Dear WUU community,
Summer is here! In this month as we explore what it means to be a people of Beauty, I hope you are finding much to savor. Maybe an afternoon at the pool, a popsicle, the sun on your skin, a visit from a friend…whatever gives you joy and brings more beauty into your life.
This is a time when things tend to slow down a bit here at WUU, as we take a collective, spacious deep breath before the new congregational year begins in September. I usually take most of my time away from WUU during the summer, and this year is no exception.
On June 17, I’m heading to Spokane, WA for the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly, an annual gathering of UUs from around the country and around the world. I’ll be participating in the UU Ministers’ Association professional days, representing WUU as a delegate in our business meetings, and (my personal favorite!) singing in the religious professionals’ choir. Austen will be there too, and we also have three lay “remote delegates” representing us through the online GA portal: Katrina Landon, Les Solomon, and Bruce Thomas.
Luckily, Spokane is just three hours away from Missoula, MT, where my aunt and uncle live. So, after GA, John and I will be heading to Montana for a family visit. We’ll also spend a few days in Glacier Park with old friends. And we’ll wrap the trip up with a stopover in San Francisco to see more friends. I feel very lucky to have this chance to visit people I love.
I’ll be back at WUU July 1-14. Then on July 15, John and I leave for a long-dreamed-of study/vacation trip to Japan. Some of you know John lived in Okinawa for seven years while he was with the Marine Corps. He hasn’t been back for many years, and I’ve never been. So we are going! We’ll be in Kyoto for a week, visiting some of the many sacred sites in this city of over 1600 temples. Then, I’m looking forward to spending a night at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine, which has had a special relationship with the Unitarian Universalist Association since the 1960s, when then-UUA president Dana Greeley struck up a friendship with the lead priest at this historic Shinto shrine. From there, we’ll proceed to Mt. Fuji…the jury is still out on whether I’ll make it to the top. Wish me luck! After a couple of days at a resort town on the coast, we’ll fly to Okinawa, to revisit John’s old haunts. I’m just thrilled to have this opportunity and look forward to sharing with you what I learn and discover.
Then, I’ll be back in the office on August 4, ready to gear up for the new congregational year. I wish you a meaningful and beautiful summer too. May it be just as peaceful, or adventurous, as your heart desires.
In faith,
Rev. Laura