Happy Holidays,

Welcome to the season of slowing down.  I know…I know…it doesn’t seem like slowing down.  Running from here to there, doing this and that.   Slowing down can be a lot of work!

And then there is the news.  With what seems to be the war-du-jour, even if we are able to slow down, it doesn’t seem right.  How can I slow down when all these people in all these places are engaged in a fight for their lives that is in most cases entirely outside of their control?

If you’ve ever flown on a commercial flight, you’re familiar with the flight attendants’ pre-flight safety “performance”…the one where they show you how to fasten a seatbelt (just in case you’ve lived in a cave for the past hundred years).  In that familiar performance, they always get to the part where they talk about what would happen if the cabin were to “depressurize” (read:  all the air gets sucked out of the plane, mid-flight).  After they remind you not to worry, they tell you that a mask will pop out of the ceiling and deliver air.  And then they say one of the most important things they say during the whole flight: put your mask on first BEFORE you help others.

They tell you:  put your mask on first.  What they don’t tell you is the rest of that sentence.  Put your mask on first because you are no help to anyone if you’re struggling.

This holiday season, I ask you all to make sure you’ve put your mask on first.  Do you have what you need?  If not, what could help you to get there?  Do you need a nap?  Do you need to maybe not go to that gathering today?  Do you need to force yourself to slow down today?

And if you have put your mask on, are you able to help others who may not have what they need?  Can you offer someone a ride to a gathering or maybe an invitation?  Do you know someone who might prefer not to be alone on one day this holiday season?  Can you help someone who maybe needs to slow down or needs some contact during this holiday season?

I ask these questions of you not to add to your plate, but to remind you of the richness of being in community.  Slowing down is sometimes a lot of work.  Slowing down with style and grace can seem like even more work.  But the contacts we make, refresh, support and enjoy are part of what makes our human journey more connected to all there is and all there will be.

Happiest of Holiday Seasons to you and to all you love, on behalf of me, the staff and everyone here at Emerson.

Respectfully,

Rev Ed