The start of 2021 seems to be picking up where 2020 left off and then some. Yesterday's mob attack on the Congress was disturbing, frightening, surreal and overwhelming, to name a few of the adjectives that come to mind. Like many of you I imagine, I was glued to the news all afternoon and into the night.

We are in a liminal time and by definition, liminal times are anxiety-provoking and chaotic. They are also times of possibility and creativity. It is more important than ever that we stay grounded in the values and ethics of our Unitarian Universalist faith: affirming and promoting human worth and dignity, responsible searches for truth and meaning; justice, equity and compassion in human relations, the use of the democratic process; and awareness of the interdependence of all life. We cannot choose the times and circumstances under which we live but we can choose how we will live into them. I am grateful for all of you and as I hold all of you in my thoughts and prayers, I am comforted in knowing that you are there, that we are here, working together to bring these practices of beloved community to life as best we can.

So, if you can, take time to step away from the TV, computer or phone and all the noise of immediate analysis going on around us. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Go for a walk. Play with your children. Write a note to a friend. Read a poem. We will be in this liminal season for awhile and need to care for our souls.

I leave you with these well-known and well-worn words from Unitarian minister and Abolitionist Theodore Parker, from a sermon text he published in 1853: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight, I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice."

Take care and stay safe.
Rev. Ellen