From Your Minister

Dear Ones,

Soon we will be beginning a new year! This change carries so many meanings, dreams, and stories. Many of us find ourselves wondering what this new year will bring with a complex mix of emotions, perhaps even more this year. And so, interestingly, for January we’ll be leaning into a new theme: the Practice of Story.

I was recently listening to a Hidden Brain episode about the power of family stories, which led me to another episode about how we frame the stories we tell ourselves. And then the Soul Matters packet led me to this article from Andrea Collier about “Why Telling Our Own Story Is So Powerful for Black Americans.”

All of these have me reflecting again on the stories that I learned growing up – my family stories – which give me sources of strength and resilience that stretch back millennia, far past the people whose names I know, as well as shames and hypocrisies I have had to reconcile, and questions about identity that I have needed to wrestle with throughout my life. They also have me reflecting on the story of my own life, how the way I’ve understood it has changed over time and given me lesser or greater feelings of resilience and connection, and how I’ve shaped it.

And they have me thinking about the stories we tell about our congregation – our old stories as well as our newer ones – who we have been and who we are as ourselves and as part of the wider community. They have me thinking about our national stories and our mythos, the ways my understanding it have gotten more complex over time, the ways I’ve needed to intentionally learn parts of our story, and how hearing our story from different perspectives has improved my life and grounded me more fully in our UU values like Pluralism, Transformation, and Justice.

During this month, which is so abundant with stories – old and new – that can both lift us up and break us down, connect us and divide us, strengthen us and weaken us, I’m looking forward to reflecting on the practice of story with you. It will be good to share how our stories and our storytelling practices help keep us connected to multiple truths, each other, and our values – especially justice and love.

Finally, if you’re looking for inspiration and connection as we approach Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the Inauguration, I hope you’ll join me for our What It Takes to Heal read along group. We’ll be reflecting on Prentis Hemphill’s book of that name in late December and January. Please see the calendar or weekly email for more information. If you need to catch up on the book over the holiday break and can’t join until January, I look forward to seeing you then!

I’m looking forward to engaging with you in these discussions as we begin this year and continue to shape our stories. May this transition into the new year bring you joy, love, and renewal.

Love and Blessings,
Rev. Diana