"I never did ‘poor me.’ The way I think about it, it’s like there are invisible monkey wrenches flying around and sometimes you get hit with one- a car accident, or cancer… shit happens. But I’ve had so much more love than I ever expected.”
Are y’all OK out there? There have been some monkey wrenches flying around lately.
If anyone was walloped by the severe wind storm/microburst last weekend (or the severe flooding a month ago), or if anyone gets walloped by Hurricane Lee this weekend (gotta love that name…), please remember that North Parish is one place you can reach out to for support. If you don’t have power and the Meeting House does, we can open it up for charging phones, making food and hanging out. If you have an unexpected repair bill that you can’t cover, just send me an email about a gift from the discretionary fund. That is what it’s there for.
Last weekend we did learn that we can hold a daytime service in the sanctuary even without power just like they did “in the old days”, as we celebrated the life of Joannie Warnshuis on Saturday. By Sunday the power was back in the sanctuary– both electric power and the people power! Thanks to those who scrambled to get the Zoom working and branches cleared and all the rest. It was a happy morning with great music, bagels, water and stones and personal words, attentive kids (you could hear a pin drop during “The Water is Wide”), and a warm welcome to Susanne Hinson-Rieger.
We are heading into the Jewish High Holy Days today– the Jewish New Year, the ten Days of Awe, and the Day of Atonement– the culmination of a month of self-reflection for Jews. On Rosh Hashanah it is traditional to eat apples with honey, so if it isn’t pouring and anyone is hitting the farm stands on Saturday, bring some to church! As my colleague Rabbi Max Chaiken of Temple Emanuel in Andover wrote this week, “Shanah tovah -sweet, happy and healthy new year to you and your congregation.” May we return that blessing!
Yours in storms and sweetness,
Rev. Lee