Both Sides By Rev. Nina D. Grey August, 2001

Part of the delight of a vacation is the anticipation. I am planning visits with dear old friends, some of whom go back to my young adulthood and some as far back as junior high school! We have stayed in touch and when we get together, we begin conversations where we left off. They are comfortable and deep friendships that grow more nourishing through the years. I plan to read some books that have been waiting for my undivided attention. I am expecting time in nature, a walk in the rose garden at Elizabeth Gardens, a bird walk through wooded paths, listening to calls and spotting lovely, quick birds on the wing, and time at the Maine and Nova Scotia coastlines. There is a song in our hymnal, which begins, "I brought my spirit to the sea." I learned that song on the coast of Maine at Ferry Beach. Ever since that first Maine summer, I have known that no summer was complete, for me, without a visit to Maine. These experiences taught me the wonder of large, vast water vistas and ever since, I have sought large bodies of water to nurture my soul.

I expect my vacation to be soul nurturing and I hope you will find some soul nurturing moments this summer also. And I know that many will be tending the soul of our congregational life. Our new president, Joan Pederson, and other new leaders are taking time to think and talk about the big picture of our coming year. That conversation will continue at the Board retreat in September. The congregation is thinking about the location of our newly renovated organ and the search committee is seeking our new Director of Music. We have found our new Administrator, Rick Brown, who begins July 23. We are excited about Rick and encourage you to welcome him and help him learn about our congregation. I will be returning on August 10, and will enjoy joining others on Sunday, August 12, to relate some of our learning from the June General Assembly in Cleveland. Several people will be embarking upon new leadership roles in our congregational life.

I went to the Adler Planetarium at the Museum complex, with my sister and two cousins, just two days before my vacation was to begin. Among the many wonderful star vistas, they also had a little interactive quiz. It asked, "Does every living being need sunlight to live?" The answer was no. Some beings live without sunlight (hard to believe!). Then it asked, "Does every living being need water to live?" The answer was yes! Every living being needs water to sustain its life. Maybe that is why spiritual life is sometimes referred to as living waters and going into a time of spiritual renewal is thought of as going back to the wellsprings. I will be going back to my wellsprings, as I refresh myself and ready myself to return to the adventures of our faith community. I will find a source of water and dip a little bottle into it to carry back some of the waters of my journey. And I will add that water to the bowl of our shared life at our water ceremony early in September. This ceremony symbolizes the blending of our energies and our souls into our shared vision and our community life.

In faith, with love,

Nina