Desert Notes – November 7, 2024

Even as I knew this scenario was possible, the election results have hit me hard. Not because anything will immediately be different, but more because I don’t know what will happen and how it will impact me, my family, my friends, my neighbors, my community, my country, the world around us. All of us. 

Yesterday we held an open space for folks to gather and be comforted, share feelings, and engage in healing rituals. Many came, and many expressed appreciation even if they couldn’t come. UU congregations across the country also did some form of opening their doors to hold their communities in care.  

This Sunday, we are likely to have visitors looking for a safe haven and a community to find sanctuary in. It’s very important that you each find ways to acknowledge and welcome them–to make space for new faces and new needs. Remember that a smile is its own prayer, a hand offered and an invitation to conversation and camaraderie all make a difference. Some will be leaving a faith home that now feels toxic to them. They may discover Unitarian Universalism is the home they have been looking for, or this may be a place of respite for them as they look for the place that meets their religious and spiritual needs.  

What matters most is how we welcome and include people, making room for them to show up exactly as they are and to be cared for with deep love. May we offer this to ourselves and to each other, over and over again. 

-Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan