Glitter in Brilliance

“…like that star of the waning summer who beyond all stars rises bathed in the ocean stream to glitter in brilliance.”
–Homer, The Iliad

Every year I look forward to Ingathering as a time of reconnection, renewal and joyful energy. Where have you been? Where is the water from that you bring today (literal or metaphorical)? I want to hear it all.

As we gather this year, I will be thinking deeply about where Northwest has been and where we are going. The quote from Homer seemed apropos as it calls us to consider from whence the star rises and the path it takes on the way to shining brightly. When I am asked why I am a UU and why Northwest is important, my answer is always the same—the world needs our message. It needs places where earnest people come together to share and strengthen our faith in the ideas of love and tolerance; a place where we are not asked to choose between faith and reason; a place where science and poetry are explored with equal curiosity.

As we come together for our traditional Ingathering, I look forward to the joyful connections we share, reaching out to those we do not yet know well and to opening ourselves to greet those who are making their way to North-west but have yet to make it down the driveway. May our connections with one another fuel our star to glitter brilliantly as the summer wanes and for years to come.

Constance Dierickx
Board President