“Two of the greatest gifts we can give our children are roots and wings.”
Rootedness is a good word for what loving caretakers give to children. Roots are anchors, a source of nutrients, a space to hold resources. Roots guard the interaction between the outside world, determine what gets access to the plant. The weblike anchor explores the soil and relays crucial information about what resources are available for a plant to survive. Belonging, knowledge, freedom to grow and a place to return to for restoration is what caregivers offer children, it is also what our faith, our church community can offer all of us.
Roots, that which lies underneath each of us, supporting who we are, hopefully allowing us to flourish. Our rootedness is a source of trust as we endeavor to become who we are called to be again and again. Our roots can be fragile, needing careful handling as we grow from them, yet away from them. They shape our identity but cannot not confine us.
What rootedness does a child need to flourish? Children need an ethical framework that enables them to flourish into responsible adults, who are capable of understanding how they are connected to the world around them, including others who may be significantly different from themselves.
Unitarian Universalism can offer ways to examine and understand current world events, our community, our friends, our family, and ourselves by providing religious and spiritual literacy. Our church is a place to ask all the questions, examine complex truths, share emotions, and experience the wonder of worship with others.
We can only do this together. We create and hold the space for ourselves and for our children to flourish. I hope you join us this summer and fall in Religious Education as we come together to nourish our families, children, and youth.
Blessings,
The Rev. Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson
Minister of Religious Education