Note: This a guest post from Pilgrim and Current Deacon Katherine Hennessy. Thank you to Katherine for sharing, and thanks for taking the time to peruse this one, dear reader!

Some of the basics in life are what has been rolling around in my head recently. You may ask why?  Well, my why is because a lot of life has been happening around me. Good stuff and not such great stuff, yet instead of getting bogged down by the negatives – I keep trying to focus on what really matters and deserves my attention.  I challenge you to ask yourself, are those pesky issues that drag you down, the ones that you would rather not be consuming your time and focus? 

Life is simply too short. 

We need to just say YES and TAKE ACTION and go back to those basics. 

Remember this poem, that I am sure you picked up along the way. 

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. 

These are the things I learned: 

Share everything.  Play fair. Don’t hit people. 

Put things back where you found them. 

Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. 

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. 

Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. 

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. 

Live a balanced life – learn some and think some, 

And draw and paint, and sing and dance, and play and work every day some. 

Take a nap every afternoon. 

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, 

Hold hands and stick together. 

Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: 

The roots go down & the plant goes up and nobody knows how or why……. 

Goldfish & hamsters & white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die…… 

So do we…. 

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is better to hold hands and stick together. 

Let’s just say that in my opinion, life at Pilgrim Congregational Church the last year has been a bit tumultuous. That said, I believe that our community is loving, vibrant and filled with people that have a common core belief in loving humanity and supporting each other through thick and thin. There are loads of people here that I know should I need, I could call out to, and in a heartbeat, they would be there – whether they are my closest friends or only Sunday worshippers, that I only see in church. That common thread is the amazing beauty that I find in Pilgrim Church. It’s recognizing that it really all comes down to the basics of love and kindness to each other. 

So, while we work through life’s kinks, I ask you to THINK, before you speak (or post on social media). 

Is it True? 

Is it Helpful? 

Is it Inspiring? 

Is it Necessary? 

Is it Kind? 

Instead of focusing on negative stuff which brings each other down, let’s adjust and re-focus.   

“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt    Great thinkers throughout history did not waste their time talking about people, but used their energy to imagine and develop new and exciting ideas that have the potential to change the world and make it better for all of us by working together. 

Pilgrims let’s work together to make this next “year” at our church amazing! Join a small group and connect, engage with others in Fellowship Hall and learn about someone you haven’t spent time with before, help a kiddo garden and watch a plant grow over a few weeks, pick up your musical instrument and share your amazing talent with the congregation, join “Our Father’s Table” and cook a meal to help those in need, swing a hammer or pick up a paint brush – opportunities are everywhere to get back to the basics. We’ve got this and I believe in you all!