It’s quite something to realize it’s about to be May, the 5th month of the year. I vaguely remember celebrating New Years, Valentines, and St. Patrick’s Day . . . then all hell broke loose.

Lately in my worship services, I’ve done my best to have a pastoral theme, something that comforts us personally. Meanwhile, there are social justice issues that abound in the world . . . for example, horrible conditions for workers all over the country. We should note this May Day that there is a big labor strike planned for many essential workers. Employees of Amazon, Whole Foods, Walmart, FedEx, Target and Instacart will walk off the job demanding compensation for unpaid time off work, hazard pay, sick leave, personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies at workplaces. Let’s show our support for them as best we can. Try not to shop this Friday . . .

This Sunday and next we will continue the pastoral themes in worship, looking at the spirituality of aging and death, and then Mothers’ Day. Here is a spiritual activity assignment, that you will have ten days to work on. Sit down with pen and paper and write at the top, “Mother, I forgot to tell you . . .” Then write down what comes up. Let it pour out.

If you would like to share what you write with the congregation on Mothers’ Day, please let me know. It would be lovely to have several of our members and friends share their reflections about things we have forgotten to tell our moms, whether they are living or not.

THIS Sunday I am super excited to welcome six new members to the UU Church of Studio City! We will introduce each of them in turn and celebrate our growing congregation . . . even in this pandemic.

Finally, please be sure to invite a friend to virtual church this Sunday! It’s easy! Just think of people in your life, no matter where they are, across the country, who may be isolated and lonely, or just dispirited. Write them an email and say . . . “hey, why don’t you join my congregation this Sunday? We are the church of open minds and open hearts. All are welcome. We have fun, and we do our best to inspire one another through love, humor, and compassion.” Share the worship link and ask them to join at 10:00 AM Pacific.

While my theme this Sunday is aging and death, it won’t be dark and gloomy. Death is a challenging and ever-present teacher, and aging is the medium of Carpe Diem, seize the day. Given all the 2020 craziness, how can we nevertheless live life to its fullest . . . so that when we eventually come to die, we can look back on our lives and be glad we lived this way?

See you Sunday!

Hannah