Happy Friday!
As I continue to recover at home from this surprise bout of mono, I’ve had a lot of time to think and reflect. Yesterday, Jay and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary. To say that our life looks a little different from what we planned 9 years ago would be an understatement! But just as much as what I had expected to happen didn’t, what I never imagined could happen has. With every high and every low, we’ve had to adjust, adapt to whatever life threw our way. And all of it has made us better people and better partners.
I give a lot of credit to the popular poem, “The Guest House” by Rumi. I was first introduced to it by my mentor, in the first year that Jay and I were married. I never resonated with the saying, “When God closes a door, God opens a window” because I found it was often used in ways that felt dismissive of the struggle that may come when a door closes. Rumi instead invites us to welcome everything into our homes, feeling everything and finding what the experiences may be guiding us towards. As someone who lives with disabilities that have drastically changed what my body is capable of, impacting not only myself but also my partner, this change in mindset has been critical.
As we enter into our second year of developmental ministry, a growingly intense push towards a crucial election, or any number of personal things that are surprising or expected, some of us may be feeling frustrated and tired while others may be feeling connected and excited. Wherever you are, whatever you’re feeling, we are grateful you are a part of our community.
Rev. Kelli McNeal
First UU of Columbus
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