As Thanksgiving approaches, like most of you, I have had much on my mind: getting older son Liam transported home while I am working in Panama City, when to get the turkey out of the freezer, various personal business tasks, best time for Bill and Liam to get their Covid boosters, and . . . … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – November 18th, 2022
Nothing stays the same. I know it’s an obvious statement, but it continues to hit me often. As creatures who see and measure the passage of time and the changes wrought thereby, we can live with a constant sense of anxiety about meeting deadlines, losing precious people, and running out of time ourselves. We work … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – November 11th, 2022
Today I received an important letter which read: Dear Ruth, The Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC) convened during a special November 1 conference call to vote on renewal applications submitted by the July 1, 2022, deadline. After reviewing your submission, the MFC voted to grant you Full Fellowship. Congratulations! WOW! I made it! I became a … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – November 4th, 2022
When I was younger, I loved to dance! I started out in ballet classes at age 7, and then I learned disco dancing at summer camp -some line dancing, some jumping about. It was all wonderful! I even won a jitterbug contest when I was 12! I took a class in “Sacred Dance” in seminary … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – October 28th, 2022
For the past 15 months, I have been writing “Rev Ruth’s Reflections.” I spend no more than 15 min on each one resulting in 3-5 paragraphs on whatever catches my attention or is churning in my brain. I know some people read them. A colleague recently asked why I still do this when so many … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – October 21, 2022
I have been at the Fall Conference of the Liberald Religious Educators Association (LREDA) all week, in Birmingham. I keep my membership in this organization current because I learn so much that boosts my ministry and helps me contribute ideas and resources for our own religious education program. When I heard they were meeting in … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – October 14th, 2022
Our cat Sherlock brought us a gift yesterday: a bird; a LIVE bird. Frequently he brings us his toy hedgehog and receives much praise for being such a fell hunter! As an indoor cat, his opportunities for exercising his hunting skills and instincts are quite limited. Yesterday he was out sunning on the balcony and … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – October 7th, 2022
It’s hard to say “Goodbye” to someone who has become part of our lives at UUFEC, who has served us so faithfully and who knows us so well and STILL kept coming back week after week to keep us organized and moving forward! Marion Taylor has been our office Administrator since 2008. She’s seen our … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – October 1st, 2022
So much of our lives involves waiting. I am sitting with husband Bill in the eye doctor’s waiting room. Bill has eye problems related to diabetes. I have sat in many uncomfortable chairs waiting on behalf of loved ones and parishioners. Sometimes the news was good and sometimes it wasn’t. I have stood in many … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – September 23rd, 2022
Love is not a feeling. Love is a connection between two or more people. We have many feelings about love. Sometimes we feel happy, even ecstatic about love. Sometimes we feel angry about loving someone who has let us down. Sometimes love hurts, especially when the connection is broken by divorce, abandonment, death. Sometimes my … Continue reading Rev. Ruth’s Reflections – September 16th, 2022
