Message from the DRE: May We Blossom Together

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Happy March!

As we edge ever closer to the Spring Equinox, I love watching Tallahassee be transformed by pink and yellow blossoms, softer and more ethereal than the bold winter camellia blooms. Transformation this soft and sweet, this illuminated by afternoon sunshine, makes it easy to romanticize change. We know, of course, that change is the only constant in life and that transformation is key to these cycles that happen whether we embrace them or run from them. That’s one reason transformation is terrifying: it will come whether we are ready or not, and we may become something new we never anticipated. 

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” When I was a younger person who first stumbled upon this quote from Anais Nin, it rocked my world. Another thing that makes transformation terrifying is the distinct possibility that you will become everything you wanted to be after you get through the darkness. Transformation is often painful, confusing, and messy: I mean, caterpillars become goo before becoming butterflies! And we’re experiencing this not just personally, but also as a community as we allow ourselves to be transformed by our values, by love and justice and pleasure. 

This month’s Times for All Ages and RE will center on faith traditions all around the world that celebrate this transformative time of year. That will start off with our UUCT 70th Anniversary on 3/2 and 3/3, then wrap up with Easter on 3/31 (be ready for an egg hunt after service!). 

RE Updates

  • The YRE Winter Giving Project is wrapping up beautifully! RE friends helped out at Manna throughout the winter, brought small monetary donations to RE, and shared about other ways they’ve donated money, time, and energy to causes they care about. We also engaged in democracy by voting for two Share the Plate partners to whom we’d like to donate our collection: Manna on Meridian and The Indaba Theatre of Florida. 
  • The middle and high school youth group overnight event Con-Noodle was awesome! We hosted about 30 youth and advisors from UUCT, Jacksonville, and Sarasota to explore UU values and ideas around love, empowerment, trust, and pasta! Thanks for all those who helped out and donated food!
  • We are working to bring Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education to our community this year. This is especially pertinent to justice and equity because sex-ed is under attack in Florida. We had a Zoom meeting recently and covered the following:
    • FLASH, a free program similar to OWL for middle school/high school youth begins this month. Sign up here. 
    • In the summer, we’re hoping to offer a camp built around elementary OWL and elements of Harmony Camp.
  • Date with Death Club started last month! This monthly Adult Religious Exploration program happens again on 3/14. This exploration empowers participants to look at death with creativity, reality, and curiosity. We’d love for you to join us as we focus on hospice, palliative care, and end of life documents.