(read the longer passage here)
Dear First Universalist Friends,
As we approach Thanksgiving and what’s sure to be a different kind of a holiday season, I have been struck by your resilience. In recent correspondence, I’ve noticed that often, without prompting, many of you tell me about a moment of beauty or joy in your life. Despite the exhaustion, the uncertainty, the distance, and the all-around wallop of a year, miraculously it seems that we are finding so much more to be grateful for this Thanksgiving than the “normal” Thanksgivings of years passed.
Those present at Wednesday Vespers a few weeks ago offered prayers for my father after I lit a candle of concern for him. He’s been very ill this month, and I’ve so appreciated those of you who have kept him in your thoughts. As folks have asked how he’s doing, I feel it’s important to share that on Election Day we received the sad and unexpected news that my father has pancreatic cancer. This grim diagnosis has been a major blow to my small family. Next week, I will be taking some time off to be with my parents, figure out the road ahead for them, and settle my heart and mind a bit after this wild month.
Despite the sorrow I feel, it is not lost upon me how lucky I am to live near my family right now. I have been offering daily prayers of comfort and warmth to the many of you who are distant from your families as the holidays approach. You are very present in my heart and mind.
As this is 2020 and uncertainty rules the day, I cannot be sure what lies ahead for my family in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, please know that I am reaching out to local ministers who could fill in temporarily should I need to take time off to be with my parents. And please also know that my ministry at First U is a source of energy for me, it’s restorative: a call to make meaning and share the wonder of life with you. So don’t hesitate to bring your joys, sorrows, and administrative needs to me still - and don’t hesitate to poke me if you think something has slipped my mind! I am here for you and I am here with you.
I know there are many caring folks in our congregation who may feel a need to call or send food. Thank you for your kindness and generous thinking, but no need to do so at this time. What would matter most to me is if you kept my father and my family in your prayers and meditations. (And if you enjoy writing cards, I’ll happily accept mail and pass your caring words along to my parents.)
First U, with each passing week I feel our shared ministry grow stronger as we assist one another in the work that keeps our congregation up and running, and also in our continual invitations to one another to see the good, the hope, and the golden November light shining through our days. Thank you for your brilliance and for your resilience. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for you.
Yours on the wild ride that is 2020 (after this year, all the others will be a cinch, right??),
Rev. Hillary