I have been on leave this month of April, and one of my goals was to work on getting to the bottom of why my chronic illness (migraines) have become so much worse in the past few years. Although I am otherwise healthy, and even though I hate complaining, because it doesn’t help, I want to let you know where things stand.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of our first “pandemic” Sunday, I am sharply aware of how much has changed.

The last time I spoke at GNUUC was March 15th, 2020. When I left that day, I left all of my sermon notes, my books, my files, and a good deal of my clothes in Nashville. I could have come back for a day or two, but I haven’t.

By now, you will have heard that Tom Christenbery, husband of David Frese, member of GNUUC since its beginning, died suddenly on Tuesday morning. We hold David in our love and care, and will share news of ways we can help, and of services if they are planned.

Over twenty years ago, I took the Buddhist vows. They are simple, yet meaningful enough that one can work on them for a lifetime and not completely understand them. What I remember about that morning is that I was on retreat with my teachers, Caitriona and Michele, at Manzanita Village in San Diego County. It was about a two-hour drive from my home in Riverside. I learned about them from some friends I had started practicing meditation with, Charlie and Richard. We met weekly at their home for sitting practice. I met Charlie when she and I were in a group of homeschool parents.

What I love about GNUUC is that I feel confident that you would welcome and appreciate our guests. Your openness to new and different ideas is impressive. Although it may seem like a no-brainer that we UUs would be curious and affirming, we are also opinionated, and outspoken. I am so grateful to have been working with you, and I feel a sense of grief and loss that it has been nearly a year since we’ve been together, shared a meal, exchanged hugs and greetings, laughed and listened to one another.

In Sunday’s sermon, I mentioned the destructive and tragic event that took place in Nashville on December 25th. I started to say “bombing,” but I was impelled to say “terrorism” since I had read so much and contemplated not just the events surrounding the explosion but the post on social media made by the Gideon’s Army organization

Today, Willow came to visit and we found a bag of Playmobil toys that were in with our holiday stuff. Some years ago, it was a Nativity scene. I made an effort to explain the Christmas story to Willow, but since she attended a Jewish preschool and her mom is atheist, she got Jesus mixed up with Moses and talked about how he was floating in the river and the King tried to kill him. I looked but could not find any baby Jesus nor anything that resembled Mary. There were lots of animals and even a Santa Claus.