November 29, 2023
Listen:
Read Along:
Keep on Dreaming
by Trish Merrill
Joan Chittister, in her book, The Gift of Years, quotes Anne Sexton, “In a dream we are never eighty.” Joan goes on to say, “Our dreams are always the vision of a younger self, a self-contained, energetic, self-determining person with a will of steel. What happens to the body, what toll age takes on the physical, the spirit does not grow old. In our dreams, in the way we see ourselves, we are forever becoming.”
As we grow older, the challenge is to not become discouraged or self-absorbed but to keep on dreaming. We must be able to imagine God’s justice in order to work for it and we need support to stay on that path. Thankfully, our community offers many opportunities to share our dreams with one another, to think together about ways we can make our dreams come true, and to console one another when our dreams are dashed.
I dream I might grow in my capacity to spread God’s love. I dream for a day when all children have everything they need to thrive. I dream I will live to see my youngest grandchild graduate from college!
A privilege I enjoy at UUMC is spending time with young adults on Sunday mornings. Our personal dreams may differ but our collective dream for justice is kept alive through our sharing and caring for one another, our concern for others, and for the world. I encourage them to dream. They encourage me to dream!
“However things appear to our naked eyes, we trust that the seeds of light are planted in darkness, where they sprout and grow we know not how. This darkness is necessary to new life, even when it is uncomfortable and goes on too long.”
“God of rough hands and hardened feet, giving light to the daughters and sons of the earth: in agony of birth and gentleness of newborn skin, may we discover your ordinary beauty in the heart of our longing world; through Jesus Christ, the Icon of the Unseen God. Amen. ”
