It’s a chilly morning and I’m only very slowly waking up and getting words on this page. But wrapping my hands around a warm cup of tea reminds me of the joy we created yesterday (and also, as Isabella said, that my energy comes from caffeine, which comes from plants, which get energy from the sun!). For this joy, I am so grateful because it is what sustains me. I hope it sustains you, too, because there is so much in this world that can drag us down– politics, war, consumerism, and the disconnect that seems to so rapidly spread, like the worst sort of virus we’ve ever experienced, throughout our culture. I get it, it’s hard not to disconnect in a world that can be unfriendly. And so sometimes, that really is okay, as long as it recharges us and does not become a default that leads to loneliness.

Unitarian Universalism is a counter-cultural faith. We believe in the power of our interconnectedness and that love and compassion nurture this connectedness. From this place, we cocreate together, expanding our oasis of joy that can hydrate more and more thirsty souls looking for respite. What’s more, when we invite our children into this cocreation, like we did yesterday, we prevent them from drying out and becoming bitter and disconnected in the first place. Together, we all learn how to be the way we want the world to be. Together, we inspire one another and that’s how we rebuild connections and heal this world.

So, wouldn’t you like to join me in more opportunities to cocreate? There’s no “co” in creation without you! I am looking forward to this Friday night. We will gather around a fire and imagine all the things we can do in worship and programming events throughout the months of January (Liberating Love), February (Justice and Equity), and March (Transformation).

Holy end-of-the-year, Batman! Are we ready for 2024? As some of you suggested yesterday (and I don’t disagree), time is just a human construct that assists our minds in embracing this mystery…

I am empty, time flies from me; what is time?

Dreams eternal, fears infernal haunt my heart.

What to give you, what to call you, O, my God?

– Norbert Capek, Hymn #8