I was brought up in a household where I was encouraged from a young age to question anything that did not make sense to me. My parents both went to Methodist churches when they were children, and what they were be taught to believe never rang true to them. My dad was a humanist, although he hedged his bets and called himself an agnostic, while my mom read Unity’s Daily Word and was more “spiritual, but not religious” before that became a thing. My parents were committed to letting me find my own spiritual path should I choose to do so, although my dad made sure I was familiar with Mark Twain’s Letters from the Earth, which actually did have an impact on my view of organized religion.

I grew up in St. Matthews, and my parents sent me Holy Spirit school for middle school and then to Sacred Heart for high school.  This was my first exposure to religion in practice, and my perspective was very much like that of an anthropologist. My conversations with my classmates about transubstantiation was like Sascha Baron Cohen’s Borat’s skit of having Americans try to explain why “not” jokes were funny. So, let me get this straight, you all are supposed to be eating Jesus’ body and drinking his blood during mass and this is not cannibalism because why? I did receive a great education at Sacred Heart, but I really had no desire to become Catholic. However, the one thing I did envy from my peers was their sense of community, the fact that they all pretty much knew from birth where they fit in. This was something I definitely didn’t have, always feeling like I was on the fringe of society for having no mainstream religious beliefs.

When I was in law school, I became friends with a woman who had grown up attending a Unitarian fellowship in Yellow Springs, Ohio. We visited her parents one weekend and went to a service. I loved it, and when I got back in town, I found TJ and started attending services. This was about 25 years ago. I was immediately struck by how friendly, smart and open-minded everyone was. Someone gave me a pamphlet with our 7 principles, and I was like “wow, I absolutely agree with every one of these! I’ve found my place!” I learned in detail about important issues facing the local community and our world. I met many members who were passionate about doing the best they can to make the world a better place by showing up and doing the hard work, rather than trying to judge or convert. I heard beautiful music and saw (and bought) beautiful art- this is back when we had 2 art festivals a year.

For the next few years, l got busy with work and life in general, and I attended church sporadically whenever I needed what I called my “goodness” fix. This was fine, but because I was only attending services, I wasn’t getting the full breadth of community that TJ has to offer. This all changed after my mom died and I had kids. I realized that what my children were learning at school didn’t go far enough in terms of teaching them ethics and how beautiful the world can be with compassion and how necessary it is to peacefully show up and stand up for your beliefs.  I started coming to church regularly with my kids and got more involved. I became a RE instructor, I served on the Board of Trustees, I’ve taken Open Campus classes; I sponsor a child in Kenya and co-sponsor another, I’m on the Transition Team to assist our interim minister. I’m in the women’s choir. I’ve participated in Earth Walks, attended Pride Festivals and volunteered at the beer booth at the Forecastle Festival to raise money for TJ’s solar panels. My 16 year old and I volunteer at WinterFair every year- which is her birthday weekend– but it is exactly where she wants to be. I’ve contributed to the capital campaign and am a proud member of the Legacy Society. I still am only scratching the surface of all there is to do at TJ, but by getting involved I found that community I had always longed for. 

When my father died 2 years ago, I had his funeral service at TJ. I will never forget the kindness that this congregation showed me during that time. You embraced me and lifted me up then, and you inspire me every time I’m here with your compassion and commitment to bringing about positive change in this world. I am honored to call TJ my home. Thank you.