I’ve always been a defender of the underdog. I can remember as a child, even wanting to be black so that I could better understand what it was like, and then be able to speak more intelligently in defence of racial acceptance.
Well, my skin colour never changed, but in a way, I did get my wish. I turned out to be transgender and queer, not just pasty white; I have my very own personal set of differences to live with, speak up for, and defend, …and, it's not always been easy.
As a member of this church community, those difficulties are fading from my life. Not only have I found a place where I feel welcome, but as a Worship Associate I have found a way to turn my particular life experiences, the good and the bad, into something positive, something that might just help others like me find their way.
And so I feel hopeful for my human family thinking that if my life can be so dramatically changed with love and acceptance, then so can the lives of others, and this world then can become a better place, one person at a time...
This past month, however, I’ve had a bit of difficulty hanging onto that hope. If all the terrorist attacks, wars and refugee crisis hadn’t been enough to fling me into a deep despair, it’s back lash of mistrust and hateful xenophobia had. The shear magnitude of the amount of work that needs to be done to heal this world overwhelmed me and made my contributions seem inconsequential.
But then something quite miraculous happened.
A fellow church member posted a message of hope on our Facebook page, and that lead me to another message, and then another, and then pretty soon I was also sharing those messages.
Then our membership decided to sponsor a refugee family, and the weight on my heart lifted.
I felt like celebrating because I suddenly realized that our UU Faith is not just based on the belief that each individual has the spark of love inside of them, but together we keep that flame burning in each other. With each of us doing our small part, we can keep that hope alive, and with that hope, I believe we can make a real difference in this world. I know that it has made a huge difference in mine.
(As presented as a personal reflection during the Dec. 6th First Unitarian Church of Victoria Sunday Service)