River Flow, Creative Flow

“Who hears the fishes when they cry?”

– Henry David Thoreau, Transcendentalist, Unitarian, paddler on the Merrimack River

Last Sunday’s sermon was about healing the Merrimack River so it can heal us. During the sermon folks shared any river memories from their childhood or youth. The ones I heard involved falling through ice on a river as a child and getting high under a river bridge as teenagers. What’s your story?

Folks also had some follow-up ideas for those of us who do not feel very connected to the Merrimack, the largest river around:

    1. NP member Kirk Olsen recommends Deer Jump Reservation in Andover for a walk along the Merrimack River. He notes that despite the length of the Merrimack shoreline in North Andover that he is not aware of any trails along the river. There is, however, a pretty good trail along the Shawsheen River from Green Street, North Andover to behind Market Basket.
    2. Susan Stott of the UU Congregation of Andover reports that Groundwork Lawrence has been opening up a trail from Community Boating west toward the Andover line. There are five miles of trail in Andover and Susan would be happy to choose a section for a walk sometime with other leaders. (P.S.-Thanks to all who contributed to Groundwork Lawrence for our May outreach collection!)
    3. For the kayakers among us, Kirk wrote this about paddling the lower Merrimack at least 20 years ago. If you might be interested in a “guided paddle trip” with Kirk sometime during warm weather, let him know.
    4. The Climate Justice Team will have information at Coffee Hour about the need to protect our rivers and the Drought Bill, so you can let your Reps and Senators know of your support with a quick email.  Let’s support the rights of rivers!
    5. Susan Diachisin shares that the Fitchburg Art Museum has a beautiful exhibition called Paper TownPhoto of an exhibition called Paper Town by artist May Babcock. Her work Ebb and Flow IX maps the Nashua River Watershed while incorporating the invasive plants that grow in that area. by artist May Babcock. Her work Ebb and Flow IX maps the Nashua River Watershed while incorporating the invasive plants that grow in that area. Before the environmental activism of Marion Stoddart, the Nashua River changed colors daily depending on the inks being used at the mills, just like the Merrimack River. On Sunday May 7th at 2:00 pm there will be a Film Showing of Marion Stoddart: The Work of 1000, and at 2:30 a panel discussion with Stoddart herself and members of the Nashua Watershed Association.

 

This month, our Soul Matters theme is “the path of creativity”. How are you creative? How do you wish you were creative?  Where do you see creativity in others expressing itself?  Where do you see it at North Parish? How can creativity “save” us?

Curiously yours,
Rev. Lee