Dear Friends,
The season of winter is upon us. Metaphysically, winter represents a time of hunkering down, a time of inner stillness and reflection, and a time of release in preparation for new life in the spring. The Board is doing much preparation to birth new life into our Unity by the Shore physical home. Mold remediation has been completed, and we are in the process of selecting new flooring and contracting individuals to do the needed renovations inside our building.
Centered in patience, understanding, faith, love, and generosity, let us join together to birth new life into our own lives and into the blessed community of Unity by the Shore. Your presence matters whether we gather virtually or in person.
How will you lean into the experiences of ”wintertime” to transform yourself from the inside out? How will we as a community birth new life not only into our physical space, but also by re-imagining what it means to show up as a beloved community? I ask you to be an active participant rather than a spectator to this journey.
December not only ushers in the official start to winter, but also welcomes the celebrations of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Although traditions vary in how these holidays are observed, the one thing they have in common is the symbolism of LIGHT. As the candles of the Menorah, the Advent Wreath, and the Kinara are lit, many take time to pause, reflect and remember that we do not enter the harshness of our dark and barren times without our INNER LIGHT. I believe that the light of resiliency, hope, and the promise of new and glorious life is the flame that burns brightly at the Divine Core of us all!
My dear friends, as you participate in your holiday candle lighting this year, I invite you to designate a special candle to light each evening at 8 pm during the next month to symbolize your inner resilience and faith in the promise of new life. Before lighting your candle affirm, “I am the Light of Divine Resilience, Faith, and New Life.”
Let us also remain connected throughout the holiday season by participating in the virtual special services that are listed below. I hope you will find comfort from the words penned by Clairel Estevez in the poem, “Frigid” also found below my letter. Together we stand in Truth, Love, and Life to bring Light to the darkness.
Love,
Rev Angela
Frigid
And suddenly, the woodland has bared its branches
The days now cloth the new season, like a bride.
And though cold and pale, its exquisite beauty
Fills my eyes with such incomparable warmth.
I shall carry this grace with me; in my soul.
Until she–frigid, in the last hours;
With my frosted lips, kisses the newly born Spring.
By: Clairel Estevez
