01/10/2018 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musings Among the Mountains – Week of January 8

“Pilgrimage as Spiritual Practice” This coming Sunday I will talk about a quote from one of my colleagues who wrote a sermon some years ago on pilgrims. Rev. Wayne Arnason is well known in the UUA for his particular gifts of ministry and insights. This is the quote I will use: “Tourists come to see, come to learn, come to be entertained. Pilgrims have a different motivation Pilgrims come to experience, come to understand, and come to be transformed.” Pilgrimage is an ancient powerful tradition in the human story. We might make a pilgrimage to Boston to see Unitarian Universalist

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01/03/2018 by Shannon Day

To be Called – Margo Rinehart, Ministerial Intern

Holding vigil at the NW Immigration Center A few weeks ago, in honor of her birthday, Westside UUC member, Regina Brennan, invited us to hold vigil at the Northwest Immigration Detention Center in Tacoma.  Holding vigil means non-violently standing in solidarity with those detained at the facility and with their loved ones who come to visit.   It was a cold, clear day as we traveled on, Regina’s purple birthday cake in tow.  What does it mean to give of ourselves in this way? Several members of the Vashon UU congregation hold vigil one Sunday per month and we joined them. 

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12/06/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musings Among the Mountains – Week of December 4

“Why Bother to Celebrate Christmas?” Why, indeed. Most Unitarian Universalists find ourselves unsure as to why we would bother to have Christmas Eve services if we don’t believe in Christ Jesus. The commercialism is appalling; the recorded Christmas music at malls, elevators and stores can be grating after a while. Credit cards and bank accounts magically rise and fall depending on shopping. We may not look forward to family gatherings around Christmas and New Years because of old dramas and sorrows. Why bother to celebrate Christmas with all that baggage? One answer could be “we’ve always done it…” and that

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11/30/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musing Among the Mountains – Week of Nov. 27

“What’s up with holiday services this year?” Several Westsiders in recent days have asked me about various holiday services this year. The holidays can become crammed with shopping, traveling, and many demands on short notice. Attending special holiday services can become a burden so I thought I’d mention what will be done this year. Shannon in the office will also be putting out information about the schedule of services. Westside has a tradition of a Blue Holidays gathering before Christmas Eve for those who find themselves quietly dreading the holidays for various reasons. Major difficult feelings about holidays include the

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11/08/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musings Among the Mountains – Week of November 6

I write this column in Providence, Rhode Island as autumn deepens here in New England. Weather was a strong topic of conversation over too many helpings of fried clams. People agreed the weather was strange but no agreement on what it really meant. The same was true if the conversations wandered onto the thin ice of politics and turmoil in the world. We all know that last Sunday was another tragic day in America. 26 church-goers were killed and many others wounded when a mentally ill young man strolled through the church shooting people multiple times. I had the opportunity

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10/18/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musings Among the Mountains – Week of October 16

“Holidays aren’t just about feasting and fun” Holidays are serious matters. The Jewish high holidays are underway this fall. Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) was on September 20-22. Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) took place on September 29-30; Sukkot (called the Time of Rejoicing) has run from October 4th to 11th. The quote I used at the top was spoken by a good friend of mine some years ago. They were tired of people around them looking forward eagerly to Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas gifts, and New Year’s Eve parties. They had a good point. America followed by other

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10/11/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musings Among the Mountains – Week of October 9

“Teach-in – Wasn’t that a ‘60’s thing?” Yes, it was and still is a powerful way to learn and discern in community. It will be led by Eastshore UU DRE Aisha Hauser who is one of the many powerful voices in the emerging Unitarian Universalism of the 21st century. Granted, “Teach-in” reminds me of the ‘60’s – where admittedly guilt-tripping was raised to a fine art. What I recall of teach-ins was a lot of yelling, shouting, blaming whoever the other side was, and usually a new committee or two. I am sure many of them were valuable. I didn’t

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09/20/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musing Amoung the Mountains – Week of September 18

This week I am thinking with great sadness about Lewis Brancati and his family including the whole family of Westside UU Congregation. A life changes between one moment and the next and then we all must adapt to those new circumstances. It can happen to a 3-day old infant or someone who is 80. As we get older or become more aware of death and aging we may tend to obsess about it. I know I do. At one level, the progression of aging means we prepare documents ‘just in case’ we fall ill or suffer a sudden loss of

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09/14/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musings Among the Mountains Week of Sept. 11

Where did summer go? We might say it went up in flames and smoke with all the wild fires in the Western states and provinces. We could probably say summer was lost in the winds and waters of two major hurricanes in two weeks. Both are true as well as tragic events all over the world. But that’s not all of summer this year. Summer was a time of vacations and time off from work if personal circumstances allowed it. Twilight over the Olympic mountains was later and so walks along the Sound could be joyous moments. Trees and plants

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08/23/2017 by Shannon Day

Minister’s Musings Among the Mountains – Week of August 21

“Torches and Candles: A Short Reflection” Since last week’s events in Charlottesville, Virginia I have reflected on the basic difference between the use of candles and torches in American life. I watched the (small) parade of mostly young white males carrying torches on the first evening of what turned out to be a tragic weekend confrontation. Granted, these weren’t the robust flaming torches of old. Tiki torches simply don’t have the pizzazz of older flaming sticks of fire. That really didn’t matter. The sight of young men carrying torches and chanting slogans immediately caused me to have a visceral reaction.

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