In the New Year

Dear Friends,

A friend of mine recently posted a meme that made me laugh out loud. It said, “I just want to congratulate all of you for making it through 2020 again this year.” Perhaps my laughter was evidence that a gain of truth was apparent in something meant to be silly. Events from that year required overcoming and have indeed spilled over not each year that followed.

Now, it is that time of year when all is new, and human beings tend to take this opportunity to begin something. Begin an exercise regimen, start eating better, and perhaps even more dedication to spiritual practices. If you are one of these people, I applaud your efforts. If you are not, I still praise you. I celebrate us all as overcomers.

The essential elements of overcoming what is seen in the world: pain, disease, financial woes, relationship woes, etc., require unseen attributes. Unseen qualities can be cultivated.

In the coming year, let us uphold what is unseen. I affirm and uphold they are abundantly expressed in you. I know you have qualities of love, compassion, wisdom, bravery, and integrity. Although we no longer live in a world of overcoming things like a saber-tooth tiger, these timeless qualities support us when we struggle to communicate, when there appears to be a lack of resources, when we face a serious illness, we make a mistake, we feel unworthy, we experience disaster, and people are unkind.

In 2023, let us cultivate our wonderful unseen attributes in ways that resonate with us, and together, working in harmony, overcome whatever challenges us.

Amen and Amen!

With Love, Chaplain Birdie

Meditation for the New Year by Rev. Josh Pawelek

Now that the holidays draw to their close….

Now that the lamp oil has lasted beyond all expectations, now that the temple has been cleansed and purified, now that the Yule log has burned down to ash, now that the sun has begun its slow winter return, now that the angels have sung their good tidings, now that the new year has been warmly welcomed, now that the wise men have finally arrived in Bethlehem bearing precious gifts….

Let us resolve not to rush through our lives, hurried and distracted, but to be fully present to each day, mindful in each activity, attentive to each person….

Let us resolve to discern the purpose of our lives, and to pursue that purpose with discipline, passion, and courage—not just for ourselves, but for the common good….

Let us resolve to stay aware of our connections to larger realities—to other people, to creatures, to the land, to the earth, to the whole of life, to the whole of creation, to all we hold sacred….

And with the music of midwinter still ringing in our ears, let us resolve not only to say what needs to be said, but to do what needs to be done for the sake of building a more just, peaceful, and loving world.

Amen!