Spirituality and Religion -M. Hudgins
One of my colleagues, Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma, writes:
Spirituality and religion are different. Religion is communal and is rooted in traditions, values and practices of a community. Spirituality, on the other hand, is pers onal and involve s an individual’s own cultivation of his or her connection to something larger than himself or herself.
I recently shared this with the Active Minds. I have learned this year that this is a group of individuals who have a respect for both spirituality and religion. They do community very well. I asked them how they nourish their spiritual lives. Their answers were varied and interesting. They ranged from gardening to painting, from reading and memorizing poetry, to golf, riding horses or learning new things about the origins of the universe, from listening to music to saying a rosary of words, such as self, others, health, beauty, truth and love.
My particular spiritual paths are poetry, music and golf. They nourish my spirit and heal my soul. I recently turned down an opportunity to play golf in Florida because I was scheduled to preach at TJMC. On a cold, February night, in Charlottesville, after two cancelled services, ten more inches of snow, and a power outage, I made a fire in the fireplace, huddled up in a blanket, listened to music, and dreamed of being in Florida. I woke up the next morning, shoveled snow (a substitute spiritual path for me), and then called Marti who was stranded in Denver because the Dulles airport was closed. I longed for her return. Maybe it would be on Valentine’s Day.
I will take these memories of Charlottesville with me. I will also remember the respect for community that is so present here, a communal spirit that is rooted in the traditions, values and practices of TJMC-UU. As winter comes to an end and spring emerges, I hope we will all remember this winter, the days we could not get to church, or nourish our spirit in our usual ways, but had to explore different avenues, and reach out to our neighbors we do not usually see. We did survive and are stronger in spite of it all. Hope to see you in church.
Rev. Dr. Morris W. Hudgins
Interim Minister
293-8179 extension 1#
minister@uucharlottesville.org