June 2011

In this month's issue of Spirituality & Health writer and research scientist Emma Seppala tells us that play is good for us, body and soul. "When we engage in play we become like children again because we are fully present - a state which, for many spiritual traditions, is also equated with being one with divinity." She suggests that any activity that puts us 100% in the present moment is extraordinarily good for us, and, of course, the summer months make this easy. Concerts, art shows, fairs, time at the beach with loved ones, long walks under fine skies, playing in puddles in the rain, throwing the ball for the dog, choosing new toys or a lovely scarf for someones birthday party, even a new and different project at work - all opportunities to be present in having fun. "Mischief is the outcome of joy," writes His Holiness Sri Sri Ravvi Shankar. "What is life without fun?"

One of my favorite kinds of grown-up play is pilgrimage. Pilgrimage allows me to briefly step out of all the roles I hold dear - mother, spouse, minister, consultant, sister, friend, and be the Self that existed before those roles. Yes, my Self lives through the roles, illuminating them and being illuminated by them, but sometimes it seems a bit overwhelmed - sometimes it seems that I've become so serious about my life than everything and everyone in it has become work, and I'm concentrated on the past or concerned with the future, but rarely completely present in the present! That's when it's time to take a break.

Going on pilgrimage purposefully places me in the present moment for days on end, and in the presence of the sacred. I go on sacred-site pilgrimage to stand in the places where human beings have found and felt their connection to something life-giving and much bigger than themselves for hundreds or even thousands of years. I always expect to feel not much at all in these places beyond a sense of awe at the beauty people are capable of creating, or the natural beauty of the landscape. And so often I am pleasantly surprised to find that I feel so much more than that, that I am moved by the things that have happened in these places, and the people and their gods who acted them out. I am so often left with tears in my eyes, or with my heart pounding, surprised by the feelings of wonder, inclusion, joy, fear, anticipation, sorrow, and healing that overtakes me when I slow down enough, and open my heart and soul enough, to be overtaken. What wondrous love is this, oh my soul, oh my soul? What wondrous love is this, oh my soul?! I go to sacred sites and am always taken home to the sacred place inside myself - the place of being 100% present in my own life.

I hope that you are looking forward to some time of play, retreat, and even pilgrimage with your Self and your family and friends as the summer begins. As UUs we acknowledge not only many sacred sources, but many sacred places, and I know you've got a few of your own. If you're moved toward pilgrimage, consider letting the church know that you'd be interested in the Hungary/Romania pilgrimage that's in its infancy stages of planning, or perhaps you'd like to travel with me to the sacred sites of France next year - we'll be going again May 5 - 12th, 2012. Take time to have fun this summer! It's good for you, body and soul.

Many blessings,

Rev. Jennifer

quotes from: Your Soul Needs Playtime by Emma Seppala, PhD, in Spirituality & Health: The Soul/Body Connection . May/June 2011 p.50

May 2011

You know, sometimes life doesn't go the way you want it to, and the body is to blame. One minute you're moving forward, running the race, fighting the good fight, dedicated to your job, your family, the people and organizations you believe in, your friends. You're planning vacations, and feeding the cats (or dogs or gerbil) and then suddenly, you're sick, or someone else is and you find yourself sliding toward a precipice in your life that you didn't even know existed! Life doesn't always go the way you want it to, and sometimes the body is to blame.

During spring break, as April really got beautiful around here, I got sick. Scary sick. My doctors and my caring partner pulled me back from the edge, but I spent over a week in bed, and you'll see me slower and spacier for a little while still to come. There were a million things that were supposed to happen that week -a birthday celebration, an all-family yard clean-up, day trips to fun places, phone meetings with colleagues and friends - I got to one of them: a day in Boston at the New England Aquarium.

I'd been to the aquarium before, but something deeper and richer happened for me this time. I was aware of the beauty and strangeness all around me, of the science, the conservation, and the excitement. But for the first time, because I was so, painfully, aware of my own body, I was fascinated by the bodies of the sea animals - animals I don't usually "like" - animals like sting rays and jellyfish. The graceful movement of their bodies seemed to fill my own stagnant, earth-bound body with well-being. I could not believe I'd never seen how they flow before - how they are not just in water, they are of water: Their bodies and their environment and their fellow creatures so seamlessly tied together that all was in constant harmony - like a dance or a song that they can sustain indefinitely. I sat and stood and walked in wonder and felt tired worn-out things in me begin to smooth and flow again. I felt peace instead of thinking it.

May is the season of the body. It is the ancient beginning of summer, since between now and the end of June we are graced with the longest light of the entire year. May is about physical love: fertility and the joy of finding love in our own bodies and in the bodies of our partners. It is the perfect time to love our bodies into well-being, and to teach our children how to love their physical appearance, and how to honor themselves and others with their romantic and physical behavior and choices. In May our bodies are free - free from all those layers of clothes and socks and coats and scarves and hats! - whew! Free to run, to walk freely, or sit on the porch in sunshine-bliss, to swim, to kayak again, to play ball and to lie in the grass and look up through the newly-leafed trees. May our spirits follow the places our bodies will go, and may we know love, health and happiness in the months ahead.

Warmly,
Rev. Jennifer

PS: I'm off for two weeks in May, on a journey of pilgrimage to France and Ireland. If modern technologies, and the god/desses who watch over us Luddites, will allow, I will blog from France for the first week to include you in the many wonderful experiences our pilgrimage group is encountering. Please check the "Pilgrimage & Mission Page" of my blog for these updates. - JL

March 2011

March is the month I struggle with in Maine. One friend tells me she never makes decisions in January, and more than one of us, I'm sure, have family members who threaten to go to bed for the entire month of February - just call "uncle!" and stay under the covers until the worst of the cold is over. But for me it's March, a month that marks full spring every where else I've lived, but in Maine is only the beginning of the season of "unlocking" as Bill Rixon has taught me. I tend to look at day after day of gray sky and struggle not to lock the door of my house and mind.

This year I've found a way around the gray days of March - this year in worship all the craziest, most fun, most topsy-turvy celebrations fall in March, and we're honoring three of them: Mardi Gras, Purim and Ostara. This is what I call fun! Enough fun to chase my own worst moods away, and instead to share a spirit of joy-filled good fun with everyone around me.

These celebrations are always about letting go: letting go of our own egos, our typical expectations, our projections of who we are and who we want others to be...even letting go of our relationship with the sacred for just a moment, and letting some new air and ideas in there. We can trust that what is divine knows how to find us again....As one Rabbi says, this can be a terrifying time of year for some folks. While children rejoice in the silly masks, stories, treats and chances to make music and then make noise, many adults would rather face the somber acts of contrition and forgiveness at Yom Kippur than let go of their egos and inhibitions at Purim!

It's good for us. If you're at all like me, and the gray skies and cold temperatures in combination with the demands of succeeding at work and family get you down right about this time of year, take a moment to laugh at yourself. If you need inspiration go read a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon, or ask your grandchild to tell you a joke...Maddie's favorite is this: "Mom, a man walked into a bar...Ouch!"....Paint a bright picture and don't worry about anything beyond how good it feels to put the scrumptious colors on the white paper. And, of course, call your favorite laughing partner - child, spouse, parent or friend - and let them in on your moments of joy.

Of interest to me as well is what none of these celebrations let go of: They're all interested in giving to others even as they celebrate - wildly - the abundance that any one person or family enjoys. As we gather for worship and religious education that's full of fun, our church continues to give in myriad ways. We minister to couples getting married and their interfaith families. We give care to people who are grieving, and host memorial services and minister at graveside services when the family does not have another religious community to go to. We make sure people have enough oil to heat their homes as the cold continues. We pay for medicines and for rent. We dish out food and smiles at the soup kitchen. We organize to bring summer camp to children who can't afford it. We support partnerships that concentrate on the civil and legal freedoms of all people. We make sure our elders have someone to talk to, and warm meals to enjoy. We help parent answer their children's big questions in ways that are life-affirming and recognize the worth and dignity of people with varied religious beliefs...We are giving so much, day in and day out - I hope you feel it, know it, and participate in it. In joy and in sorrow, in good times and in hard times, this is a community, and an organization, worth your full support.

See you Sunday!

Rev. Jennifer

February 2011

Slowly

she celebrated the sacrament of letting go

first surrendered her green

then the orange, yellow and red

finally she let go of her brown

shedding her last leaf

she stood empty and silent, stripped bare.

Leaning against the winter sky

she began her vigil of trust...

from Seasons of the Heart by Macrina Wiederkehr

submitted by congregant Bill Rixon

Some of us love winter. Some of us love the winter holidays, the lights, the food, the family times. We love cross-country skiing, snowfall on pine trees, brooding storm clouds, the ducks in the half-frozen river. We love sweaters, boots, hot chocolate, reason to make soup and eat bread. We love snow forts, snowball fights, and snuggling into bed early and late, just as the sun does at this time of year. For those of us who love winter, we could sail through January on the wings of epiphany as we've explored it at First U - seeing the magic and mystery in the season, and in one another. We've been filled up by exploration of our shadow side, and our heroes, revived by quiet time, and reflection. We're getting ready to go ice skating on the pond, leaning into winter, secure in our vigil, our season, of trust.

Some of us are more like my daughter, Madelin. Madelin is 6. She wants you to know that it's 19 1/2 weeks until she gets to move to the beach. She spent last Saturday getting her older brothers to help her count. Then she went to pack her bags. She has ready a stash of t-shirts, shorts and bikini bathing suits, none of which will fit her by the time June rolls around, but that is of little consequence. Madelin has a summer spirit, a deep longing to run forever bare-footed, with only the lightest clothes skimming over her sun-warmed skin. She faces February the only way she knows how, packed and ready for it to be far, far behind her.

Whatever your spirit tells you about February in Maine, know that at church we'll be marking the month with a unique combination of celebration, exploration and reflection. For those of us who need a little infusion of warmth we'll be celebrating love and generosity in our worship services throughout February. And, we'll have a chance to celebrate our love for one another and for our church community, as well as practice our generosity, by attending our Heart In Hand wine tasting and live auction on Saturday, February 12th. This event will be full of light, laughter, good friends and good fun. It's open to all, and another way to fill up our Gathering Room with purpose and hope, as we set that welcome table and sit down to enjoy the feast. If you are feeling a bit blue in this season, we'll do our best to cheer you up, hold you close, and help you look forward and inward to that eternal spring that's always possible in loving community.

For those of us who find the season easy to embrace, both for it's winter-time fun and it's chance to reflect, discuss, and rejuvenate, we're also exploring sabbath and sabbatical this month. What does it mean to mark a time in each week as our sabbath? How can sabbath bring hope, help and healing at crucial times in our lives? We've granted our Director of Religious Education (DRE) a sabbatical for the 2011-2012 church year - What does this mean for both our DRE and our church community? How will it infuse all of us with new ideas, energy and opportunity? Join us at the Mid-Year Meeting on January 30th to begin the exploration, and follow Channels and this blog for more opportunities to reflect on what it means to rest, keep trust, and be reinvigorated by letting go.

Many blessings,

Rev. Jennifer

December 2010

At our Thanksgiving dinner table we took turns naming what we are grateful for. I surprised myself a little bit by how emotional I felt when I related that I am grateful to be living in Maine. While I have lived in grand and exciting landscapes all over the country, this is the place where I have chosen to raise my children, this is the place where each day I feel that I receive the goodness of humankind, and can be open and flexible rather than wary and on-guard. This is home. The 20-something city girl that I was for so long still recoils in shock every time I get into a long conversation with a stranger in a grocery line, or hand my debit card to the receptionist at the doctor's office and walk away, or allow my children to run free at our favorite beach, but the woman I am now rejoices that there is this place of relative safety and freedom where you can count on people to be good-hearted, under most circumstances, most of the time.

The one complaint I hear from people who, like me, love raising ourselves and our families in Maine, is that there is a lack of diversity. I am fully aware that there is a lack of ethnic diversity in the towns in which I spend the majority of my time, and that it is all too easy for most of the people I encounter during this holiday season to say, with all good intentions, "Merry Christmas", assuming that that is, indeed, the holiday I will be celebrating. The deeper truth of December is that there are a multitude of cultural and religious celebrations at hand, an incredible diversity of beliefs, purposes, rites and rituals that human beings will celebrate this month, both in Maine, and around the world. As Unitarian Universalists, we can hold in our intentions, and include in our conversations, the celebrations of Luut'aa, Masa'il, Sharaf, Hanukkah, Yule, Maunajiyaras, Tohji-taisai, the death of Zarathustra, and Kwanzaa, as well as Christmas. Becoming educated about the many holy days people experience in December makes our lives richer, and extends a warmer welcome to friends and strangers alike. Being willing to ask "What are you and your family celebrating this holiday season?" and listening to the answer, makes us true interfaith ambassadors, even if, in most of the towns we spend most of our time in, the answer will be full of Christmas plans and good cheer.

Which leads us to another kind of diversity - the diversity, and even divisions, within extended families who gather together in December. For many of us this is a time to see friends and family we haven't seen for months, or perhaps all year. We are excited about the visits, full of plans and fun and laughter. For many of us there will also be difficult emotional situations to navigate when our larger tribe gets together - old hurts can surface, or the usual tensions simply simmer, making us feel stressed and small rather than warmed and loved. Be generous with yourself, and you will be able to be generous with others, even those who push all your buttons, and all at once. Remind yourself before each gathering that you are beloved, faithful, caring and good, and that no matter how challenging others might be, they are struggling to do their best, overcome their own fears, feel that they have enough in the world. Driven by motivations you may not understand, they are still vulnerable human beings, seeking safety. From this place of generosity you can be compassionate toward everyone, while getting your own needs met. I wish you and yours all the love, warmth, laughter, wonder-filled sights, and sweet smells of the season. And, I look forward to hearing what you are celebrating in the fullness of December.

Many blessings,

Rev Jennifer

September 2010

Homecoming is a blessing. Each year, as the the staff and I work to prepare this place of spiritual and social homecoming for all of you, I feel the excitement of return within myself, and the pull of familiarity in ritual, and in the voices and faces of those I know and hold dear. It feels right that this preparation takes place each year as the Jewish high holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are being celebrated all over the world. These are the days of elation, preparation, forgiveness and reciprocity. This time of year leads us to Jubilee.

In the ancient Hebrew tradition, the Jubilee is to be celebrated every 50 years. During Jubilee all the inequities that have built up over the ensuing years are to be redistributed. All debts are forgiven, all slaves freed, and all land given back to those who owned it when the original maps of Judeah were drawn. According to Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, the most popular tradition of Rosh Hashanah - the blowing of the shofar (horn) - reminds us of the Jubilee. The blasts of the shofar horn are a reminder of the music played at the Jubilee, a reminder that hope is alive, that justice will come, and that each person and family is of worth regardless of their present circumstance. Each year as the shofar sounds, according to Rabbi Hirshfield's interpretation, we have the chance to return to "our holding" to "what is most deeply our own".

As we come home from our summer adventures and routines, as we re-enter the rhythm of our Unitarian Universalist worship and community life together, let us relate to one another from our deepest selves. Let us be conscious of our own worth, our own strengths, and our own failings, so that we may truly celebrate the strengths of others, and have compassion for their failings. In the spirit of the high holy days, may we strive to know ourselves deeply, so that others may know us. May we strive to let go of past hurts, and old projections, so that we may truly see and feel for every person in our sanctuary, in our partnerships, and in our wider community. As we worship, work, mourn and celebrate together this year may all that we do be life-giving. May all that we do point toward the Jubilee, when all people will be free. Free in body, and in spirit, too.

See you Sunday!

Rev. Jennifer

To read Rabbi Hirschfield's article on Rosh Hashanah click herehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-brad-hirschfield/rosh-hashanah-2010-libera_b_702705.html

Many groups involved in progressive Judaism are doing a great job getting their message across to youth and young adults. For a fun video about the high holy days, aimed at younger folks, check out this link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/rosh-hashanah-makes-the-s_n_694640.html

And if you'd like to explore this time of year with the young children in your life, try books such as Gershon's Monster by Eric A. Kimmel

July 2010 - Annual Report

I hope you got a chance to be at our Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 20th. To read my Minister's Annual Report to the Congregation, click on the Beloved Community page to the left. If you'd like to have a full copy of the Annual Report, please contact Cheryl Miller in our church offices.

An amazing amount of ministry has happened in and because of this church this year. It's truly a treat to read the recaps of all that we've accomplished, and the myriad hopes for our future. I'm in Minneapolis at GA right now, and on the plane on the way down here I just happened to sit next to a Hungarian Unitarian Minister from Kolozsvar, Romania. Thanks to our Partner Church and our Faith In Action program he and I had LOTS to talk about! He was pleased to be speaking with an American who knew his church, followed the policies of his Bishop, and loved his city. I was pleased that when I said I was the Minister of the Yarmouth church he said immediately, "Oh yes, you are partners with Gyepes." It is wonderful to know and be known, to care and be cared for, in Southern Maine and around the world. I deeply support our Board of Trustee's mission in the next year to have our church known and attracting new members, while also raising our ability to be generous stewards of our mission, our programs and our campus. Truly, this is a dynamic, beloved community. What a year it has been.

In July I shift gears and use my time to both engage in my study weeks and join with DRE Jenn McAdoo in leading youth mission, but I'll be back in the office in August. I look forward to seeing you then, and at Ingathering in the fall. Happy Summer! - Rev. Jennifer