As i look back on my brief life, I’ve seen that I’ve gone through distinct phases, where aspects of my character have formed or faded into the background. This month’s theme is “welcome.” Accepting one’s past and the life that once was is important, but I am more curious about what it means to welcome who were were: the way we thought, including our preoccupations, and the way we sought to express our life.

What happened to the person we were? I wonder if that part of us is gone, only existing within our imagination, or if that person still exists within our current life. Remembering who we were may offer us needed perspective on our present, and clues about the heart of our values. As our country is forced to confront its history of racism and inequality, perhaps our shared past can awaken values that have lied dormant, simply because they were forgotten.

Come Sunday, to welcome who we were.