It matters where we go

 I spent last weekend with friends I first met nearly 40 years ago when I was a freshman at college.  We were moving in to the dorm and found ourselves in a remote tower of the building.  You could only get there by walking down the second floor, through a door onto the balcony overlooking one of the dining rooms, around the balcony and through another door, up a flight of stairs - where there were three rooms; a triple, a quad and another triple.  It was called "Rat Hole" at the time.  Interestingly, it is now "Princess Tower" - a new perspective on life!  Well, you really get to know people when you live together somewhat isolated from others.  Thirty-five years after graduation, we reunited and found what we already knew - we have a bond that will last a lifetime.  We visited that freshman room - even took our picture with the girls who live there now and shared stories about the room.  They say it's haunted!

Saturday, we took a walk around - a truly beautiful campus, especially in the springtime.  I lingered behind to capture the moment and take it all in again.  The experience gave me pause to think once again about what's really important in life - family, good friends, good memories, service to others.  For the past year, our Board of Trustees has experimented with a variety of ways to engage you - our members and friends - to  understand what is really important to you when it comes to the difference we make as a church community.  Your ideas and perspectives help us set First Unitarian's direction and allocate our limited time - paid and volunteer - and financial resources.  We tried fun polls in the Parish Hall on Sundays, a Friday night wine and cheese gathering, a Sunday afternoon pizza lunch and workshop, as well as countless individual interactions.  Along the way, we gathered many interesting insights which will help us as we work through another tight budget year.

Member Jenn Phillips recently reminded me of the famous quote by Lewis Carroll from Alice In Wonderland - " ... 'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' 'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.  'I don't much care where - ' said Alice.  'Then it doesn't matter which way you go.' said the Cat.  '-so long as I get somewhere.' Alice added as an explanation.  'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.' "

It matters where we go - what we stand for.  It's always a little fuzzy in the distance - and it still matters.  As we do each year, we must choose what is most important to us in moving towards our vision.  We count on our members' financial support to the best of their abilities to get us there.  Have you remembered to let the office know what you can pledge to help First U be a strong voice for Unitarian Universalist values and make a real difference in the face of many challenges in our community, our country and the world?  If you have - many thanks.  If it has slipped off your radar screen, there's still time to make that call.  Thanks in advance for your support.

In Faith,

Nancy