Dear Ones,

Pay ATTENTION!

Our Soul Matters theme for November is “What does it mean to be a people of Attention?” Attention – not Intention.

I think of Unitarian Universalists being people who always have good intentions. We generally want to, and try to, do the right thing for ourselves and others. We want to, and try to, make the world a better place. We want to, and try to, save people, animals, the planet. We work hard to be anti-oppressive, anti-racist, welcoming, multicultural, green… Did I miss anything?

And yet, our good intentions are not enough. Our good intentions must be followed up with action, and this is where we inevitably fail – sometimes. Yes, I wrote that we fail. I also wrote: “sometimes.”

The truth is, we fail because we are human. We are not perfect. We only fail sometimes by grace and hard work. We succeed sometimes because we are able to bring our focus, our attention, to bear on making good on our intentions.

Colleagues of mine have taken up the motto “impact is greater than intention.” In other words, the impact of action is more important than intentions behind action.

This month we’ll bring our attention to remembering those no longer with us, and to figuring out how to harness our attention. We’ll also honor Transgender Day of Remembrance, and consider the Thanksgiving holiday with a readers’ theater service at the end of the month.

I hope you’ll join us for services, and our annual auction, and other events throughout the month!

Blessings,
Rev. Lori Hlaban