Possibility
It takes a lot of energy to dwell in a space of ambiguity. I imagine I am not the only one tired of not knowing what is going to happen in the world around us. I’m not the only one feeling exhausted.
We can take some comfort in knowing we are not alone; that humans have faced immense challenges in the past and found their way through. People around the world are suffering from war and famine and injustice and oppression – and surviving as best they can. To have lived this long on the planet, we’ve had to have some sort of perseverance gene, a pull forward which kept us moving through the darkest days.
Sunday, February 1 marks Imbolc on the calendar – also the feast of Candlemas, with Groundhog day following on Monday. Days which ancients and modern folk mark as halfway through winter. A place of hope in the rising light and celebration that we’ve come this far.
On February 1, we’ll have ten hours and two minutes of daylight – a jump of nearly an hour since the winter solstice. I feel it when I get up in the morning. Despite the extended bitter cold, the light is returning. My body knows.
I’ve spent this past week at an online conference with Unitarian Universalist ministers. I watched four worship services led by colleagues – all trying to wrestle with what keeps us moving; what we need, what we can offer to our communities.
The answer for many was fighting. It was protesting and training and resisting authoritarianism. The answer for some was remembering our connection to the earth; creating rich compost through our intentions, our connection to one another, our giving back to a hurting world. Most reminded us that we are all in it together. That none of us are alone. It helps.
During the next few months, the days will continue to grow longer. Light will return to the Northern Hemisphere. Frigid days will be replaced by warm breezes and noticeable greening. All cycles come to completion as the world turns and we hope and pray that the latest descent into madness in our country will find its conclusion as well.
But while conditions are bad outside, one truth we hold onto is that together, we can create the warmth, the light, the compassion and the kindness that is so needed. We may not know when or where or how, but we know that love is the core of our beingness; that love is ours to give and receive and share. That love will see us through.
~ Rev. Pam