I write to you on January 26, the Monday following a weekend in which another protestor, Alex Pretti, has been shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis. The recent deaths of protestors Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti are in addition to many others who have been killed by or died while in the custody of ICE over the last year. 

In times like these, when it is difficult for me to articulate my outrage, confusion, and lament, I am grateful for the poetry of others—their words give voice to what is happening in our world in a way I cannot. I share here two poems, one from retired UU minister Bob McKetchnie (thank you, Rev. Barbara Wells ten Hove for sharing this with me), and one from poet and activist Amanda Gorman. 

It was a busy long weekend around BUF, between the Congregational Start-Up Workshop, the Stewardship Envisioning Session, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day service on Sunday and event on Monday. 

From the Start-Up Workshop and Envisioning Session, we surfaced hopes and goals on everything from supporting our growing number of youth and families, to creating a robust staffing plan to support BUF's work, to strengthening connections with our UU sibling congregations and greater Association, to making our congregation more radically welcoming, to exploring the history and creation of our Mission. BTW: If you have information on when and how BUF's current Mission came to be, please do reach out to me, as I'm on a bit of an anthropological quest—you can find our Mission at buf.org. 

I was incredibly moved by last Sunday's service on “Turning to One Another: Sharing Meaning,” which was organized by several of our Celebrants and featured reflections and stories from various members and friends of BUF speaking about the ways that, by turning to one another, they find meaning. In my closing words, I shared that I have been serendipitously and particularly reminded over the past week about the deep and meaningful ways that this BUF community turns toward one another. 

Whether bustling or restful or some combination of both, I hope your holidays were nourishing and meaningful in all the ways you needed most. Welcome to 2026. 

For our last Sunday service of 2025, we took some time to reflect back on the past year, recognizing that BUF and our world have seen some big changes. Now, as we move into this New Year, there is much to look forward to... 

I am writing this column on December 22, the day after our Winter Solstice Service at BUF. And what a special service it was—thank you to everyone who participated in the creation of our altar by contributing found nature objects!

I am writing my column this week from the couch in my little Bellingham apartment, early Monday morning on December 15. Yesterday, our talented Choir Director, Ben Workman Smith, led us in "All Music Sunday,” a service full of incredible performances by BUF choir members and musicians. We also thanked our wonderful Audio-Visual Team. And we celebrated BUFsters Sita Amba-Rao and Beth Brownfield as inductees into the Clara Barton Sisterhood of the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation. The theme of the day was "HOPE," and I sure did feel it. I left buoyed by the music, the gratitude, and the collective energy. 

Since arriving at BUF on October 1, I have held over 40 “Getting to Know You” meetings with small groups, committees, and individuals. In each meeting, I asked, “What brought you to BUF?” and “What do you love about BUF?” and “What are your particular interests at BUF?” Armed with my trusty laptop, I took notes—a lot of notes! 

Dr. Dacher Keltner, the faculty director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, has taught happiness to thousands of people around the world for years. In his 2023 book entitled “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life,” Keltner shares how his work has centered around the perennial question: “How can we live the good life? One enlivened by joy and community and meaning, that brings us a sense of worth and belonging and strengthens the people and natural environments around us?” Twenty years into teaching happiness, he writes that he has an answer: “FIND AWE.” 

This past Sunday, we took some time to trace our roots, exploring the history of our congregation, our relationship with our partner church in Magyarszovat, Transylvania, Romania, and our faith tradition itself. If you weren't there, I encourage you to check out the recording on YouTube, which features some incredible music, including Kevin Allen-Schmid belting out a few songs in Hungarian! 

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. 

My official start date at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship (BUF) was on October 1. As I write this column, we are now in November, and I have been with BUF for a little over a month. What a month it has been!

I have dropped in on various activities, from choir practice to the Pathways for Newcomers class; I have marched and protested with you all during the No Kings rally on October 18; I attended the Auction and was excited to win a few experiences offered by BUFsters; I spent the evening of Indigenous People's Day at Lummi Nation School for an incredible community event "Weaving Past, Present and Future"; I have participated in Wednesday Community Night Dinners (thank you to all who heard Jen's call for assistance—we are hopeful we are on our way to making these important dinners sustainable again!); I have made pastoral care visits; and I have facilitated approximately 30 "Getting to Know You" meetings with small groups, committees, teams, and individuals around BUF. 

During the Sunday service this past weekend on October 26, I shared a few fun facts about fungi from Dr. Merlin Sheldrake's book, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures. Of all the various fungi Sheldrake explores in the book, I am most fascinated by "radiotrophic fungi" that are “able to harvest the energy emitted by radioactive particles.” These remarkable fungi are thriving in the ruins of Chernobyl. As Sheldrake explains: 

"Fungi are veteran survivors of ecological disruption. Their ability to cling on—and often flourish—through periods of catastrophic change is one of their defining characteristics. They are inventive, flexible, and collaborative." 

It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces this past Sunday—my first official Sunday preaching from the pulpit. And it was wonderful to meet so many of you who I had not yet met.

My sermon featured the work of the late William Bridges from his book Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes—a book that recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary Edition and has sold over one million copies. In the book, Bridges identifies an important distinction between change and transition: Change is situational (e.g., the birth of a baby, the death of a loved one, the start of a new job, the move to a new city...or the arrival of a new minister to your congregation—I added that one). Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. 

Hello BUF! 

It was wonderful to join you all this past weekend on October 5 for my first official Sunday service at BUF. Thank you for the incredibly warm welcome I received from so many people AND for the carrot cake during coffee hour—holy wow, that was delicious! After spending much of last week meeting with various committees and folks in leadership, attending the Wednesday Community Night Dinner, dropping in to watch the choir practice with Ben, attending the auction on Saturday night, and now having participated in a Sunday service, I already am feeling right at home at BUF. 

It is with excitement and gratitude that I write this first column as I embark upon serving you all as your contract minister—excitement because I have spent the last three years at Yale Divinity School eagerly anticipating this very moment of beginning my ministerial walk alongside a congregation, and gratitude because I am beginning my ministry with a congregation as wonderful as BUF. What an honor and a privilege.