Gratitude - President's Blog for November 2017 - Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Congregation

GRATITUDE . . .

As one of our most popular hymns says: “Oh we give thanks . . .”

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is time to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have contributed in so many ways to make TUUC the special place it is today. Many TUUC events have happened in recent weeks that have brought us closer together in celebration and comradery, but these events don’t happen by themselves.

The installation was a truly magical evening that moved all of us who attended. We need to recognize the organization, planning, and just plain hard work that made that evening happen. Special thanks to Chris George and her team: Chris Martin, Jan Lind, Jeanie Garrity, and David Pettit. Various spouses and others were drafted to help as well. David prepared a full dinner for the visiting ministers before the official celebration began. Bethlehem Baptist Church customarily uses paper plates so all the dishes, etc., for the dinner and reception had to be transported there, then washed and returned to TUUC. When we left, there was still a TUUC kitchen crew hard at work.

We have had two sets of circle dinners in recent weeks. Special thanks to Fran McLaughlin for organizing the first set of dinners, and to Tom and Evelyn Bookout, brand new members who stepped in to help make the second set of dinners happen. And thanks to all of you who volunteered to host these dinners. I think this is the first time we have had more hosts available than attendees to fill spaces. But plenty of you did enthusiastically attend. We will be having more circle dinners in the early spring. They wouldn’t be possible without organizers, hosts, and attendees. YOU make these get acquainted opportunities possible. Thank you!

And then there was the auction…. That is one of the most labor-intensive TUUC activities of the year. I know I will miss thanking some who helped, but a HUGE thanks to Ellen Watson who did a masterful job of revamping this event. She and her wife, Ellie Elderbroom, actually did most of the set-up as well. Laura Gardner oversaw the record-keeping with her team—no small task!! Many others were “consultants” along the way. It takes a village to make such a fun evening happen.

There are so many others who have gone the extra mile for TUUC. I can’t begin to name all of you. Felice Davis has done almost all of the leaf clean-up this fall. Bob Hays has obtained bids we will be discussing with you this winter, and has addressed several serious maintenance issues that have popped up.

And, I can’t address “gratitude” without saying a very special thank you to Libby Ball, who always jumps in and goes the extra mile for our church. Most recently, there was one “little” task that was overlooked following the auction. Nobody was on duty to finish doing the dishes. Libby took it upon herself to process several loads of dishes, so the kitchen would be ship-shape for Sunday morning. Libby, you are truly a gem!! We all have to focus on creating clean-up crews for events going forward!

Of course, we are all always and forever thankful/grateful to Linda for her love and mindful presence among us. We will be a better and better congregation because of her.

And, personally, I can’t begin to tell you how grateful both Skip and I are to be part of this wonderful congregation with all of you.