Greetings Beloveds and Welcome to a New Year! Our theme for the month of January is “Living with Intention”.

As I sat watching my children on Christmas morning, amid the chaos of paper and ribbon, I realized just how much they have grown in the last year, right before my eyes yet somehow I missed many of the changes.  My daughter has moved into that awkward stage between child and teenager, all arms and legs, still believing in the power of fairy potion magic while begging to be allowed to go to the movies with her “boyfriend”. My son, no longer the baby-faced little cherub that grinned at me from the crib, grew into a rough and tumble boy who would rather battle with nerf guns hunting zombies than cuddle up with me.

Life is like that, moving at a pace we don’t hardly recognize, always calling us to meet the deadline, answer the email, check the messages.  It can be hard, perhaps nearly impossible to remember to slow down, to hold space for the small details of our lives.  I know I’m guilty of pouring the coffee and rushing out the door, not thinking twice about the cat weaving between my legs begging for a moment of attention.  Frequently I forget to stop and watch the birds, whose feeders I fill religiously on schedule as part of my weekly “routine”.

Winter is a time of slumber, where the natural world slows down preparing for the coming burst of life in spring. This month, as we start to notice the days getting gradually longer, I invite you to slow down, find a moment or two of intentional peace in each day. Give yourself permission to notice the clouds and the shapes they make in the icey blue sky; take a walk without the earpods in and listen to the sounds of the world moving around you; smell the deep richness of newly cut wood bound for the fire.

This month, our worship will focus on “Intention” and the power of being present in the moment. I hope you will join us on the 16th for a fire communion, where we will use ritual to let go of the things that hold us in the past and look to the possibility and promise of the new year.

As for me, I think the cat needs some attention…perhaps we can watch the birds at the feeder together.