Desert Notes September 19, 2024

After returning from the Dallas area late Monday night, I came to VUU Tuesday morning to host a press conference for Corazon AZ that highlighted the problems with Proposition 314. With partner faith communities, we talked about how this proposition targets immigrants in ways that could dangerously compromise our communities and our neighbors. Here are my remarks. We had our siblings from UUCP and their minister, Rev. Christine Dance, join us. There are more pictures posted on our FB page. 

This week we also had our first Soul Matters small group introduction, and we’ll have another next week. If you are looking for a way to connect with other VUU folks, we’d love for you to check out this opportunity! I met with a few of you over lunch last week, a few met with me at the Coffee Shop in Gilbert Wednesday. Do you have a special spot you’d like to introduce me to and have some VUUers join us for a bit? Let me know! 

Many of you have shared with me the stressors of election cycle relationship friction–when we regularly bump up against the issues that most have us at odds with each other and call up our own fears, anxieties, hopes, dreams, and questions. This is a good time to connect with VUU folks doing election related work (get out the vote, UU the Vote) and to work with organizations like VIP and Corazon to engage in positive work that gets us closer to living our values and advocating for positive change. It’s also a good time to deepen the spiritual practices that help you manage your own limbic system–whatever that looks like for you! If you saw the movie “Inside Out II” it gave a great depiction of how anxiety can “run us” or drive the bus in ways that make it hard for us to be present to the possibilities and people in front of us. What helps you feel whole, relaxed and ready to engage?  Let’s remind each other to take care of ourselves!

Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan