Compiled by Linda Sherry Worship Support Specialist Each month WUUC explores a different theme brought to us through Soul Matters. We explore these themes in Worship, in small groups and in casual conversation. Here are a few thoughts to ponder as you consider December’s theme:
Opening to Joy
Maybe Joy is elusive for a reason.
Maybe it’s slippery in order to help us understand
that it was put here to fly.
Or better yet: To be flung!
To be passed, not possessed.
To be spread between you and me,
between the ones who received its gift
and the ones that have been looking for its treasure
for a very long time.
Maybe it’s a beautiful and elegant contagion,
over which we have more control than we think.
If only we share it.
If only we notice that joy is not ours to keep,
but ours to give.
Maybe joy opens us
as much as we open to it.
Maybe that’s the way light leaks into our world.
—Poet unknown, printed in Soul Matters Dec 2021
The high value put upon every minute of time, the idea of hurry-hurry as the most important objective of living, is unquestionably the most dangerous enemy of joy… –Hermann Hesse
Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift. –Robin Wall Kimmerer
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil. –Jack Gilbert, from A Brief for the Defense
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
–Rabindranath Tagore
I always just thought if you see somebody without a smile, give’em yours! –Dolly Parton
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
By Linda Sherry Worship Support Specialist History is not simply the records of the past. It is how we perceive the past, and how we respond to it. It may be world history, American history, or it may be personal history we need to re-view. This month WUUC will offer many ways to connect with various types of history.
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A thought-provoking challenge about our personal histories:
We all have it, that one memory from our younger years that brings us joy, or grounds our sense of identity. It’s one of the most precious pieces of personal history, so we hold on to it tightly.
So make time to ask yourself: Why have I held on to this memory for so long? Why has it been holding on to me? What is it trying to give me? Who helped me remember it? What piece of my current identity does it hold? What hunger does it represent? What wish is it wanting to rekindle?
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Connecting personal history with cultural history:
When we are honest, we know that defensiveness, protectiveness and closed doors rule our relationship with history more than we’d like.
For instance, very few of us have pasts without pain woven through. And it’s just easier to shut out those traumatic times than confront them head on. We are all well taught the game of sweeping old wounds under the rug.
And of course, there’s the unprocessed horrors woven throughout our cultural history. They are the rule not the exception, but we work hard to close ourselves off from them with standard lines like, “At our best, this isn’t who we are!” or “As Americans, we’re better than this!” The truth is we’ve never consistently been “better than this.” Voluntary Amnesia, rather than a courageous and honest reckoning, describes the current character of America’s relationship to history.
All of which is to say that there is a deeper relationship between history and vulnerability than we often recognize. Without a heart willing to feel pain and endure grief, the fullness of our histories just can’t enter in. Talking about past mistakes requires developing the ability to vulnerably say I’m sorry.
An honest telling of racism requires the painful acceptance that some of us still benefit from the prejudices and oppression of our ancestors, and some of us still suffer the pain of being treated with prejudice and oppression today. Healing historical racism requires someone suffering the costs of reparations. And telling your full story requires navigating grief over choices you wish you would have made differently.
Excerpted and adapted from Soul Matters materials for November 2021.
By CJ Ringler John D. Ringler (born June 13,1935 in Friday Harbor, WA) passed away in early afternoon on Aug. 17, 2021 in a Bothell care facility where he spent his last six months. Having both osteoporosis and dementia, he was in a group home for about a year and a half until a series of falls resulting in spinal fractures sent him to a rehabilitation center.
John was a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA from University of Washington and an undergraduate degree in Dairy Science from Washington State University. He grew up on a dairy farm in Friday Harbor, WA and was drafted into the Army after receiving his first college degree. He leaves behind two children from his first marriage – John David Ringler of Henderson, Nevada, and Danielle L. Ringler McKee of Wenatchee – and stepson, Charles W. Begg of Woodinville.
I will miss him terribly after 42 years of marriage. I cared for him at home as long as I could and ultimately had to turn over his care to his daughter. We are grateful that he is no longer in pain. He will be missed by many at WUUC (Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church) having spent hundreds of volunteer hours with the construction of the church while also serving on various committees there.
John’s circle of hiking friends, along with a number of WUUC church members will remember him as a quiet, gentle man with great respect for the INHERENT WORTH & DIGNITY of all people and an enduring love for animals and nature. (He once chased a coyote through our neighborhood to rescue a neighbor’s kitten, making a little girl very happy for ‘saven (sic) my cat’ as she wrote in a note accompanied by a small clutch of dandelions.)
In summer of 2002 John made a valiant attempt to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier with a group of mountaineers, led by the Whitaker brothers, in support of the American Lung Association. He subsequently made it to the summit of Mt. Adams in 2004 with his group of friends calling themselves the “Hiker Babes” (who dubbed him their “Hiker Hunk.”) Several of the Babes’ husbands would join them on weekend hikes. They had a tradition of celebrating birthdays by carrying a birthday pie to share at their destination!
Rest in Peace, my “HERO!” Most of our 42 years were truly wonderful! The other few were beyond our control!
John, you are in my heart forever.
~ Connie “CJ” Ringler
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In addition, John Ringler’s knowledge and assistance was pivotal in starting the non-profit organization called Redmond Association of Spokenword, which has continued to hold readings, contests, classes, groups, and much more for people of all ages FOR 25 YEARS!
First off, many, many thanks to all who have supported the Totes program! October’s response was so strong that we have already met November’s needs in several categories.
Here’s what we still need: 26 individual milk servings and 30 cold cereal packs (the school is especially requesting cold cereal). We also need 11 cans of meat, 9 of fish, 4 fruit servings and 26 juice packs (100% juice). Please put your items in the shed to the left of the church doors by Thursday, Nov. 4. You can check for an updated count here. Grace tries to update the spreadsheet after picking up items from the shed.
A big THANK YOU to everyone who attended the virtual Justice Panel after the service on Sunday, Oct. 24. We had the opportunity to hear from leaders of each Justice Ministry under the umbrella of Advocates for Social Justice: Racial Justice, Economic Justice, Welcoming Congregation (LGBTQ Justice), Indigenous Rights, and Climate Justice. Leaders shared information about their teams’ current efforts toward activism, the intersectionality of the different ministries, and how members can get involved. For more information, contact Cora Goss-Grubbs at CGoss-Grubbs@wuuc.org.
Monthly Special Collections
In August we collected $295 for Cascadia Growth Fund for Unitarian Universalism. Their mission is to enhance places and ways in which UU’s of all ages gather. They offer loans and grants to congregations in the Pacific Northwest District and British Columbia. WUUC has received support from this fund over the years, including a recent grant for our air filtration project and costs relating to creating online worship at the beginning of the pandemic.
On Sept. 19, our ASJ Special Collection added $1095 to WUUC’s Black Student and Families Fund (BSAFF). This fund, along with WUUC volunteers, assists families of students in the Northshore School District (especially those living at Greenleaf, a subsidized housing community) with a variety of needs – from essentials like food, shelter, and monthly bills, to community organizing, leadership development, and support for future dreams including college and career development. Your contributions fund programs and services with the goal of providing a safe environment for students to explore and express their identity as they navigate the racial constructs of their world.
Our October ASJ collection went to Honor the Earth, a native initiative to create awareness and support for Native environmental issues and to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Native communities. Learn more at: https://www.honorearth.org/. Among other activities, Honor the Earth is currently supporting actions of Water Protectors to oppose pipeline 3 in the Midwest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a98gUC53NYo&t=90s. You can still donate to Honor the Earth by following the directions below.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month. Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
