[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In mid-March, I remember thinking: by the end of April, we’ll know a lot more.

Ha! Here we are, a week into May, and although we know some more about some things, a lot of other things are now questions! And it feels like it’ll be a LONG time before we will really know much for sure. We are learning (or trying to!) how to live with extended uncertainty.

For a lot of us, this means feeling both fine, and completely not fine almost all of the time. Because we are ok, mostly. Generally. And yet, extended uncertainty (and of course, the threat of this virus plus economic loss!) engages the amygdala. The lizard brain that triggers flight, fight, or freeze. Stress and anxiety is a regular part of all of our lives right now. If you’re feeling stressed, or anxious, it actually means your brain is functioning well! (Check out this really interesting Youtube series on “your brain in lockdown” for more on this.)

However you are experiencing this moment, this day; whatever level of stress you’re feeling, know you’re not alone. There’s no wrong way to be or do life right now. We’re all figuring this out together.

Some of this uncertainty is connected to the sense that I’ve heard a lot – which is that this moment is unprecedented. And of course in some ways, this is true. And at the same time, this is not the first time in human history that people have experienced something that shifted nearly everything they knew before, instantaneously. Not by a long shot!

Our ancestors – familial and spiritual – experienced many times of profound hardship and change, and through each of these, they found ways to survive, and even thrive. Which means that in our collective memory, and in our DNA, we have the experience, the insight, and the wisdom to face this moment in ways we may not even realize. In our collective history and in our collective body, we have the roots of resilience required to move through this anxious time without losing our connection to life, to love, and to hope. We only need to remember, to listen, to trust.

These are the tasks and the tools of our worship series that we’re launching this Sunday, Roots of Resilience, and that will run through the end of May. We’ll tap into the stories and lessons of history and we will seek out those tools of resilience that we can directly apply into our lives today.  Ways to respond to all this uncertainty with a degree of clarity and collective wisdom. Knowing that although we haven’t been in this particular challenge before, we know in our bones and in our blood how to meet challenges like this.

Join us this Sunday as we grow this faith, together. Live at both 9 (Zoom) & 11 (Facebook/website) am MT – foothillsuu.org/livestream for more info.

With love,
Rev. Gretchen[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]