Happy New Year!!   HAPPY NEW YEAR! - 2010 is going to be a great year. Over this last year, I've heard a lot of people say that they had a rough year. Seems to be true for many people across the board, for a variety of reasons. With that in mind, I guess that 2010 would have to be better, at least by comparison. :) I know it has been difficult for a lot of you -- things have been difficult on this end as well. The good news though, is that we have the support of one another.
New Years Goals - It's important for all of us to have goals, so we can have something to strive for, and the Seminary is no different. This year, I plan on publishing the Seminary Handbook for those who want a few ceremonies at their fingertips, along with a lot of the training material that we have available. We plan on getting out at least 3 new programs for the Seminary and flesh out the Chaplaincy program further. I'd also like to take a stab at getting us accepted in Canada. There are hoops that required me jumping through them and I may be asking for your help. When I go through my days, I try to be aware of things I'm working on, personally and spiritually. My latest has been about accepting people as they are. I know this sounds trite, but since I got divorced two years ago, I have been spending my time thinking about what I want to do differently in my current relationship. (He's a wonderful man, btw.) One of the overwhelming problems my X had with me and still has with his children is that he has his image of how he wants people in his life to be, and then is angry when they don't live up to his picture. My thought was that it made no sense to be angry with someone for being themselves. I have a friend who is much like me -- absent-minded about things like returning calls. At first, when my calls were not returned, I was sure it was personal. I was being a pest - a bother - and he didn't want to talk to me. As I got to know him, I realized that it wasn't personal. He was just absent-minded. So I decided to accept that about him. Now, I'm not offended when he doesn't call back and, since he also knows me now, he's not bothered when I keep calling until I reach him. My wonderful order gal, Monica, is a jewel. She is honest, hard-working and efficient. I know this about her. I know I can trust her implicitly. I also know that she lives a crazy life. I tease her by saying that her life could easily be a sitcom or perhaps a drama. Knowing this, I know that things come up for her and sometimes she falls behind. She beats herself up over it, like we all do when we aren't perfect, and is often surprised when I don't yell and scream about it. How can I? I know her. I know her strengths and I know what throws her off. When you know who/how a person is and accept that, how can you be angry with them for being who they are? And if you know who you are and you can accept it, there's really no reason to apologize for being who you are. Easier said than done sometimes. We all just need to keep doing our best to improve ourselves in whatever way we can. Every little bit counts. That's my growth period and my mini-sermon for the month. Thought I'd share. KIND WORDS - I'm going to mention this one more time because I'm positively delighted with how well it's going. Creating and working with the Seminary has been a huge highlight of my life. I feel like I get to make a difference in people's lives and I get the privilege of hearing about/being part of the difference our ministers make in other people's lives. The Kind Words campaign has been another step along that path. More often than you can imagine, I have people write and tell me how it was just what they needed to hear or they share a story about something that happened during the time the email came in. I don't get a chance to respond to most of them, but know that they are very well-received and much appreciated by me. Tell your friends or, if you know someone who can use a lift, sign them up. It's free and easy. I had a few people who were oddly offended by my mailing about being magical. One didn't believe in magic and another was offended because he thought I was going against the Bible. Magic can be seen in many ways. Magic doesn't necessarily mean sorcery (although for some it may). When I talk about magic, I mean creating something from nothing. Having a thought and having it happen. For some, that may mean putting their thoughts into a prayer and noticing when their prayer is answered. For others, it's putting out into the universe and seeing it manifest as the universe's way of giving back. My intention when sending the kind words is always for your highest good, so please take that into consideration. It's available at www.ulcseminary.org/kindwords.php. SALE ITEMS - There are still a lot of items on sale right now. Check the sale page. http://www.ulcseminary.org/store/index.php?cPath=40 I've noticed that there are several courses -- amazing courses -- like Master of Religious Philosophy and Mystical Christianity, that are somehow being overlooked. That one will be on sale, along with a couple of other really great courses, for another few weeks. Be sure to get them on sale while you can. http://twitter.com/ulcseminary http://www.myspace.com/ulcseminary http://www.facebook.com/ulc.seminary
Thanks for everything! Rev. Amy Long
Program Director
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