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Inner peace doesn’t come from getting what we want, but from remembering who we are.
– Marianne Williamson When we view the world from a place of Inner Peace we perceive the Order of Nature in all things. -Gary Stiles
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“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Spirituality is deeply personal. It means different things to each of us, and Emerson might be right. We need to learn from what we see, read, hear, feel and experience to grow our own spirituality. We need to write our own book to grow the spirituality that is inside ourselves. “They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha As we honor each others presence within our community we move forward harmoniously. Gary Stiles "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart". - Eleanor Roosevelt
Our Congregation is a great mix of people from all walks of life, varied backgrounds and from many places. The past few Sundays have been wonderful for all of us who have come together in the church. We care about each other whether you are present in the church or in our hearts. Our Congregation is a beautiful mix of people who are friends - we all know others who have left footprints in our hearts. Laura McFadden "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." - Henry Ford
This past year epitomizes how we worked together so we could eventually be together. The Board members who served so wonderfully this past year and will not be returning are: Lynne Curtis - secretary Tom Duff - member-at-large Carla Golden - member-at-large Carol Stephens - past president The Board members who are returning: Gary Stiles - as co-president Linda Grady - member-at-large Patricia Friedman - treasurer George Kanuck - as past-co-chair This group along with Charlie Tyler, Ann Harrison, John Sheppard and David Inserra were instrumental on many very visible projects such as live streamed services, weekly music and messages, Zoom talk backs, reopening our doors, along with other not so visible projects that improved our governance, our facilities and our community outreach. They were all invaluable members of our team who provided their wisdom, skills, talents and commitment to keeping our congregation strong. Also, our Committee leaders who led their groups, and also began meeting once a month so they could collaborate and coordinate their efforts are: Lynne Nordenberg and Jana Stiles - Care and Membership Patricia - Finance Ann Harrison - Social Justice Cheryl Kanuck - Worship All these people along with volunteers who participated in our services, committees, and church and community groups and projects were invaluable to our success. Thank you to Tim and Marge Garvey for their special donations. Last but not least, a special thank you to Charlie Tyler, David Inserra, Ann Harrison and John Sheppard. If we listed everyone and their accomplishments we would need several pages of thank yous. Please know we appreciate everyone's contributions that kept our Congregation together and moving forward. Thank you! Laura McFadden “Life is laden with opportunities for miracle or beauty, moments of choice that bless us if we seize them, even in a cold season.” - Elizabeth Lerner, UU Clergy
I hope we all feel that we have known miracles, big or small, in our lives. Those highly improbable or extraordinary events or developments that bring us very welcome joy can mean so much to us. The best miracles are the moments we remember for a long time or possibly forever. So as we continue to live our life, let’s seize the big and small miracles that touch us and make us happy. “When we own our stories, we avoid being trapped as characters in stories someone else is telling.” - Brene’ Brown, clinical social worker, author, professor
If your friend writes a book about your life, what will it say? Then if you write your memoirs, how different will that book be compared to your friend’s book about you? I think that the two books will have some similarities, and probably many differences. My hope is your book will have many happy moments, and minimal sad moments. Your story is still being written so own all your moments and write the best book you can. “One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” - Leo Tolstoy
Are we dependent on nature, or is nature dependent on us? We take care of nature (defined as plants, animals, the landscape and all the other features of the earth and its products - anything that is not made by humans). In turn, nature provides us the resources to meet our basic, and not so basic, needs. We take care of our environment so nature and we can thrive. The link between humans and nature is vital for our happiness. "First steps are always the hardest but until they are taken the notion of progress remains only a notion and not an accomplishment." - Aberjhani, American historian, columnist, novelist, poet, artist, and editor born in 1957 in Savannah, GA.
At first, I was thinking about the reopening of our congregation's services. We are taking the first steps toward having all members and friends come to our services on Sunday mornings. There was a lot of discussion, planning and work to get to the first service. We continue to evaluate our next steps for improving the next in-person services. Our accomplishment will be when we can all meet safely together in person. Also, this quote has meaning in all our lives. We need to take the hard first steps to accomplishing our goals, no matter what they are. From this, we will know more personal happiness. "The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life." - William Morris, British textile designer, poet, novelist, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. (1834-1836)
I typed in the quote, and autocorrect wanted me to change "lies in the taking" to "lies in taking". I propose that "the taking a genuine interest" is very important. The more that we take possession and become aware of what we are doing and are thinking each day, the more we can enjoy the moments that make us happy. Hopefully on the other hand, we can eliminate or at least spend much less time on those moments which do not bring us the happiness we all deserve. |
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110 Malphrus Road Bluffton, SC 29910
Temporary Office Hours: Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Temporary Office Hours: Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.