It is that time of year once more: time when my window shelves are overflowing with heirloom tomato and pepper plants. Time when the knees of my jeans are covered in garden dirt, from crouching to plant sugar snap peas, red long of tropea onions, and chioggia beets. Time when the yard lies open with possibilities- strawberry patch, bird sanctuary, and other gardener dreams.

After a long winter of heavy snow, the April sun through light rain invites us to trust in the earth once more. And perhaps there is space too to imagine what and who we the people could be.

This week alone I attended three different protests in three different cities. I have stood with the crowds shouting “No Kings”, called on ICE agents to “change their minds”, and mourned the lives of the people who have died this year already in war. There seems to be something new to cry out against every day.

I know so many of you have shown up for those protests too. And you have done more than resist; you have also risen to meet the moment we are in with compassion and generosity. In March UUC congregants- youth and elders- showed up on multiple occasions to prepare, pack, and deliver food to people in need: from immigrant families impacted by ICE, to people experiencing homelessness at Pacific House, to food insecure families receiving meals through Filling in the Blanks.

Our faith invites us to move from resistance to re-imagining. In the words of our Side with Love campaign we are invited to move toward a radical democracy rooted in solidarity, shared accountability, and the well-being of all people, not just some.

This month I invite us to take a step back once more to imagine the world we are creating. And as we embrace possibility (our monthly theme), I invite us to dream together once more: What new seeds will we plant? What might we grow that is spiritually rooted, yielding of joy and abundance, sustainable for the future generations?

Let us plant and grow together this month, rooted in care and relationship.

In peace,
Rev. Terri