News: August 15, 2025
Dear Members and Friends,
Many of us think about our lives in terms of “before” and “after”.
“Things aren’t like they used to be before the pandemic.”
“Before kids, I had a lot more free time.”
“After I moved here, I struggled to find meaningful connections.”
I had a professor when I attended UT Austin that casually dropped a truth bomb during class, and I still think about it frequently. As an answer to someone saying “I don’t know”, she said “Ahh…’I don’t know’ is a fertile place” and moved right along with whatever were learning at the time. She most likely has no idea how much I think about that phrase. It makes me think of good soil that a seed can grow roots in.
“’I don’t know’ is a fertile place.”
As a Unitarian Universalist, what I and many others appreciate about this faith is room for uncertainty. A colleague of mine, Rev. Erin Walther, often uses “great mystery” to refer to what some people call “God” in her prayers. A great mystery calls for us to live into our values and trust that we will move forward into a world with more justice, more love, more equity for all.
“I don’t know” is an invitation to let things fall where they may, an opportunity to stop and figure out what’s best for you, and a jumping off point for whatever comes next. Many good things can come out of uncertainty, but it’s neither a “before” or an “after”, so what the heck do we do with that?!
Coming on as the Director of Religious Exploration here at First UU Houston could be seen as an “after” the retirement of the previous DRE, Carol Burrus. This Sunday, the last Sunday of Summer Religious Exploration classes, could be seen as a “before” a new RE year. There’s a lot of “I don’t know” as the new DRE, and I’m fortunate to have this community to help me and support me in figuring it out. I’m sure there’s lots of “I don’t know”s in your life as well.
“I don’t know” is a great mystery. There’s something holy about transitions, both the “before” and the “after”. It’s a chance to continue and to begin again.
Much love to you all,
Kinsey
Many of us think about our lives in terms of “before” and “after”.
“Things aren’t like they used to be before the pandemic.”
“Before kids, I had a lot more free time.”
“After I moved here, I struggled to find meaningful connections.”
I had a professor when I attended UT Austin that casually dropped a truth bomb during class, and I still think about it frequently. As an answer to someone saying “I don’t know”, she said “Ahh…’I don’t know’ is a fertile place” and moved right along with whatever were learning at the time. She most likely has no idea how much I think about that phrase. It makes me think of good soil that a seed can grow roots in.
“’I don’t know’ is a fertile place.”
As a Unitarian Universalist, what I and many others appreciate about this faith is room for uncertainty. A colleague of mine, Rev. Erin Walther, often uses “great mystery” to refer to what some people call “God” in her prayers. A great mystery calls for us to live into our values and trust that we will move forward into a world with more justice, more love, more equity for all.
“I don’t know” is an invitation to let things fall where they may, an opportunity to stop and figure out what’s best for you, and a jumping off point for whatever comes next. Many good things can come out of uncertainty, but it’s neither a “before” or an “after”, so what the heck do we do with that?!
Coming on as the Director of Religious Exploration here at First UU Houston could be seen as an “after” the retirement of the previous DRE, Carol Burrus. This Sunday, the last Sunday of Summer Religious Exploration classes, could be seen as a “before” a new RE year. There’s a lot of “I don’t know” as the new DRE, and I’m fortunate to have this community to help me and support me in figuring it out. I’m sure there’s lots of “I don’t know”s in your life as well.
“I don’t know” is a great mystery. There’s something holy about transitions, both the “before” and the “after”. It’s a chance to continue and to begin again.
Much love to you all,
Kinsey