Hello Family,

I am sitting in my home office watching snow flurries while reflecting on 2013 and the ebb and flow of life. The year 2013 presented me with many opportunities for personal growth. For example, I have accepted that, for me, making new friends I can spend time with is not as important as nurturing and maintaining my long-term friendships using Skype and FaceTime.

During this final month of the year, I encourage you to make a special effort to reflect on the past year and note the challenges you overcame, the relationships you maintained, and whether or not you achieved the goals you had set. Then ask yourself, “What do I want to achieve in 2014?” Is there something you wanted to do this past year and delayed doing? Are there things you did or experienced this year that you want to leave in the past? Are there relationships you want to nurture or let go of in the coming year? I encourage you to begin creating the tomorrow you want to have, today.

Finally, I invite you to reach out to family and friends who may be struggling with unemployment, depression, or illness during this holiday season. Let them know that they are not alone. Conversely, if you are suffering with depression, please reach out for support. For Youth and Young Adults of Color who are interested, I have a list of UU ministers and religious professionals of color who are willing to provide chaplain support during the holidays. Please contact me for support or more information.

You can message me on Facebook at Monica Cummings, email me at mcummings@uua.org or leave a comment for me on the YaYA of Color blog, UU Living Mosaic at http://livingmosaic.blogs.uua.org/

Love,

Rev. Monica