Dear Friends,

What a beautiful Friday!  It’s as if spring has suddenly arrived, and it is enhanced by the bunches of daffodils growing in the yards around the church building.  Beauty is not a distraction from the chaos of this world right now, but a way to remind ourselves that beauty does exist even when the world seems disconnected from each other and everything else. In a way, the beauty of nature helps to keep us centered while its simplicity opens the door for joy.  The point is not to shame us into feeling like we should be more grateful for the green and yellow that is springing up all around but to reassure us that if we are more grateful, we will, in the same measure, become happier, even if just for a moment.   The signs of spring in nature remind us that the darkness of winter does have an end, not just seasonally in the natural world, but in our own spiritual worlds. These changes are a reassurance that the Energy of Transformation holds great hopes for us now and in the future.  Winter can be over.  (For those of you who love winter, its snow, and its stick-covered trees, you should find a good substitute for this analogy. Sorry!)  So, step out of the comfort of your home or office and feel the cool wind that is blowing today.  Feel the rays of the sun on your face. Listen to the wonderful sounds of birds as they celebrate this next step in their lives and in yours.  This Energy of Transformation can help us to feel grounded and can open way for the necessary changes that need to happen in our lives.  As such, spring can be an excellent time of introspection and personal reflection as we answer the question, “How will I interact with the world and the people in it today?” and courage and boldness as we step into a new year full of opportunities for compassion, mercy and forgiveness ahead.

I am looking forward to hearing from Mary Ann Percy tomorrow at the Knitting Us Together Peace Luncheon (11:30) where she will talk with us about our connections to each other and this precious world.  She can help us to find the courageousness and boldness necessary to make changes in our own lives and in our interactions with the world and each other.  She will be guiding us as we together discern this question of how Spirit is challenging us to confront our spiritual crisis in these times.  Even if you have to come in late because of the planned protests in town, please come anyway and let her lead us to a new place and help us welcome in this new spring spiritually.

·       April 5 – 11:30 – Knitting Us Together speaker Mary Ann     Percy — Earthcare Peace Luncheon

·       April 13 – 9:00 — Bible Study – Third Chapter of Philippians

·       April 13 – 11:00 – Letter writing to Senators, House, and local representatives

·       April 20 – 9:00 — Peace and Social Concerns

·       April 20 – 10:00 – Easter

·       April 27 – 11:00 – Meeting for Business