Welcome, everyone, to 2025 – a new year, a new slate of officers, and new opportunities for our EUU community to support each other and shine the light of our values in the world. My mom said that even as a baby I was fascinated by twinkling lights and fireworks, so the December holidays have always been very special for me. As I watched the fireworks on Dec. 31st at midnight here in Bremen, I must admit that I felt more trepidation than in past years – both for our world and as the page turned to the beginning of my time as our president.
Yet, within that trepidation, I also felt a sense of strength and determination – the strength of community, and the determination to keep love at the center of all we do. There have always been challenges facing us as UUs, and our tradition of open dialogue in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning, our focus on “deeds not creeds,” sustains us and helps us frame our actions in the world in a positive way. Especially as a cancer survivor living with the disease, I remind myself daily to ground my actions in love, and to frame them as a struggle FOR what I believe in, not as a fight against what I see happening all around me that is not in keeping with our values. The work of building understanding and supporting the vulnerable is the work of dismantling the dichotomy of us versus them. As well as reaching out into the world, this includes nurturing ourselves internally, as well. Each and every one of us in our EUU community brings the richness of their own UU framework to our table. And because of that, we thrive, and even have fun doing it!
This year, I want to honor your trust in me by committing to keeping an open ear, to carefully considering the wisdom and input of each and every one of you, and thereby helping to sustain EUU by continuing to build the organization so that it serves our relationships with each other and reflects our values into the world. May we find ways together to strengthen the bonds of our community support, and may we find many sources of joy, inspiration, and fun!
Bonnie