Are you a cannon ball into the water type of beginner or are you a slow and methodical wade into the water type of beginner?  

Does it depend on the water? 

This summer my kid and I have made a few trips to our local pools and lakes.  Some moments she wants to walk in slowly and some moments she wants to jump in so badly that there are full blown melt downs about taking our time and the steps we need for safety. 

It can be a joyous thing to begin or witness new beginnings – first bites of new foods, first words, first sentences.  It can be a surprising thing to begin – oh you were listening when I uttered that swear word… It can also be a hard thing to begin, especially to begin with someone else.  

What do you need to begin? Sometimes I need to take the smallest step in a big beginning.  I was listening to an interview with children’s book author Mo Willems the other day.  And of all the really wonderful and inspiring things he shared, here’s the one that comes to me now.  He said something like “it’s an impossible thing to write a book, but I can make a sketch of one page.” 

Our Unitarian Universalist faith, in our values, professes that we are not alone in our beginnings. Our value of transformation can be really hard, we know that we are never static. 

Theologically we acknowledge that we are always beginning, that where we start isn’t always where we end up.  That it can be better even when it’s hard right now.  We hold hope that there will be better days.  And we celebrate when we are living our better days, knowing that those days are precious. 

We know new beginnings can bring up a lot, if you or someone you love could use some support, please reach out to set up a time to meet with our minister, Rev John (minister@uuberks.org) or get in touch with our pastoral care team (g.caring.circle@uuberks.org). 

We are not alone in feeling uncertain about moving into new waters.  We are not alone when we jump exuberantly into the deep end. As we embark into our church year and this month exploring the theme of Beginnings, 

May we relish the beginnings of things.  

May we take joy in diving into the deep end.  

And when we enter the deep waters of the difficult,

May we feel welcomed in

May we give ourselves and each other permission to make tiny moves,

feeling our way from the shore to the deeper depths. 

And most importantly 

May we look out for each other as we go.