“Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it,
I must listen to my life telling me who I am.”
– Parker Palmer
Welcome to the month of Deep Listening!
We are already a week into October, and I am feeling so grateful for these warm days. The past week has brought inspiration and energy for me, as I started a personal writing journey with an online group. The accountability of doing this practice with others is so helpful in creating a consistent practice. I am hoping that it helps keep my writing and content flowing as I write to you all too.
Reflecting on how my energy has shifted since the beginning on the pandemic, I noticed that some motivation had faded. It struck me that I had some creative blocks and excuses I was making to not attend to what my spirit craves. I had been forgetting to listen deeply to my inner-child, the parts of me that allow myself time to dream, create, and play.
I hope you all are continuing to find some creative outlets or hobbies that bring you fulfillment and joy. I also pray that you forgive yourself for the moments that you haven’t been able to show up for yourself in the ways that you would have liked to. We live through many seasons and must simply begin again. May you slow down and let your heart speak.
Keep in mind, I would love to reconnect with your family from a distance at a park or your yard. I will be reaching out in the coming days via phone and email to check-in and gauge the interest in this. I know some of us are craving in-person connection, and the opportunity to distance outdoors feels safe to me. It would truly brighten my day getting to see you too!
Please also 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 or by email at cfddirector@uumankato.org . If I do not answer, I encourage you to send a text or leave a voicemail. Currently, I am available for daytime meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I also do have availability most other weekday evenings. 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.
Thank you,
Macey Forsyth
Reminder to register!
Registration for children and youth for participating during the 2020-21 school year is now open. While we are generally only seeing one another virtually, it is still important to us to have emergency, contact, and background information. The form should only take 1-2 minutes to fill out. Please consider staying involved virtually. Thank you for your time!
Go to UUFM Child Faith Development Registration 2020-2021:
https://uufm.breezechms.com/form/67ef5a56899
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 Children’s Chapel will meet this Sunday, October 11th, from 11:30am-12:30pm. We will be reading The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito and considering how we might pause to notice both the sound and the silence in between. Zoom info, as always, will be shared via email and our Facebook group.
Youth Group
Our Youth Group meets this Wednesday, October 7th. Barb and Lee will be co-facilitating this week’s meeting, beginning with a check-in and re-writing of our group covenant, and with games. Zoom info, as always, will be shared via email and our Facebook group.