Each winter I am amazed by the fish in my pond. Once the temperature drops below 40 degrees, they stop eating, slow down to nothing more than an occasional wiggle, and remain still like that for as much as three months. When I put my hand in that ice water, I find the cold unbearable after just 20 seconds. How they do it is a mystery to me. Following the example of my fish, I am going to slow down this month. I’m away from the UUCRT in January, to take time for study and other spiritual disciplines.

I return to the UUCRT on Saturday, Feb. 1, for the inaugural Green Faith Living the Change potluck supper, and will return to the pulpit on Feb. 2, when I will launch a series of sermons on Ethical Eating. I will offer a related religious exploration class, Demonstrating Our Values Through Eating, on the Third Sundays starting in March. And we will continue to wrestle with the Common Read, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, and what the history asks of us today. If you have not yet read the book, consider this an invitation to join the conversation. I will offer a single session Common Read discussion in March, in preparation for the 2020 UUA General Assembly in June.

Go well!

Chris