December 2021 – Page 3 – Dispatches from the journey of Foothills Unitarian

Dear Foothills friends and members,

We received notification today that we experienced a COVID exposure in our 8:30 AM service on November 28th. All those in attendance have been notified and sent follow up information.

Out of an abundance of caution, we have asked all attendees at that service to abstain from in-person church events either until they have results of a negative PCR or have surpassed 10 days since exposure. Because many of our attendees at that service attend weekly, we have also made the decision to cancel this week’s 8:30 AM service. We are grateful to be able to invite everyone to instead attend our 9:00 service online instead.

Foothills Unitarian Church takes an aggressive approach to risk mitigation, including vaccine requirements, distancing and masking, which means the likelihood of spread in this type of environment from one vaccinated person to another is extremely low.

However, this is a good a reminder for all of us to stay vigilant and attentive to precautions that keep our whole community safe.

We will still offer our 10 AM intergenerational service in person in addition to our 9 and 11 AM online services, as well as hold the Congregational Meeting online at 1 PM. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Thank you for helping us keep our community safe!

Katie Watkins

Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.

Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.

Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.

Making Peace With What Haunts Us: A Writing Practice

Find a pen and paper.

Set aside 10 minutes in a quiet space that allows you to focus.

When we consider making peace with what haunts us, it can be helpful to examine where exactly we’re trying to get to. What do we mean by “peace”? The following reflection and writing prompts from Unitarian Universalist Minister Rev. Karen Hering can guide our journey by helping us discern where we’d like to end up.

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We sometimes think of peace as an absence of conflict, but the experience of true peace can have a very strong presence. Answer the questions below in a brainstorming fashion, jotting down whatever comes to you without asking why. If a particular question doesn’t evoke any response, move on to the next. When you get to the end, look over your answers and use as many of them as you like in writing from the prompt provided.

If peace were a room in your house, what room would it be?
What object in your home or in your workplace do you associate with peace?
If peace were a way of moving what would it do (walking, skipping, leaping…)?
If peace were a food, what would it be and how would it taste?
Where in your body is most sensitive to feelings of peace? How do you experience peace in your body? (Use as many of your senses as you can in describing this.)
If peace were a color, what color and quality of color (deep, pale, reflective) would it be?
If peace were a musical instrument, what would it be and what music would it play?
If peace were a creature – on land or in sky or sea – what would it be and how would it live and move in the world? What sounds would it make?
What place in nature, real or imagined, do you associate with peace?

Now, using as many the associations named above as you like, begin with the prompt below and follow wherever it leads:

I found peace…

Katie Watkins

Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.

Month: December 2021 (Page 3 of 3)

All Community Message: Covid Exposure & Safety Measures

Making Peace with What Haunts Us (Day 7)

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