Thoughts on Trust – Soul Matters Theme for February 2019

Collected by Steve Rosen

The following are answers by UUCS congregation members to these questions;
“What have you trusted since childhood?
What have you never lost faith in?”

Until their deaths, I always trusted in my parents’ love and caring, even when we disagreed. I’ve always had faith in pets to provide companionship and peace. – Anonymous

I have always trusted the love of my parents and the basic goodness of most people. – Sue Strong.

I trust my wife and my friends, sometimes my kids, and always my pets.
– David Haber

Until recently I’ve always had the naïve belief that there is balance in the human condition. If you have an abundance of valued things, it’s perhaps balanced with fewer rich relationships. If you are fortunate to travel the world, you may be struggling with depression that hampers your enjoyment of life’s experiences. Now older and more cynical, I’ve come to embrace the idea that a basic fact of life is that sadly there are inherent inequities in the human condition. However, in the big picture, this is probably okay. It probably all balances out in a form of a global homo sapiens homeostasis that we still don’t comprehend. – Anonymous

The ocean. You go to the coast and there is the water, coming in, going out, coming in, going out. It doesn’t change. It might cause things to changes, like the coastline or creating sand. It might look angry, calm, excited, but it just keeps going, even when we as humans try to pollute it or change it’s course, it just goes, “Oh, well, I was here before you and I will be here after you.” This seems very reassuring to me. Even with all the potential problems we will be dealing with related to the health of the ocean, it remains for me a reassuring, centering entity. – Sara Pickett

I have trusted and never lost faith in my family. – Lorna Youngs

I have never lost faith in the love of my family, reinforced through a lifetime of examples of kindness, generosity, sacrifice, trust, and being truly present with me. I believe that most people exhibit those same qualities much of the time. So I would also say that I have never lost faith in the basic goodness of humanity. We are so interconnected, I think we fall into a trap when we see others as different from ourselves. I believe we are all family, and should treat each other accordingly. – Anonymous

I trust Nature. It’s fury and glory are equal in my eyes. What has been done to heal or hurt the natural world will be evident in the function of the myriad of interdependent systems making up our planet. These systems are what I trust, they are doing exactly what they should be doing. – Jean Logan

There is nothing I was offered as a child that has not since been betrayed.
Somebody really smart one said all it takes is a Mustard Seed of Faith to move mountains. Faith translated literally from Hebrew is Hope where there is no cause for hope. When I meet someone new I give them my trust to a certain extent – an opportunity to invest in a relationship with me. This is an expression of my faith – the mustard seed that is given a chance to grow…
Peace and respect, Victor Reppeto