Minister's Musings, Rev. Betty

By the time you read this column, we will be looking ahead to the celebration of Thanksgiving. We may be thinking about the many blessings that we have and looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with our families and friends. And we will probably be planning to donate some money or food to those who are less fortunate than we are.

But wait! Have we forgotten something? Now, don’t misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with any of the things in the previous paragraph. We certainly have much for which to be thankful, and gratitude is a very important asset. However, gratefulness should not be practiced only at Thanksgiving. It is something that we need to remember all year. And there are many ways that we can do that.

Of course, one way to show our care and concern for others is to continue our Sunday donations to The Burbank Temporary Aid Center and other worthy causes. But people don’t just need to eat or have their other needs met at Thanksgiving. They need food, shelter, clothing, medical attention, and other necessities long after the holiday season has come and gone. We can also contribute our time and talents at one of the many volunteer agencies in our community.

However, there is an area of thanks that we may have forgotten in all of our efforts. That is the simple power of a “Thank you” or “Well done” spoken with sincerity to another person. It is a simple thing, really, but one that we often forget. Now, I am not talking here just about good manners. I am talking about the recognition of the positive contributions that other people make to our lives every day.

And happily we can begin right within our own UUCVH community. We can thank those people who set up our worship space every Sunday and who prepare the coffee and provide refreshments every week. We can thank the Board members and other volunteers who take responsibility for the administrative and financial needs of the congregation. We can thank the worship leaders for providing us with inspiring Sunday services. We can thank many people for their supportive efforts for those in our church who need a helping hand and our office administrator for her many contributions. We can thank the Membership Committee for organizing exciting activities throughout the year and the many things they do to make people feel welcome. We can thank the Social Action Circle for their efforts with us in the larger community.

Now, I know that I have only begun to name all the many people and groups that contribute to the positive atmosphere at UUCVH. So let me urge you to continue the job of spreading the thanks. I must warn you, however, that this effort could become contagious. I think I’d like to take that risk. How about you?

Blessings,

Rev. Betty