President’s Message

Holidays. Some are over and gone, more still to come. Ya, it’s THAT season.

What holiday do you remember, cherish or, for some, even hate? Ya, it’s a mixed bag? How could Santa possibly be a mixed bag? Well, Santa is a cultural icon, celebrated in many cultures, for joy, gratitude, giving and ya, consumerism. It means so many different things to each and everyone. And because we’re UUs we’re open to being and celebrating differently, right?

How about we celebrate this holiday season with being grateful?
Grateful, Yes, Gratitude? It’s not just for Thanksgiving Day?

Look around, we are here, alive, relatively healthy and aware of our selves. Maybe not as young as we were “back in the day”, maybe not as energetic, but we’re here, now, Present in this Time and Place?

When we’re Grateful and Aware we are engaging in a spiritual path. There’s no avatar, mystic or holy man to bow to in that spiritual path. Just ourselves. We are a miracle in ourselves. Our aware consciousness is itself miraculous. You, me, we are amazing. A former in-law used to stand in front of a mirror in the morning exclaiming, “you look marvelous?” We don’t need to do that, but it’s true, we are marvelous.

Well, I suppose we could do that, why not? But just acknowledge that we are indeed marvelous and special, and grateful. We also really don’t need any special event to celebrate being alive, do we? Every day, of every week of every month and year should be a time to be thankful and full of gratitude for the life you have?

So this holiday season is a cultural time for celebration. External or historical times or events “give” us reason to celebrate and party, honor others or ourselves with gifts, and maybe, just maybe to be grateful for our life, This Life, Now?

And what gifts can we give to one another? How about a big smile and pleasant greeting, because they are marvelous too, and with that smile you’re acknowledging their presence and uniqueness here and in this Now with You.

And, as we move along and attract more people into our community, let’s remember to be open and welcoming to new people, remembering that a stranger is only a stranger once, when we’ve first met them.

We’ve made NCUU a warm welcoming space for our small fellowship, let’s continue to share that warm welcome to other folks.

Namaste, Chas