Each month, a member of the board will share a reflection on the Soul Matters monthly theme. The theme for June is Delight. This month’s post is offered by Becky Halat. 

Have you heard the rumor? I’ve heard whisperings that Minnesota had a spring, despite the evidence. It feels like two weeks ago there was snow on the ground, and now it’s 90 degrees and humid.

Every spring and summer I watch in delight as green shoots emerge all around me, followed by colorful flowers. My delight doesn’t stop there—there’s also the prospect of the fresh produce I’ll be eating later in the summer as my (and my husband’s) efforts at tilling the garden pay dividends. Grocery store tomatoes? No match for the garden-fresh ones.

We Minnesotans are pretty lucky, really (I’m beginning to refer to myself as a Minnesotan after living here for 17 years–thank you for allowing me the liberty). We Northerners get the delight of changing seasons—from the greens of summer to the vibrant yellows, reds, and oranges of fall, to the snowy white winters—and Arctic February. As much as we like to complain about all seasons (and complain we do), the delight we get from each one is genuine. And we feel it because of the change. Each season is better because we also experience its opposite.

In our recent check-in, Reverend Lisa and board vice president Janna Sundby talked briefly about the juxtaposition of delight and dread. Dread is that looming feeling that many of us have been enveloped in over the last handful of years. Similar to the seasons we feel as Minnesotans, it takes dread to recognize delight.

Let’s add another “d” word—despair. It teaches us that hard days, months, and even years can and will happen. That’s when we learn—about ourselves, about our relationships, about who we want to be and how we want to live, reflections which ultimately help us be better and happier versions of ourselves.

A final delight I’ll propose to you—serving on the church’s board for these last 4 years. It’s been a true privilege to be part of UUCM’s leadership. I’ve learned from our entire congregation, our ministers, and fellow board members. I appreciate seeing how much our group of dedicated volunteers can accomplish over time—time spanning before the pandemic to now. The “d” words can run together. The passage of time can be diabolical, so be disciplined in observing it, and do the work.

The change in our church has seen over my time on the board has been tremendous—but in contrast, so has been the consistency. It’s clear we need the contrast to take in an experience’s full value. As Lisa noted in her annual report, the “magic” that we heard left other congregations during the pandemic never really went away from UUCM. We’ve managed to adapt while staying true to ourselves.

— Becky Halat

UUCM Board of Trustees President