What Difference?

Today I decided to walk somewhere different – a new route. The old route was getting too familiar – I found myself looking for the usual landmarks along the way, watching for the cracks in the pavement that could trip an unknowing walker. We all get in ruts – grooves that don’t allow for new possibilities. I do, for sure. Taking a new route adds the element of surprise – forces you to be more aware, more awake to life.

So I took off in the opposite direction, across a field and through a grove of young trees. The ground was wet from the rains we had over the weekend – and I had to change my path along the way to avoid the swampy ground and unexpected streams that crossed my way, as well as the “presents” left behind by animals that had strolled along the same path. It kept me on my toes, literally. I loved walking through the fallen leaves, dry now, rustling under my feet, blocking out the sounds of the lawn mowers and barking dogs along the way.

I was contemplating today’s sermon at First Unitarian by Rev. Josh Snyder – “What’s the Difference?” It’s one of the most important questions our Board of Trustees needs to ask (in my humble opinion) and yet it’s hard. And the way we have asked has not engendered much interest. As I was told last week, “it’s boring.” Turns out, at least from the perspective of that person, it’s how we ask that’s boring. Time to get out of that rut. Time to ask some different questions in new ways.

I am reminded of an email I received from my adult daughter last week. From time to time, she sends us the quotes she finds inside the lid of her bottle of tea, when she thinks we’ll find them interesting. This week’s quote was by John J. Plomp – “You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers." Here’s what she had to say about it: “I'm not quite sure what to think about this one, or if I agree with it. It seems to me that a lot of the things young children ask -- things like, 'Why is the sky blue?' -- have very interesting answers, and a lot of grown-up people ask things that are complete nonsense. On the other hand, you have brilliant adults who keep asking questions like children, ones that don't have answers *yet* (but could); and while they've managed to keep an open-eyed perspective, I still wouldn't say that they're not 'grown up'. I like to think that I can be a grown up and still ask questions whose answers can't be found on Google or Wikipedia, or might not even be the same for everyone.”

So let’s try this question. What difference do you hope Unitarian Universalism – and specifically First Unitarian – will make in the lives of your children or grandchildren? I hoped that my children would be comfortable asking the big questions of religion and life, as a result of attending our UU church. I hoped they would be prepared to make objective decisions on ethical issues. And I hoped that they would have respect for people who look different from them, believe differently from them, love differently from them, and think differently from them. When I hear my children having conversations like the one in my daughter’s email, I know that Unitarian Universalism has made a difference in their lives.

As I walked today, I was struck by the grove of trees I was passing as I crossed through the field. I suddenly woke up to the fact that these are the trees that were planted by First Unitarian children in the mid-1990’s – just seedlings back then. Some seedlings died, undoubtedly, but many have grown strong and tall. What difference did planting those trees have in the lives of those children? In the lives of their parents and their teachers? In the lives of the people in the community who now enjoy their multi-colored leaves of autumn? Being aware of the difference we want to make will help us to focus on programs and activities that will make it so.

In faith,

Nancy