“…You know that there is no bouncing back. There is only moving through… What happens to us becomes a part of us. Resilient people do not bounce back from hard experiences; they find healthy ways to integrate them into their lives.” Eric Greitens

Monday was the first heavy rain we had in quite a while. Those of you who plant gardens have most likely had a conversation about how unusually dry it had been leading up to that storm. Seeing my plants wilting as I had gone out to water them sparked a memory for me.
A little over five years ago, our friend Lisa Coons was encouraging me on my new adventure of seed starting. I did not grow up gardening but was enthusiastically beginning to grow a few a variety of plants from seed. I remember when the air was still crisp and frosty that March, my kale plants had a solid start. A month later, I had cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, kale, carrots, eggplant, peppers, beets, Romanesco cauliflower, rosemary, basil, and amaranth started! The problem was, I knew nothing about hardening them off. When I planted them outdoors, my plants were rather stunted from the change in conditions. Lesson learned.
At the time, I was growing a personal plot near the northwest corner of the Living Earth Center community garden. This is a great place to begin, among others who are glad to share both their abundance of knowledge and food! Lisa checked in on me one day to ask how it was going. When I told her of my concern for the wilted plants I was tending to, she met me with wise words. “It’s amazing what they can bounce back from,” Lisa cheerfully reassured me. It stuck with me, not only as a message of resilience in the garden… I have reflected on those words numerous times recently.

I trust that humanity will make it through this season of drastic change, with additional love and care from our communities. There are numerous challenges facing us right now, and that goes without saying. Some challenges bring deep pain and suffering, but most challenges also bring growth, lessons, and opportunities. It is clinging to the hope for a more equitable, just, compassionate, bright, and beautiful tomorrow that will keep many of us going. We are more adaptable than we know.
Each time I garden now, I strive to stay open to the many metaphors that are present there. We may not always bounce back so rapidly and miraculously the way some plants seem to. However, we will move through our difficulties physically apart yet held together.

Spirit of Life,
May the lessons we know of resilience endure in our hearts through our deepest places of fear.
May our interconnected web be woven more securely where it is needed.
Let us lift one another up, time and time again.
Give us patience and strength as we navigate these growing pains.

Thank you.

Notes from the Director 

Dear Friends,
As I continue to keep you all in my hearts and thoughts, please know that I am just an email or a phone call away. While I am no longer holding virtual “office hours”, you can reach me on my personal phone at 507-995-7929. My typical workdays are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. I will continue to do my best to serve as a resource to our community, through connecting you to one another and of course, directly. Being a light in the lives of others is as important as ever, and I hope you will stay connected.

Please consider joining our private Facebook group: UUFM Children’s Faith Development
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/1404655806251029/). This group is intended for families and congregants who are involved in Children’s Faith Development. My approval of new members’ access to the information there is what makes the group a safe space for sharing. I will be sharing our weekly stories as Facebook videos on my personal page publicly and sharing them in the group, as well as short prayers and meditations.

Link to the stories:
Our virtual Stories for All Ages are now available on the UUFM YouTube Channel. At least one new story will be available by Sunday, each week.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNwWkbABO6HpDlw5Po2TdQA?view_as=subscriber

Virtual Children’s Chapel
Our next Children’s Chapel will be this Sunday, July 5^th, at 11:30am (after worship). A separate Zoom link will be sent out to families via email and posted on our private Facebook group.

Youth Group:
Our Youth Group meets next Wednesday, July 8th via Zoom from 6:30-8pm, hosted by Lee, Barb, and Macey. We are planning to check-in and stream a film. Keep an eye on your email or in the private Facebook group for Zoom info.

If your youth are looking for further programming, the UUA also has this online “Faith Lab” available to our youth this summer: https://www.uua.org/youth/events/uu-faith-lab?fbclid=IwAR2wYu0O-eh86Xaa2mcfZ0zhgVZ71N0TFiem1VvnKbPi2UMWZwo-JT2eCnE

“This hybrid online, personalized and small group experience for high school aged Unitarian Universalist youth who’ve completed grades 9th-12th or the homeschooled equivalent will teach you how to discern your own gifts and how to build community with those gift through practicing and co-creating Unitarian Universalism in real time.

 

UU Faith Lab Begins July 10th with an online community gathering around covenant. The program runs through July 31st.”

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Best regards,
Macey Forsyth