 | Sung: “I’m trying to tell you something ‘bout my life. Maybe give me insight between black and white. And the best thing you’ve ever done for me is to take my life less seriously. ‘Cause it’s only life after all, yeah…. I went to the doctor. I went to the mountain. I looked to the children. I drank from the fountain. There’s more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line. The less I seek my source for some definitive the closer I am to fine, yeah, the closer I am to fine.” Spoken: These song lyrics from “Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls answer the question, “Why do I feel called to support the UUFCM?” First of all, there are a lot of grey areas between the black and white answers. This vast range of searching gives me much more to think about than my former United Methodist upbringing of 40+ years. These answers I arrive at are not just a destination like getting to heaven is in a Christian Church, but it is the process of arriving at them that counts. (The Fourth Principle: a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.) Back to heaven, I truly believe we can create our own heaven on earth. We can experience love, respect, peace and joy right in our very own lives, if we so choose. This brings me to my second point. How do I really feel about the UU Fellowship? I love, love, love the connections I have made here. When I was looking for a different church without even realizing it, I had three different friends point me towards this place. Annie Notestein who is a life coach and has since moved to Madison, Wisconsin, invited me to an Imbolc Pagan Celebration. Cristo Bowers, a psychic reader, plus another one of his friends told me I would really like it here and I truly do. I find great joy in singing with the choir, bonding with its members, participating in Adult RE book studies, occasionally attending Discussion Group, Central Michigan Sangha and Potlucks. I truly relate to the last and Seventh Principle of the Interconnected Web of Life and appreciate the UU international service organization as well as giving to CAMFED. Third, I don’t have to think about my religious or spiritual beliefs inside a box where everyone should believe the same things. Religious tolerance is the norm here and I embrace that. There are a wide variety of views ranging from Atheist, Agnostic, Unitarian Universalist, Pagan, Wicca, Buddhist and a conglomeration of combinations. The latter is where I fall and like to learn and seek wisdom from many religious and spiritual backgrounds. Sometimes, I don’t want to search at all and just be. Thus, like my favorite Indigo Girls song goes, Sung: “The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine.” To conclude, “There’s more than one answer to these questions pointing me in a crooked line.” I have great enthusiasm for knowing there are all sorts of answers to questions and there are many, not just a few. The connections with people, the support network I have found and the UU’s giving towards the world beyond itself are so necessary. Last, but not least, thinking out of the box and believing I don’t have to define my religion are all reasons why I give. I know I am fine right here. (The First Principle: the inherent worth and dignity of every person.) |
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Stewardship
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