Minister's Message
My Dear Hearts, As I prepare to complete my service as your minister at Unity Church in Redding, I recall the verse from Ecclesiastes that talks about a time for weeping and laughing, a time for mourning and dancing. I feel all of that. I am sad and have shed tears as I prepare to leave you and our beloved church. I grieve as I give up my role as your minister. When I visit friends who
loved their careers and retired, they talk about the grief they felt even though their retirement was a choice. They felt like a part of them had died. So do I. I began working when I was sixteen years old. My first job was as a cook and server in a beach stand in Huntington Beach. After five summers I left and did not grieve. I joyfully danced away! Following college, I became a teacher of mentally challenged children then moved to working in a clinic with families who had children who didn’t do well in school. I liked the work but longed for something more and became a family counselor working with the same kind of families. For eighteen years that work fulfilled me. Then I moved to Redding where, once again, I returned to the classroom teaching severely emotionally disturbed children. When the County Office of Education learned the skills I had, I transitioned to being a private contractor working in schools with administrators, teachers, and parents who had children who couldn’t fit into the education system. That was my favorite job until becoming a minister. This final phase of my varied career path has nurtured me just as I feel I have nurtured our congregation. I have brought both my head and heart to my work. I leave our church knowing I have filled my role well. So while I grieve, I also dance. I dance for joy at going to live near family. My heart sings as I look at this next life stage as one of learning to play and developing a part of me that has lain dormant. I soar with gratitude when I think of each of you and all we have done together to create our beautiful sacred community. When these years become a memory, I know I will smile. You can smile to, appreciating the role you played in making me a very happy person. I love each of you dearly and invite you to come celebrate with me on my last Sunday at UCIR—August 14, 2022. With great love and appreciation,
Rev. Carolyn
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