It’s a change of seasons in so many ways right now. 

For the Earth, we are quickly approaching the Summer Solstice, transitioning to the Summer season outright, and moving from the season of tree pollen to the season of grass pollen (and my histamine system isn’t happy about that). The kiddo that my wife, Allison, and I care for said just yesterday, as he was blowing bubbles, “I blew a bubble so big the Earth is in a big bubble, floating through space.” He was playing make believe, but landed on the truth. This same kiddo finished pre-school and is starting summer camps. What a joy to have an adventure full of play, possibilities, and new friends every day.

For our congregation, we are chock full of transitions. The regularly scheduled seasonal ones like the move to summer services, Bridging ceremonies, and the last classes of Faith Formation. There’s the Annual Meeting on Sunday, where a quorum of our 500 members (as of earlier this Spring) will gather to make important decisions for the years ahead. 

We are also in a big transition of losing Rev. Claudia, who will be moving on to other ministry opportunities at the end of the month. Our congregation has been grieving this change already, even as we celebrate all that Rev. Claudia has done here. We are losing one of the leaders who has made this congregation into a beloved community. This is a reminder that all transitions and changes carry an element of grief. Even Summer Camp means not seeing those friends you spent all school-year with. 

Let’s keep that in mind as we work hard to defend democracy, voting rights, reproductive rights, and so much more this summer and fall. It may hopefully result in good changes to our government. It will also eventually mean that the work is finished, for a season, and the community that came with the difficult effort will disband, however briefly, and there will be grief there too. 

May we be reminded and comforted that in all places we are not alone, but known by others along parallel paths or by those who we dare to share our journey with. Even in the joy of seasons changing and in the grief as well.

– Trevor

Trevor Johnson, Connections Coordinator