ALL TOGETHER NOW

Have you ever been to the Wooden Shoe Tulip farm outside of Woodburn in the early spring?   Before I went there many years ago I’d never seen millions of colorful tulips all at once.   They have whole fields of nothing but red, yellow, orange, purple tulips gently swaying in the breeze.   Sometimes, when I’ve been looking at all those tulips someone will ask me:  “what is your favorite color tulip?”   Now many of the fields there have only one color tulip, but there is a big field that has tulips of ALL colors mixed together.  I love it!  That is the sight that brings the most delight to my eye and heart and soul – seeing ALL the colors together.  So, what I’ve realized is that I can’t say that I have a favorite color and why should I have to?   I love all the colors – they are more beautiful when we see them all together than just alone.

It’s the same way with people.  We’re lovely alone, but when we’re all mixed together it’s simply glorious.    Sometimes it seems that society thinks we should all try to be as much alike as possible.  How boring that would be.  No I think what really brings more beauty into the world is when you try to be as much who YOU are as possible.  Who you are is just right.  We need YOU.  If you weren’t who you are and if you weren’t here, our congregational bouquet would be less beautiful.

In our Unitarian Universalist tradition we honor and celebrate diversity of all kinds.   Here’s how we’re going to celebrate this morning:   I invite you to move about and greet one another with this phrase:  “Thank you for being who you are.”

 

Topics: Flower Communion