January 2022
"When setting goals the future is always the focus: Will you reach the goal? Will you be happy when you do?....
Setting intention, at least according to Buddhist teachings, is quite different from goal making. Setting intention is not oriented toward a future outcome. Instead it is a path or practice that is focused on how you are being in the present moment...
You set your intentions based on understanding what matters most to you and make a commitment to align your worldly actions with your inner values."
-Phillip Moffit, The Heart’s Intention
Phillip Moffit believes that living with intention means consciously aligning our inner selves with our outer actions. It’s a good theme for the new calendar year. It’s also a good one for me, as I will be taking a mini-sabbatical for two months, starting mid-March.
From mid-March to mid-May, we’ll have services led by members of the congregation, as well as guest speakers. Two of my local colleagues will be available for immediate pastoral care if needed, and members of the Board of Trustees are always available to answer questions and concerns. Jessica expects to be back from her maternity leave for most of that time, and Michael will have had six months of experience in figuring out how things work.
During my time away, I hope to practice being intentional about aligning what I know about my inner self with my outer actions. I hope to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. I plan to experiment and learn something new, exact activity still under consideration. If the coronavirus cooperates, I hope to visit with friends in Boston and Washington, D.C. and possibly visit our grandchildren in Italy.
Asking ourselves what it means to live with intention is a good practice as we face the now familiar but wearing challenges that the pandemic continues to impose. It is the theme for our January 9 service, for the small group circle conversations, and for the spiritual discussion group on January 19 that is open to all.
I wish you all a fruitful new year. I continue to be blessed to be your minister.
