I took a walk along the “green way” today with my friend and fellow Board member, Cindy – at her invitation. There was snow on the ground, it was cold – and we were bundled up pretty well to stay warm. It was great to have Cindy with me – I may have missed seeing a hawk, which she spotted along the way. As we walked along a wooded area, we noticed many small birds in the shrubbery, which were blending in until they suddenly all shifted their positions on the branches. Cindy pointed out the geese on the hill as we walked back to her car. It’s amazing what we see when we’re consciously looking - noticing. Thanks, Cindy!
New Year’s Eve – a time to reflect on the past year – notice and celebrate our accomplishments – and then look forward to the possibilities of the next. I’ve tried some new things this year – a new spiritual practice and this blog being one of them. I’ve joined the ranks of Facebook players, reconnecting with many old friends along with today’s friends and family. I’ve taken a class in spiritual journaling – and loved it. I’ve joined several wonderful small groups – brown bag, women’s spirituality, open circles – and continued with an existing group of incredible women outside of church. I have traveled to other parts of the world and recorded my thoughts and photography in a book which has become a treasured memory for others as well. Through all of these I have a renewed consciousness about my life, my creativity and my spiritual being. This is something to celebrate as the year comes to an end. What have you accomplished in 2009? I hope you will take the time to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments – regardless of how big or small. If you’re brave, you’ll share them in a comment to this blog.
And what possibilities lie in front of us? In Open Circles, we reflected on the question “Do you believe in imagining a life and then trying to live it”? We could ask a similar question about church life – is it possible to imagine the church we want to be and then have it happen? I, for one, believe that we create our experience of life – of church - through our attitudes and actions and the ways in which we react to things that happen around us. As a congregation, knowing we are here to renew ourselves, each other, and those beyond our walls, the possibilities are endless. What do you notice already? Like the hawk high on a pole, the birds in the shrubs, and the geese on the hill - great things are already happening – we just need to look around and see for ourselves.
In faith,
Nancy
I agree that it's "possible to imagine the church we want to be and then have it happen," and would offer that we're making strides in that direction in the area of being welcoming. In the last few years I think we've made significant progress toward being truly welcoming to newcomers and fellow members. We still have a ways to go, but I'm definitely noticing changes to the positive, and that makes me proud to be a part of First U.
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