Thank you for reading! And thanks to the 2nd and 3rd graders at First U, and their teachers, for inviting me to their class today to share a bit about my spiritual practice. It's an interesting thing, trying to convey what we adults do for ourselves in stories a young person might relate to. (In fact, it’s not so simple doing this with adults!) Some of the children connected with feeling busy and needing some “time off” like I do. One of the young boys told of an experience of suddenly noticing a fox running through his yard – something out of the ordinary that caused him to take notice. That happens for me on my walks. I shared with them that I usually have some “niggling” problem or question that somehow seems to work itself out while walking in the fresh air. Soon, they were off to try a walk outdoors on this beautiful day, in search of the trees that First U families had planted well before they were born, and to experiment with potential spiritual practices of their own. I’m looking forward to hearing how it went.
This week I’ve been thinking about “reasonableness”. It’s a key ingredient of the trust we have between the Board of Trustees and our church management, led by our Executive Team. It's also a topic of conversation for our Board meeting this month. The vision the Board has set for the church is quite broad– with many possible and reasonable interpretations of who is impacted and how to get there.
How do we say what’s reasonable? Common sense? Expectation of what is actually possible? Affordable? Good enough? I had a practical experience with this on one of my walks this week. I planned a terrific walk along the Brandywine. It was a beautiful day and I invited my family along to explore new territory with me. We listened to the sounds of water rushing somewhere in the distance as we walked down the hill towards the river, leaves crackling under our feet. My spirits were soaring. I love autumn. And it was clear after some time that my interpretation of “terrific” was not necessarily shared. We hadn’t brought water or snacks, and Paul’s recently-healed leg injury was reoccurring. “How long are you planning to walk?” Oops – failed to clarify that I hoped to walk several hours! We considered the many paths we could take to return to our car. After choosing a route, Matt asked – “Is that the best way?” I laughed to myself in light of my question on “what’s reasonable.” It depends, of course, on your interpretation of best. How do you measure it? For Paul, best was the quickest way to water with the least stress on his hurting leg. For me, best was the most beautiful way. Both were reasonable interpretations. We chose the quicker, flatter, and smoother option – and while not the most beautiful (to me) –in the end it was truly best for this day and circumstances. Lesson learned – set clear expectations in the future. Still, the walk was awesome even though it ended differently than I had envisioned.
When the Board considers how Rev. Josh, Rev. Barbara and Marina interpret our guidance to them on behalf of the congregation, it will not be one person’s view of “reasonable” that will matter. It will be a collective understanding that guides our choices and possibly sends us back to the drawing board to clarify our expectations for the future. It’s the way we partner to do the work of our church.
Wasn’t today beautiful? I am really thankful for the four seasons and being able to explore our wonderful world.
In faith,
Nancy
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