Today, January 6, 2021, the world has witnessed something happening in the United States that is shocking and unprecedented. US citizens, incited to violence by a dangerous leader who has lied to them, have made an attack on the heart of our democratic life. They invaded and violently occupied the halls of our people’s governance.

This is a very troubling day and reveals the brokenness of our society. The hatred and racism that are part of the fabric of our culture have been fed and inflamed by too many leaders. The misinformation that has poisoned reasonable discourse for so many years has created a schism in our nation, where the very nature of truth is under attack.

Now more than ever we need each other. The UU Congregation of Charlottesville needs each other to offer comfort, support, inspiration, and hope. All people of faith who believe in the power of love need to hold one another and speak of our commitment to unity, regardless of the different names we give to what is holy. And all people in our families, our neighborhoods, and our nation need one another, reminding each other that respect and compassion need to be at the heart of our commonwealth, no matter our political parties.

Difficult days lie ahead of us all. In my imagination, I am given strength as I envision the tears in the eyes of those who have given their lives for our highest values: Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., and Heather Heyer; and all the many people who have given their lives to keep us safe, in the uniforms of the Armed Service abroad and our medical professionals here at home.

If you are troubled and need to talk about your concerns, reach out to one another, to me, to Rev. Leia. Join us in worship on Sunday. We will hold one another, and be there for one another in the coming days. Much is needed of us all, and now more than ever, I am grateful for this community and for Unitarian Universalism.

Holding you in my heart,
Rev. Linda Olson Peebles