A warm and joyful welcome to our new community church year. What joy have you found this summer, my lovely friends? Some rest, some play, some visiting old friends and family? Folks that you were missing for a year or more? I hope you found some of these joyful things this summer.
I learned this summer that self care is incredibly important in these trying times. I find that if I am not 100% committed to my practice of self-care, I fall back into old, unhelpful habits. Actually, I began to discover this truth about myself in March 2020, at the beginning of this twisty path we are on. This global pandemic with its great suffering and losses has brought clarity around the really important things in life.
One joy that I found is painting every day with watercolors. They are small and fit into the little journal where I write my gratitudes each day. There is some plain journaling in there too, some processing of thoughts. I started with a 100-day commitment (with a friend, as most great things start) to Our Mandala Universes on Instagram and kept it up. I love this practice so much. Every day it brings me clarity, and more joy.
I’d love to hear what practices you have found this summer that bring you happiness or equanimity. Email me at president@uusm.org.
Wishing you joy,
UUSM Board of Directors President Beth Brownlie
