My partner and I come from different religious and cultural backgrounds- I grew up in the Catholic Church, he in a conservative Jewish synagogue. As young adults, we both did a lot of questioning, and landed somewhere other than where we were first planted.
The holidays, though, bring us back to tradition and call us to figure out—what are our core values? What will we share with our children?
Sometimes we considered carefully. Other times we just threw things together and hoped for the best. And the magic of it is that children just figure it out… eventually.
For us, what is central is spending time together and in community with others. There is time for appreciation, for sharing of gifts and talents, and a few special meals. And then there is time to just be—sometimes quietly and sometimes giggling and watching movies together, with new pajamas and old quilts.
I look forward to sharing community with you this month, in worship services, and in Sunday School, at our Deck the Halls potluck and Handel’s Messiah sing-a-long. We will have wonderful multigenerational worship services on December 21st, 24th, and 28th.
And I wish for you also, sweet time with those you love, delicious things to eat, stories to share, and at least one really good nap.
Katy Carpman
Director of Religious Education