Nurturing Beauty: “Beauty is not caused. It is.” Emily Dickinson

A poem inspired by Emily Dickinson:

In the aftermath of a shock

The throng deliberates
And wonders
How to bring beauty to this aching
Hurting world

Ms. Dickinson offers a direction:
It is
It is
It is

You are not the cause of beauty
You are the recipient, the vessel
You are
You are
You are

It seems that perhaps beauty is an act of discovery. Through our wonderful church
community and neighborhood, a community that now spans the continent and the world, we see
the numerous expressions of this beauty. Beautiful faces on computer screens, beautiful people
gathering in a sanctuary we neither caused nor built, coming together for reasons both practical
and mysterious. A place to ease loneliness, a place to rekindle a connection, a place simply to
be and feel sunshine or wonder on cloudy days. A place to recommit to ourselves, our
neighbors, our world, to discover the connection between these three, to feel that connection in
our bodies.

As Spring begins to unfold and hit its stride, it is good for us to wonder what our work is
during the time we’ve been given. I’ve always admired the deep sense of work ethic of the
Youngstown community. We are not afraid of hard work. On the contrary, we look for what
needs to be done so that we can do what we can do, and in so doing make an offering to
something or someone greater than ourselves. As new visitors find their way to our church, and
as longtime members survey the possibilities of this time, let us be curious about what our work
might be during this time. It can be simple. Our work may be to listen, to allow ourselves to show
up, to rinse coffee cups after coffee hour, to invite someone for a coffee/a walk/an outing. It is
not the great acts that are remembered only, but the collection of small, consistent actions over
a lifetime. These small gestures uncover the beauty that is inherent in each and every one of us
in a way that is totally and completely unique. Each of us uncovers our true nature in simple
acts of kindness done with sincerity.

There is room at UUYO for you and your work. Your work, your offering, your presence,
shines a light in a world of noise and confusion, a world common to all of us. It shines a light
upon the places we’ve looked over, written off and abandoned, and helps us reclaim those places in ourselves and in our community. Join us this May as we reclaim the beauty that exists,
the beauty that is, waiting for discovery.