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.

Edith Good initiated the idea of passing the Birthday Bouquet along to another Elder UU having a decadal birthday, so we have named the new tradition after her. The Caring Circle of 8 members developed the idea, determining the purpose and the procedures for identifying new recipients.

The purpose of this tradition is to honor our Elders on their decadal birthdays, to 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 bouquet was only passed between members of the Caring Circle of 8 or members of the Active Minds group. We then began looking to identify eligible recipients from a wider group of congregational Elders, in order to perpetuate this new tradition.

In 2023 recipients were identified and sponsored by small groups within the congregation. Vicki Shackford and Carol Saliba had their 70th birthdays in 2022, and have contributed to the congregation in many ways over several years. They were not recognized as recipients of the bouquet at the time, but they have become recipients of the bouquet belatedly in 2023, sponsored by the small groups to which they belong, who wanted to honor them.

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 be sponsored by one or more groups within the church who want to honor the contributions the prospective recipient has made to the church over time.

To help this happen, we need to know which congregational Elders are having a decadal birthday in 2024. We have a list of Elders in the Breeze Directory who have provided the year of their birth, but it is a short list. If you know a congregational Elder who will be celebrating a decadal birthday in 2024, don’t keep it a secret! Any congregational group that they belong to can decide to sponsor them as a recipient of the bouquet to honor the contributions they have made to the church. 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.

What ACTION can you take?

Please encourage your friends to add their birth dates to the Breeze Directory, and do so yourself if you haven’t already.

See the Birthday Bouquet on the mantel in the church parlor, and read the names of recipients to date.

Check out the Big Board on the ramp to the Social Hall to see photos and comments from past Initiations.

For more information about how to plan an initiation event for a potential recipient of the Edith Good Birthday Bouquet in one of your church groups, contact Greta Dershimer (gretamae@comcast.net; 434-242-2897).