A Brief History of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet Tradition, 2022 t0 2024
On Edith Good’s 90th birthday her sister-in-law gave her a cheerful tissue-paper bouquet. She enjoyed seeing it on her counter and 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. Members of the Caring Circle of 8 worked together to get the tradition started. They called it “Passing the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet.”
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. In 2022, the Circle of 8 group honored Virginia James and Tom Crowell, who had celebrated their 100tth birthdays before the tradition began, and asked them to comment on what membership in the church community had meant to them.
In 2023 the Caring Circle of 8 group decided that eligible recipients should be identified from a wider group of congregational elders, in order to perpetuate this new tradition. New recipients were identified and honored by one or more small groups to which they belonged. Vicki Shackford and Carol Saliba had their 70th birthdays in 2022, and became recipients of the bouquet belatedly in 2023. Gayle Floyd became a new recipient on her 80th birthday.
Now, in 2024, eligible recipients of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet must be celebrating their 70th, 80th, 90th, or 100th birthday; be a participating member or friend of the congregation; and must be sponsored by one or more groups which are active within the church and want to honor the contributions the prospective recipient has made to the church. Bobbie Williams and Janice Walker are the first recipients to be honored this year.
Passing the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet is a new church tradition that can help to build a stronger congregational community, as we recognize the many ways members have supported and enriched our congregation over the years, and learn what membership here has meant to them. We need to identify more eligible recipients to maintain the tradition.
When are YOU having a decadal birthday?
