 Giving
Thanks
In this season of Thanksgiving, we asked a group of lay and professional
leaders active within Unitarian Universalism to reflect on those
things they are thankful for. It is a complicated time: the country
is still at war in Iraq; the economy has not regained its momentum
-- at least not in all parts of the United States. But in Massachusetts,
same-sex marriage has gained the support of the state's Supreme
Judicial Court, and around the country, Unitarian Universalism is
vital and healthy.
We are pleased to share with you these thoughts of Unitarian Universalists
around the country. And on behalf of UUA President Bill Sinkford,
Interim Moderator Gini Courter, and the staff of the UUA, our best
wishes to you for a peaceful and restful Thanksgiving season.
"I am so grateful to work for an organization that has
an amazing history and commitment to justice and equality for GLBT
people. I am grateful for all the people who wrote letters, attended
rallies, refused to sign marriage certificates, delivered sermons
and spoke up about same sex marriage. I am grateful to live in one
of only 14 states where I can’t be fired for being a lesbian.
I am grateful for Mary Bonauto and the staff at GLAD for their brilliance
and their perseverance in fighting for justice, and thankful to the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for their courage and wisdom."
-- Hillary S. Goodridge
Program Director
Unitarian Universalist Funding Program
"For me, thoughts of thankfulness and gratitude lead me
first to my circle of family, friends, and my UU community. Then,
as I glance out my office window at treetops poking between downtown
buildings and parking lots, I am grateful for the color red and the
beauty and resilience of the natural world. A few blocks away is the
dome of our State Capitol, and cynicism aside for the moment, I am
reminded of the procession of men and women who have gone before us,
and of their strivings for freedom, equality and justice. I am grateful
for their sacrifices and to all those struggling today to make a difference
in our lives." -- Tiffany Urness
President
Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento, CA
"I'm thankful for leaves, rain, heating with wood,
a loving woman I love, Edinburg oranges in 18-pound bags for $3.99
at Fiesta, brothers who still gather to recall and assess and laugh,
technology (sometimes), daughter, grandsons, son-in-law, MoveOn.org,
generous attention shown to church newcomers and other lonely folk,
days like last Saturday when the horizon, as seen from a West Texas
farm, was breathtakingly spectacular:
Cloud streaks catch fire.
Gold flares, spreads, goes dark.
Ahh! Every day, somewhere."
-- Bob Hill
District Executive, UUA Southwest District
Norman, OK
"I am thankful for opportunity and possibility. Our
small, new congregation has great potential, and I'm grateful for
the opportunity to take part in its creation and growth. I'm thankful,
too, that there remains in this world the possiblity of peace and
justice -- and even of a force in the universe beyond our comprehension,
which many call God."
-- Barbara Fleming,
Member of the Board of Trustees
Namaqua UU Congregation, Loveland, CO
"I'm thankful for and awed by the generosity of the
plaintiffs in the Massachusetts same sex marriage suit. They've
given up years of their lives and vast amounts of their privacy
to help make our world a place that is safer and more humane. Not
to mention more interesting."
-- Kay Montgomery
Executive Vice President
Unitarian Universalist Association
"It’s a cliché to say that our future is
in our children. It’s also true. I am thankful for my grandson
Connor who will be 13 months old in a few days. I hold this tiny,
fragile, vulnerable person and am in awe of his unbridled curiosity
and trust. This is the hope for our future.
"I have to admit that others have children and grandchildren
that are just as special to them as Connor is to me. That’s
OK – our salvation is in all the children. I give thanks for
them and the promise they bring. I am also humbled by the task we
all share to love and nurture them, and leave them a better world
in which to grow and flourish."
-- Jack E. Slingerland
Michael Servetus UU Fellowship
Vancouver, WA
"I'm thankful to have an extended family that remains
close through its annual tradition of Thanksgiving dinners. Cousins
spread around the country would lose contact with each other if
not for this tradition!"
-- Carol Agate
Treasurer
UU Community Church of Santa Monica, CA
"I am thankful for my family, a loving partner,
a son home safe from the Army and a daughter enjoying college. This
will be our first holiday together in three years. I also give thanks
for this liberal faith which supports and nurtures me, and for the
many, many volunteers and religious professionals who make that faith
live in our hurting world." -- William G. Sinkford
President
Unitarian Universalist Association
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