Arriving in Los Angeles is the beginning of Jan’s and my formal holiday.
The Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly in Salt Lake served as something of a coda to my first year at the Providence church. And I am ruminating on all that happened. There were wonderful things. And some at least personal losses.
I supported the proposed draft revision of the Statement of Principles and Purposes, and after heated debate, during all of which I stood in line to make my pitch but before I could have my say a motion to call the question was passed and we voted. The motion to carry this draft forward for a year and then to vote it as a replacement failed by thirteen votes. Then my candidate for president of the Association lost. I knew Laurel’s campaign wasn’t going as well as I had hoped, but the loss was by a rather larger percentage than I thought could happen, given the strengths of my candidate, even if her campaign itself wasn’t sparkling. Considering I had no concerns that Peter, should he win, would be anything but a fine president, I was surprised at how sad I was at the outcome…
Of course, over the years, I’ve won sometimes and I’ve lost sometimes. And, honey, whatever they say, winning is better.
Fortunately I felt more wins than loses with my first year in Providence’s pulpit. We love our Pawtucket home. And, hanging out here in LA, while I love the weather, oh I love the weather, the truth is I’m also aware how much I’m at least an Easterner, if not an actual full fledged New Englander, visiting more than “coming home.”
And, then, there are the amazing good things going on with the sangha.
So much to be thankful for.
But I am toast.
I need to step away for a few days…
Glad to be here in the Los Angeles basin, ready to lick my wounds a bit, hang out with Jan and her family a bit, then take off for a wild ride up the coast with my beloved – moving too fast to visit friends, but somehow that feels right, just Jan and me for a little…
Of course with an occasional postcard to you all…
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