Sunny Notes: 11.12.25 - Reminiscing & Reflecting on What Came Before
During my first sermon at BUF on October 12 entitled "Together in the Boat," I drew from the work of the late William Bridges from his book “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.” Bridges writes that in any transition, you can count on three phases: first, an ending; then, a neutral zone in the middle; and finally, a new beginning. We explored the metaphor of a boat leaving shore to describe these phases: Getting in the boat and leaving the old shore is the ending; the journey out in open water is the neutral zone; and arrival on a new shore is the new beginning.
Recall that the neutral zone is the messy but necessary middle. It is the time in the open water—a time when you may lose sight of the old shore you left behind, but you cannot yet see the new shore on the horizon. It is also "a time when the real business of transition takes place...when we are making the all-but-imperceptible shift from one season of life to the next." BUF, we have pushed away from the old shore together and we are now in open water, the neutral zone, the messy middle. Our work together is underway.
Part of this work involves reminiscing and reflecting on what came before. As Bridges puts it, "sometimes it is only when you see where you have been that you can tell where you are heading...Because recollection is likely to turn up some useful information.” On that note, the BUF History Wall is now up in the Social Hall and ready for your contributions! I stopped by this morning and took this photo to showcase a few of the posts so far. We invite you to use one of the Post-It notes on the table next to the Wall to write your own reminiscences on where BUF has been, and stick it to the Wall. Our hope is that this shared History Wall will turn up some useful information—information that will inform where we go together.
It's not too late to come share with me your history and your connection to BUF. Please feel free to use the scheduling link below to grab a spot. And if you are unable to find a
day/time that works well for your schedule, you are always welcome to contact me directly (minister@buf.org).
— Sunny Joy McMillan, J.D., M.Div.