Friends,
Today’s brisk morning is a reminder of summer turning to fall. Kids and grandkids are back to school, Friday night lights illuminate the field for our communities, and we find ourselves returning to a life that seems almost forgotten—talk of football, colder mornings and anticipating the end of gardens and crops, the button bucks losing their fuzziness and fawns losing their spots…
All the while, the demands of everyday life are still upon us: the political divides in our communities, loan forgiveness, the spiritual practices of generosity, and the fear of missing out—and an upcoming November referendum on reproductive rights and individual liberty. There are campaigns and images that seek to motivate but too often it seems that they divide.
Recently I found myself at a gathering, music was playing: Brats, burgers, and a beat. In the center, a maternal figure was dancing, alone. She’s a mentor to me. She was dancing the electric slide, living her best life. I join in, a little boy joins in—we’re teaching him, before long nearly everyone joins in.
Where ever you find yourself, full of passion for the rights of people: trans rights, women’s rights reproductive rights, climate change, decolonization and dismantling supremacy cultures—white supremacy, male supremacy, heteronormative structures, habitat restoration—-remember that our souls are held together by the pain and joys that we experience individually and collectively; remember that there is joy and sorrow in every moment. Remember to dance, have some food at a tailgate, connect.
May this time of the year offer life and love and connection. May you find peace and joy and May you dance when the sweet music plays!
May it ever be so
-Rev. Will