In the Interim – April 1, 2014 Thoughts from the Interim Director of Faith Development Deb Weiner Last week, Ben and I traveled to New Orleans to visit our daughter, Abby, who is a sophomore studying sociology at Tulane University. We’ve been to New Orleans a number of times, but this was our first trip back since that hot August week in 2012 when – our Prius loaded up like we were the Joads migrating through Oklahoma – we drove Abby down to Louisiana to start her studies in the Big Easy. This year was easier, and we had a great visit, which included meeting her suite-mates and her boyfriend, watching her Ultimate Frisbee team practice, and driving out into bayou country to – quite literally – the end of the road, where we stood looking at the Gulf of Mexico and the small shacks around us. We were in another part of the world, for sure. We also got to see our friend, Rev. Tyronne Edwards (a community organizer and pastor who – with the help of UUs and other faith communities – rebuilt his town of Phoenix after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina), visited a Creole plantation, toured the remarkable World War II museum, and ate more than our share of fine Gulf seafood. It was a wonderful trip. And one of the gifts of the trip was seeing Abby, in her element, doing what she loves to do: studying things that really interest her; soaking in the unique culture of this area. And I know that it might never have happened, were it not for our friends. Four years ago, I had been laid off from my longtime job. The economy had crashed. My husband is self-employed. Money was very tight. Abby, at the time a junior in high school, wanted to have an adventure that would combine a service trip and an experience living somewhere that was different from suburban Boston. One of the places she was interested in was New Orleans, doing restoration work and studying the culture. And we did not have the money to make that happen. But a friend had come into a little money when her father died, and she and her spouse -- parents of great kids as well – approached Ben and me. They wanted us to have some of this money, so that Abby could go to New Orleans and follow her dream. Part of the agreement was that their names would not be revealed…it would be an anonymous gift. We cried together, hugged, and accepted the gift. It was enough money to make the difference – combined with what we could put together, Abby went on the trip. She fell in love with the city, and came home talking about going to college there. And the rest, as they say, is history. It is not often that you can look at part of your life and know, for a fact, that something wouldn’t have happened, if not for something else. Life mostly evolves…one thing leads to another, and we don’t usually spend a lot of time wondering how it got to be a certain way…it just is. But in the case of Abby being in New Orleans, being at Tulane, thriving, we know that it all started with this one thing: a gift from our friends. The take-away, for me, is a reminder that we rarely know, at the time, what will make a difference for others. It could be the hug at social hour, the note you took the time to write, and yes, the faith development class you helped teach that a child remembered years later, with gratitude. You never know…but these acts, small and insignificant as they might seem, can make all the difference. May we bless one another with such kindnesses, and in so doing, pay it forward for someone else. In faith, Deb uureading.org/learn/director-of-faith-developments-messages
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 17:46:25 +0000
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