On Edith Good’s 90th birthday her sister-in-law gave her a cheerful tissue-paper bouquet. It stood on her counter for a couple of years as she wondered what could be done with it. In September 2021 when Greta Dershimer was having her 90th birthday celebration, Edith remembers, “It just clicked – I’ll pass it on – it’s so happy!”

Greta thought Edith was a model of active participation in the congregation and the local community. She felt very honored when Edith gave her the beautiful paper bouquet at her 90th birthday party. She thought that passing it on to other UU Elders would be a really nice congregational tradition.

Greta and Bayard Catron had both joined a new “Caring Circle of 8” in April 2021. On January 11, 2022 Greta was hosting the Circle meeting and it was Bayard’s 80th birthday. She wondered what to do to help the group celebrate, noticed the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet standing on her piano, and decided it was the perfect time to begin the tradition of passing the bouquet. She told Bayard he had to take good care of the bouquet and pass it on to a UU Elder friend who was having a decadal birthday. He pledged to do so. She gave him the bouquet, and the tradition was born.

The purpose of this tradition is to honor our Elders on their decadal birthdays, remember the ways they have strengthened the church as an organization, and highlight the ways they have built connections to others and fostered a congregational sense of community. When the members of the Caring Circle of 8 began this new tradition, we focused on the idea of passing the bouquet from one person to another, and said that the Passer and Recipient should be two people who came to know each other by meeting or working together over time in a small group within the church. As we moved into a new year in 2023, we decided to evaluate how that process had worked. We realized that the recipients to date had all been members of one small group currently, or in the past. The process of passing the bouquet had led to a restricted group of recipients.

The Caring Circle of 8 group decided that eligible recipients should be identified from a wider group of congregational elders. So, in 2023, new recipients will be identified by one or more small groups, rather than by one individual. The Birthday Bouquet now resides in the Church Parlor in a vase provided by Edith Good, and recipients will receive photographs of themselves holding the bouquet during the initiation ceremony. Two people who had their 70th birthdays in 2022, and have contributed to the congregation over several years, were not recognized as recipients of the bouquet because they were not well known by the person holding the bouquet at the time. Both have now become recipients of the bouquet belatedly in 2023, sponsored by the small groups to which they belong. Information about these ceremonies will soon be posted on the Elders Connect church website and the big Board on the ramp by the Social Hall.

The plan for these procedural changes was developed gradually over several months as a result of recommendations by a variety of people within and outside of the Caring Circle of 8. It was presented to the UU Board members, who were unanimously supportive. The plan puts the responsibility of deciding who will be initiated as a recipient in 2023 on any group within the congregation which decides that they want to so honor someone whom they know. It identifies future eligible recipients as church elders who are celebrating their 70th, 80th, 90th, or 100th birthday within the current calendar year, and who have made valuable contributions to the church over time which have strengthened the church as an organization, or built connections with other congregation members, contributing to a congregational sense of community. It outlines the tasks that need to be carried out to prepare, conduct, and publicize the initiation event. During this initial year of change in the overall procedures, Greta Dershimer will be available to provide advice and assistance to any group interested in sponsoring a new recipient of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet. It should be expected that there will be ongoing future evaluation of the procedures and further changes as time goes on. Hopefully, our congregation members, younger and older, will learn more about each other and more about the activities that are available to us, to engage our interest, develop our capabilities, and increase our commitment to this community.

All congregational elders (70 and older in 2023) are urged to become an eligible future recipient of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet by registering their date of birth and contact information (telephone and email address, if they have one) in the Breeze Directory. Currently, only four congregational elders appear to be having a decadal birthday in 2023, and four more in 2024, according to the Breeze Directory.