“Elephants are beautiful people… They teach their young, make decisions together and sustain lifelong friendships…”
On the advice of several North Parish folks, on Sunday afternoon I went into Boston to see a public art and education project of 100 handcrafted elephants “walking” down Commonwealth Avenue. They were made by artisans from the Nilgiri Hills in southern India, where a dense human population and the elephants live peaceably together. Each statue represents an actual elephant; each has a name.
One of the signs for the exhibit says “These elephants are a love letter from a culture that has never forgotten how to share the world.” Another says “To see elephants as people is not to make them human. It is to recognize that they have always been someone, not something.”
Needless to say, humans are having a really hard time sharing the world these days… and the results are demoralizing and deadly. But at North Parish and in many other places- like the Nilgiri Hills- we share dignity and joy as we keep on moving forward.
This weekend, as we approach some high holy days for various folks- Yom Kippur for Jews and the Autumnal Equinox for earth-based folks- there are spiritual themes that lend themselves to reflection. One set of themes has to do with releasing old baggage, admitting the ways we’ve “missed the mark” individually and collectively, making amends and starting over. Another set of themes is about seeking balance in our own lives and in our communal life. How are we able to show up for ourselves, for our families and friends, for our congregational community, for our wider community in the Merrimack River valley, for the community of humans and all living beings?
May North Parish be a love letter from people who have never forgotten how to share the world… or the effort and commitment that it takes to sustain beloved community. Yours as the season shifts,
Rev. Lee
P.S. The 5th ethical principle of Unitarian Universalism states that “We covenant to affirm and promote the use of the democratic process with our congregations and society at large.” October 17th is a nationwide day to engage in voter registration and share information about voting early this year. If you’d like to organize any sort of North Parish gathering or info around this, let me know.
To make an appointment with Rev. Lee, click here.
Email: RevLee@northparish.org
Phone: 978-687-7948