March 25: Minister's Notes with Check-in Video

Before you read further, a note: An e-mail went to some of the GNUUC leadership and membership that was not from either of my email addresses but was pretending to be me. I will NEVER e-mail you to ask for money or anything else. Please do NOT open any emails from me or anyone in the congregation that does not have a gnuuc.org address!

Felicitations!

I decided to use an old-fashioned greeting since in some ways, we feel time has stopped and even gone backwards. I remember my mother’s siblings telling me about how they made it through the Great Depression. They moved from Nashville to Philadelphia in 1929. All the extended family lived in one row house (the six surviving siblings… the oldest, Maura, had died by then) and the wives and children of those who had spouses. The ones who could get work supported the rest of the family. And sometimes, when they’d tell me about this, they would sound nostalgic.

It hit me yesterday when my daughter, who had a very good salary running the events and visitor center for a small batch distillery, was laid off. She has a relatively expensive apartment (which would be cheap in Nashville!), a car payment, student loans and other expenses. Of course, we told her that we’d help but that if it got worse, she could move here to the farm with us. She and most American young adults have been able to live without the fear or anxiety that were very real a few generations ago. Despite my persistent efforts, I haven’t been able to get my adult children to start 401k accounts or to have an emergency fund. It’s too soon to tell whether Marjorie will emerge wiser for having faced adversity. I hope so.

Meanwhile, I am remembering the stories of my elders, the times in life when I was poor, lonesome, or frustrated, and I can think if the ways they made me more resilient and wiser, even when I couldn’t have known that at the time. Our parents called it building character. Maybe they were right!

All of this is to say that there are many ways of looking at the current situation, and they are largely determined by your experiences, your age, gender, nationality/culture, and your overall outlook on life. If you are chronically anxious, critical, or pessimistic, you will see the more dire scenarios. If you’re optimistic, self-aware, and reasonably often experience equanimity, you’ll be less distressed. None of these ways of being are exclusive of others, and none are inherently bad or wrong! Nor is it true that we can do nothing to change our outlook. We can, and I’ll be speaking with you about the wisdom that comes from creativity this Sunday.

To prepare for Sunday’s service, please take this survey:  ARE YOU A CULTURAL CREATIVE?

Meanwhile, know that I am here for and with you, and look forward to seeing everyone together as soon as it’s wise!

Love & Thanks,

Cynthia