December, 2023 Ah, the holiday season! The Christmas cards and holiday displays that were already crowding the aisles of department stores and Dollar Stores before Halloween have finally (already!) appeared in stores and homes and public spaces at a time that feels more appropriate. Already the “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays!” battles have begun online– and at certain political rallies. And, so, we get ready for the mixed blessings that the holidays bring.
UU Middleboro church musicians are still basking in the warm glo of a superb Autumn Concert (in Memory of Avis Clay), performed on November 19. It was a huge push and a huge success. Kudos to all the performers and support people who came together to make it happen! December promises to be its usual lively month, starting with two new offerings. Thursday, December 7, at 7:00 p.m., there will be a special gathering called “Finding Peace at the Holidays.” The music will be instrumental, gentle and meditative, a great way to ease into the busiest month of the year.
Volunteers: We need people, please! I’m looking for a few loving and caring people willing to sit with our children on Sunday mornings for RE to teach the curriculum with me. We rely on CORI’d people/volunteers to provide safety and learning for the children downstairs each week. You can let the DRE know you are interested during the service, coffee hour or by email/phone call! Our Annual Holiday Party for RE: We will be celebrating the holidays on Sunday, December 10. The children will be together from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. for gingerbread making, holiday crafting, food and fun.
The Cash in the Plate for the month of December will be donated to Doctors Without Borders in light of the casualties and suffering being experienced by Israelis and Palestinians.
…thanks to Alan Melchior, Sarah Person and Jim Bonnar, who got the new banner up on November 25, 2023, within days of the wind storm that brought down the old, worn-out one. You may not even have noticed the banner was missing!
It was a joy to dedicate the Avis Clay Parlor on Sunday afternoon with her children and family in attendance. And of course, even a greater joy to be present for the extraordinary Autumn Concert! Unfortunately, in the busyness surrounding preparations, an important element was left out.
The 2023 Holiday Fair, held on Saturday, November 4, was a great success. By the end of the fair, we had raised $1,554 for FUUSM! At coffee hour on Sunday, November 5, an additional $95 was raised, bringing the total to $1,649!
Details of the ongoing tragedy in Israel and the Gaza strip have dominated newscasts and newspaper headlines in the 25 days since the surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas on October 7 killed 1,400 Israelis and injured hundreds of others. Israeli military forces responded with retaliatory strikes that killed more than 8,000 Palestinians in the Gaza strip, including 3,000 children, numbers almost impossible to comprehend. I confess I have not followed the progress of the conflict closely. News coverage has often focused on the carnage and destruction with graphic images prevailing. It’s very disturbing to see images of the victims and the wailing mourning of the survivors. And such images do little to illuminate the history, culture, and ideology behind the attacks and counterattacks.
Musicians make a lot of noise! It’s part and parcel of learning a piece to the place where you can share it with others. There’re all those wrong notes, funky rhythms, adrenalin, and repetition-repetition-repetition. I used to tell my piano students that during practicing, they should stop and correct that tricky spot until they can play it FIVE times in a row without an error. The downside is that sometimes you need to play that bar TEN times before getting five good ones. The rules change in performance: “Do not stop and correct. Carry on. Try to play in the right
RE Committee: Our next meeting will occur on Wednesday, November 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the church. There will be a virtual option if people are interested. Please reach out to the DRE at dre@uumiddleboro.org to get a link if needed. RE on Sunday Mornings: The children have begun to stuff their bears and add their first wholeness badges. So far we have had “team work,” “courage” and “best friends” badges go into our bears. We continue to consider this year’s theme of home and have considered our entrance into our homes, the symbols that connect us to our physical and spiritual home
