Each month, Rev. Andrée Cornelia Mol offers a reflection to inspire, challenge, and connect us as a community.

The Blessings and Challenges of New Beginnings

Rev. Andrée Cornelia Mol
(pronouns: she/they)
Minister, Central Unitarian Church

As I write this monthly column, my daughter is preparing for her first year of college in Boston. We will drop her off at her dorm in just a few days. I spent my undergraduate years in Boston, so this young adult milestone stirs up memories of that particular time of new beginnings: heading out into the world for the first time, moving to a new city, meeting new friends, embarking on new adventures, and learning more about adulthood. I’m excited to witness my daughter’s own version of these experiences as she begins this new phase of her life thirty years after me.

One of my favorite movies, Beginners by director Mike Mills, features other beginnings in life. The main character Oliver (played by Ewan McGregor) is grieving the death of his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer, who won an Oscar for his role). The movie unfolds through a series of flashbacks as Oliver learns to deal with his father’s terminal illness. Before his death, Hal comes out as gay and is learning to live life to its fullest when he knows he does not have much time left. Oliver also must navigate sharing the caregiving for his dying father with Hal’s new lover. After Hal’s death, Oliver has to care for his father’s dog while exploring a new relationship in his own life and starting to live as an adult orphan. True to its title, the main characters gloriously stumble through the film as beginners, but in very different ways.

We all encounter new beginnings at various times in our lives. Some of those beginnings are planned; others come along unexpectedly. New school, new job, new home, new relationship, new child, and new pet – just to name a few. Some beginnings we celebrate; others we endure, especially those which result from endings. They may include grieving the loss of a loved one, starting over after a divorce, or navigating life with a new illness. All of these are common life experiences that thrust us into the role of beginners, whether we are ready or not.

These past few years have offered us a new beginning as a congregation as well. We’ve said goodbye to our longtime home on Forest Avenue, and moved to a new town. We’re still designing and renovating our new building, and discerning the shape of congregational life in the 2020’s. As much as we might like things to “return to normal,” we’ll continue as beginners for a few more years as we settle into our new building and feel our way forward. Congregations, after all, experience seasons of life, just like their members.

This month’s theme of “beginnings” invites us to reflect about all the times we find ourselves in the role of beginner, regardless of our age. What have been the most cherished beginnings in your life? What have been the hardest ones? What have you learned from these times? What wisdom would you share with younger generations embarking on their own journeys? What wisdom can you bring to CUC as we approach this new phase in the life of our congregation?

May we remain attentive to life’s various seasons with their blessings and their challenges. May we continue to remain eager learners as we journey through the life we have been given.

With faith and love,

Rev. Andrée

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