Minister’s Musings

by Rev. Julie Lombard

In the season of Thanksgiving, I need to admit something, although I am extremely grateful

to serve this blessed community; this is a very challenging time to serve as a minister. Our

beautiful sanctuary in the Green Mountains remains a haven for all souls who continue to

seek the ultimate truth when our nation’s moral fabric seems more fragile than ever

before.

In tough times, there’s a need to return to the practices that fill our spirit and remind us

who we are and what we stand for. Maybe for you that comes by walking in the woods or

spending time with your beloveds. What spirit practice do you do? For me, I am reminded

of the need for forgiveness by listening to inspirational speakers such as Nelson Mandela.

Just when I think I have forgotten how to forgive, sages remind me of an inner strength I

had forgotten about and of the core values that we hold dear.

I can get really down from hearing the repeated rhetoric that clutters our daily news- so

much destruction from mass shootings, to fires and hurricanes, to see the impact of hard

fought and won rights to only see them end up in the lost and found with other random

items; and doubt is ever present. Is uncertainty our only companion? In a month when our

worship theme is forgiveness, I turn to the voices that instill in me a deep sense of hope

for a brighter future. Who you turn to?

I return to the tried and true wisdom to find the ways humans have remained strong in the

midst of uncertainty. Seeking the wisdom that has the ability to uphold our shared values

and principles, especially the ones we want to continue long past these trying times also

upholds us. Looking to those who have had to forgive helps us to recall what makes humans

so distinct. Indeed, we are a part of something larger than ourselves and November is a

time to reconnect with our dreams and with the beacon that unites us. Let us, again, give

thanks for all that is our lives- we are co-creators, we need to protect creation, and we

need to leave a legacy and creation worth receiving.