This month’s theme is welcome. The etymology tells us: that which we “welcome” makes us feel good. Some forms of welcome are obvious: Welcoming our whole selves, welcoming one another. Others are more challenging: Welcoming change we do not want, welcoming loss.
My favorite meditation teacher, Pema Chödrön, literally wrote the book on Welcoming the Unwelcome. I balked. Welcoming change? I get grumpy, resist and eventually get over it. But welcoming heartbreak? Witnessing brutality? I march for justice, preach and sing for justice, to make injustice go away.
As much as the world keeps changing, I know it will never go away (injustice, violence). We are wired to protect ourselves: “Hurt people hurt people”. Looking away from violence, denial, is never an option.
Do I have, do we have, the courage – literally, the strength of heart – not to look away? Do I dare, do we dare to “welcome” and to feel the truth of domestic violence, violence against LGBTQ people, the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Do we let it wake us up, break the heart wide open, charging us up to live with integrity, so that we may do what we can for Love and peace?
When I allow myself to feel it all, to welcome even and especially the unwelcome, I notice the whole field of awareness widening, revealing the boundless preciousness, beauty, joy and buoyancy of life all around and within us.
May we welcome one another in welcoming it all – the grief and the joy – so that Life and Love may continue to express itself and evolve through us.
A good September to us all,
Rev. Mary
PS: If you’d like to experience some of Pema’s teachings, you are always welcome to Zoom in to our weekly Thursday morning sangha. (Call the church at 440-777-6622 or email office@olmsteduu.org for the Zoom link.)
