August 21, 2026

Dear Ones,

This coming week I will not be in the pulpit at Saratoga, but you will be blessed to have Tena Bunnell deliver the morning message. It promises to be uplifting.

I am so excited about the upcoming ground-breaking ceremony at the construction site for the new meeting house. It will be on Wednesday, Aug. 25th at 10am. Whether you can be there or not, please hold UUCSS in your hearts at the appointed hour and send all your love and positive thoughts to 400-404 Loudon Avenue. Let us all hope and pray that the construction will be completed on time, and that once the building and grounds are finished, our new church home will be all that we want and need it to be.

On the late evening and early morning of Aug. 27th and 28th, respectively, people living in our part of the world will be given the gift of being able to witness a near total lunar eclipse. So, this coming Thursday night, look to the sky at around 9:24pm. If it is clear, you will be able to see the penumbra which heralds the eclipse’s beginning. Don’t forget to take a nap first, though. This celestial event will not be over until around 3:00am, and I do not want anyone tired for work or school in the morning because Rev. Vee asked them to stay up. If you do get to see the eclipse, try to imagine the hearts and minds of those who witnessed celestial events like this in the past. An eclipse would have defied reason in certain eras. But people would have tried to explain this scientific phenomenon without an understanding of the science that would have truly allowed them to do so. They would have created their own narrative. A good question to ask ourselves is how many times we create narratives about things that we do not completely understand, and yet still hold onto them as truths.

My invitation to connection still stands. If you have not already done so, set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

In honor of the lunar eclipse that we are going to have this week, I close with “Lunar Eclipse,” by Fulton Lee.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

Rev. Viola observes Monday as her personal sabbath, but if you want to make an appointment with her on another day, you can do so by visiting her Calendly page at https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee.

August 14, 2026

Dear Ones,

We are in the middle of August. The second and last full month of summer. And it is the end of my first week as your Minister. And while it might feel as if summer is beginning to wind down, the work that we will be doing together in this new ministry is just getting started. And another thing that is getting started is the construction of UUCSS’s new home at 404 Loudon Rd.! This is great news and a wonderful way to celebrate the impending end of summer!

My first official sermon as your minister will be this coming Sunday, August 16th.  The title is “Returning.” Together we will explore the meaning of home, what it means to leave, which is particularly relevant to UUCSS in this moment, and what it can mean if you try to find your way back. The place that we call “home” is often a complicated container holding varying parts of joy and sadness, but it is so very important in making us who we are.

Some of you know me from BTR (Before The Rev), and some of you don’t. Either way, I invite you to set up at least a 15-minute meeting with me in Zoom to say “hello” and introduce or re-introduce yourself. You can do that by visiting my Calendly link here https://tinyurl.com/SS-Mtg-w-RevVee. I look forward to seeing you in my Zoom room!

As we think about the recent ground-breaking at Loudon Road and the new home that we will find there, I close this week with the song, “Home,” by Phillip Phillips.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola

August 7, 2026

Dear Ones,

I made it through my first week at UUCSS! Wow! There is so much that I have to learn and so many of you that I want to get to know. Unfortunately, I cannot get all of that done in “Week 1” so this will be a process. But it is a process that I am looking forward to. I hope you are, too.

I had a great meeting this week with the wonderful people who have been foundational for UUCSS’s Faith Development / Religious Education (FD/RE) program, and we came up with a couple of ideas. This coming Sunday, we are going to try something new to make sure that any child who finds themselves in the service knows that we are thinking of them and that we want them here. And so, beginning this week, there will be a coloring activity on the back of the Sunday bulletin, and we will also be making colored pencils or crayons available. This is a small effort, but I think it will be the first of many.

The other thing we would like to do for our children and youth is to start a task force, not a committee, that will be limited in duration and that will look at and recommend options for FD/RE when fall starts, when we move to our temporary home in Wilson Chapel, and lastly when we move to Loudon Rd. What we do with this important aspect of UUCSS programming is important for our growth and crucial to our long-term health, not just for our congregation, but also for our denomination. We must do what we can to meet the needs of those who have children and youth and who choose to be a part of this community.

I truly believe there are great things in store for UUCSS. I am happy to be a part of it. and I look forward to working with all of you. And so, as we begin our journey, I close my Reverie this week with a musical acknowledgment that “We’re All in This Together,” sung by Ben Lee.

In peace and love,

Rev. Viola