“Thank You” by Ross Gay

If you find yourself half naked
and barefoot in the frosty grass, hearing,
again, the earth’s great, sonorous moan that says
you are the air of the now and gone, that says
all you love will turn to dust,
and will meet you there, do not
raise your fist. Do not raise
your small voice against it. And do not
take cover. Instead, curl your toes
into the grass, watch the cloud
ascending from your lips. Walk
through the garden’s dormant splendor.
Say only, thank you.
Thank you.

A prominent theme I have been holding in my heart this month is how gratitude practices become increasingly transformative and valuable in the face of challenges such as personal and collective adversity and grief. We are all holding and being stretched by both to some extent, and as I described earlier in the month during the worship service, creating intentional time, space, and awareness for how gratitude roots and grounds us allows us to more sustainably know the pain of the world. Rather than being stuck in a stagnant cycle of guilt, doom, and devastation for what we are witnessing or experiencing, we have the opportunity to notice how we can move that energy and our resources in helpful ways that are in service to the collective – ultimately giving our life deeper joy and meaning, too. It’s said that folks who consider themselves more liberal experience more despair and depression for the state of the world, but active participation in movement work curbs that statistic and allows for greater and arguably, more authentic, happiness, while taking a realistic and wider perspective.

So, this month and always, I hope you will continue to cultivate gratitude, sense the joy and pleasure of the present moment, allow your grief to move you, and prioritize the work that matters most to you. I am sending you all my love and support.

Please see next week’s updates for some details I am still working to confirm on creative workshops in December and January! I am looking forward to see those of you who can make it to our tradition of Bread Communion this Sunday.

Gratitude Visual Journaling tonight has been cancelled due to a lack of RSVPs, but I look forward to returning to the UUFM Sanctuary for one more Mindful Movement Yoga Session on Monday at 11am. Thank you!