Dear UU Ministry for Earth Community,

It’s hard to believe that it’s still the first month of the year – so much has happened in the last few weeks that my heart barely registers that it’s January.

While our spirits ache over crises both national and global, it can be difficult to navigate the day-to-day with healthy alignment. Poetry is something that buoys me through hard times. I hope that the following poem by John O’Donohue brings you comfort and offers a balm for your spirit as we enter this new year.

Beannacht: a Blessing for the New Year
For Josie, my mother

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets in to you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green,
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.

—John O’Donohue

When times are rough, it can also help to be together and practice simple rituals that honor what we’re experiencing. In the year ahead, UUMFE plans to offer more opportunities to connect in this way. If you are so moved, I hope you’ll join us for a community vigil on MLK Day. Bring a little salt, a bowl of water, and some flower petals (fresh or dried) if you’d like to participate in our grief ritual during the vigil. (Click here to join the Zoom meeting.)

And, as always, please know that I always welcome your thoughts, reflections, and feedback. I’m only an email away: laurenlevwood@uumfe.org. I especially invite you to reach out with any creative ideas or constructive concerns for UUMFE’s programming in the year ahead.

May the love of your bright and benevolent ancestors surround you, and in the words of John O’Donohue, may you be wrapped in a cloak of love as you move into 2026. 

With kindness,
Rev. Lauren Levwood
Acting Director, UU Ministry for Earth