by Austen Petersen, Director of Religious Education
In a culmination of an event that religious education has been planning since October 2021, on Sunday April 10th, 2022, over a dozen WUUs went kayaking up and down the James River.
Not only did the WUU participants learn about the James River, we experienced the spirituality of slow looking and practiced our observation skills in nature, which are connected to one of our Unitarian Universalist Sources: Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
This trip helped us connect to the season of Spring, the time of hatching birds, sometimes chilly afternoons, and beautifully blue skies. The water was cold, and everyone was thankful to wear both a jacket and life jacket. We saw some fish swimming in the James River, and many plants along the banks starting to reach toward the sun. What a time of growth and new beginnings.
Volunteer Eve Stump led a fun name game icebreaker so the group could get to know each other at the beginning of our excursion. Dave Wilcox helped us identify the birds that we saw along the way.
One surprising animal we encountered was a Canada Goose crouched low to protect her nest, and so we paddled well clear of her home near the opposite shore.
We took time to connect with swamp rose and wax myrtle nestled in the roots of a large bald cypress tree that greeted us along our journey. The rhythms of nature and interconnectedness of all existence truly are a marvel.
You may have seen a recent article about the James River Association, and you can learn more by following this link to the Daily Press.