“We are what we remember.” ~ Rabbi Evan Moffic
On July 31, about 80 people gathered in the north parking lot at OUUC to remember together. On that sunny day, we mingled with masks on, seeing each other, being together as we hadn’t been for some time.
Together we experienced a ritual of remembering those who had passed in our congregation and remembering all that we have lost in these challenging times. So many people in this time of pandemic. I also invited people to remember the places they’d lost, some to fires and floods, some the result of climate change. And, the pets they’d lost, as we know our furry companions are important to us and we grieve their loss, too.
We collected the names and drawings of what was lost on paper to be burned later (we were under a burn ban then.) With the coming of the rain this Fall, it was time to burn your remembrances. After the service last Sunday, I gathered your remembrances once again, burned them to ashes, and spread the ashes in the Memorial Garden. You can see photos of this below.
Know that your remembrances were carried up in the smoke of the fire and the ashes are nurturing the plants in the garden. You are what you remember, and you are held in your remembering.
Blessings on your week.
Rev. Mary