Greetings from Idaho!

I have spent the past week here in Meridian, ID (outside of Boise) at my cousin’s house with my family. It has been a wonderful and heartwarming experience. I have had deep conversations with my cousin about our family (we’re planning a trip to Scotland to explore the places our ancestors came from, and we have made some interesting discoveries just while planning together). As we share stories, we gain more understanding about our lives and the patterns that shape it. I have enjoyed watching the children, who are second cousins to one another, become not only acquainted, but make strong connections and life-long ties, as my cousin and I have done throughout our lives, despite our geographic distance. This past week has also been a healing time for my mother and my brother’s children, as it has been one year since my brother passed. Healing is often amplified in profound ways when we do it together. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to experience all this, and that you, my UUCL community, allows me to take the time to travel so I can nurture my familial relationships.

In addition to all this, I am grateful to have an open minded and curious family who wants to know more about my Unitarian Universalist faith. This gives me an opportunity to really live into our Shared UU Value of Generosity:

• Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
  We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.

By being open and honest about who I am and what I believe, I hope to strengthen my relationships with them and give them the opportunity to feel safe about wandering outside of the theological frameworks to which they are accustomed. My hope is they might discover fulfillment in the freedom to question and explore their beliefs. My hope is that I might shift their perspectives, even just a little bit, as they come to understand the non-traditional beliefs I hold. Family dynamics are always complex, but a generous spirit can connect us, and it does open our eyes to the reality of interdependence and just how much our individual actions affect the whole.

Be generous. Be well. I return Monday evening, so I’ll see you soon!

Heather