Dear Ones,

If you were here for our service on February 3rd, which introduced and celebrated the Pagan festival of Imbolc; you probably took home a packet of seeds. Tom and I planted ours – and my radishes have sprouted above ground!

We’ve planted a couple of small trees since buying our house, but we haven’t planted a garden. While I was never much of a gardener, in Wisconsin Tom made sure we had a vegetable garden most years. Sometimes we’d get a good amount of produce, especially rhubarb. Sometimes we’d plant seedlings – and watch the neighborhood rabbits make away with the plants, roots and all.

We used to sing a simple song with our children, a song I know they also sang in their UU religious education classes. It’s called The Garden Song, by David Mallett, and the first verse goes like this:

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground

Our founding members believed Beaufort was fertile ground for liberal religion, and we’re grateful for their vision and determination to build this Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. This year is the twentieth anniversary of the founding of UUFB, and plans are afoot for a great celebration! SAVE the DATE for Founders Weekend: Oct. 12 & 13, 2019 – and stay tuned for more.

May your own gardens, real or metaphorical, be fruitful.

In faith,
Rev. Lori Hlaban