Ah, Vacation.
Few things are more enticing than the prospect of vacation. Whether that means taking a work break, visiting family, or being lucky enough to travel to a different location for sightseeing or sitting by the beach, we all dream of having more time to get away.
At the heart of this human need is the need for something that encompasses more than can be purchased online at Travelocity or made possible by fueling up the car. At the heart of this need is a desire for renewal.
The rest we might associate with vacation is not the entirety of renewal, either, but often what precedes it.
When we rest, we lay aside for a time all our assumptions, activities, and ways of being so that we can be more open to a process of renewing ourselves.
A quotation from David Whyte sums this up nicely:
“You know that the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest? … The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.”
Getting back to a place of wholeheartedness – wholeheartedness about participating in an institution, a group, or a movement. Wholehearted about exploring a relationship, an educational opportunity, even a hobby. When we set aside our exhaustion and feel a sense of courage and commitment rising in us, that is also the rebirth of a sense of renewal.
This June, there are several celebrations in Greenport and within our denomination that should instill you with a sense of Renewal – and we will be participating as a congregation in both North Fork Pride and in the first ever Juneteenth event, which will be co-sponsored by Coming to the Table, the Southold Anti-Bias Task Force, and the Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church.
Our labyrinth walk will happen on June 14th at 5pm at the Presbyterian Church parking lot in Southold. In case of a late-breaking cancellation, we will send an email out or you can call the church that day in case of inclement weather.
If you are interested in asking questions about membership, I will be holding both a Zoom and an in-person membership Q&A. You can receive the by-laws, learn about membership, and sign the book if you attend the in-person one, or talk to me and the three members of our Membership Committee, Virginia Cava, Suzette Reiss, and Randy Wade, if you want more information.
Regards,
Rev. Valerie.