Rev. Amy's Thoughts

From the January 2012 Focus...

Hello In There

From a book by Anthony DeMello:

A family was ready to order; the waitress came over to take their orders. The parents ordered first, then she turned to the 7-year-old boy: "And what would you like?"
"A hot dog and fries!"
"No hot dog or fries," said his mother. "Bring him a small steak, mashed potatoes, and carrots."
The waitress ignored her: "Would you like ketchup or mustard with your hot dog?"
"Ketchup!"
"Coming up," said the waitress, and headed for the kitchen.
The boy sat up straighter and looked immensely brighter than he had less than a minute before.
"You know what?" he said to his parents, "She thinks I'm real!"

Church is a place where we come to be real. To be seen. Church is a place where people care about us, and where we care about others. Not only can children be overlooked in our culture, but so can our elders. At UUFE we are counter-culture: we see each other.

Do any of you know the music of John Prine? The first sermon I shared with you during my candidating week was his "Paradise" about strip mining, and now another of his songs has been on my mind lately, "Hello in There." It warns the listener of walking by our elders without seeing them. We should see them. They are real. We should look past their loneliness and say, "Hello in there." (For a beautiful video of this song see the link on YouTube. )

When we gather in this new year, may it be that we notice all the real people around us; children, elders, new people, folks who have been coming to UUFE so many years that they blend in with the fixtures. Each of us is real, and longing for relationship, on whatever terms make us comfortable, or we would not be here. May we become more real to each other, and have more courage and opportunities to say, "Hello in There."

Amy's Thoughts 2011

Amy's Thoughts 2010