Abundance and Opportunity!

Opportunities often arise when we least expect them and from the most obscure sources. Yet, if we take time to explore them fully and accept them as an abundance they very often lead to more and more, and very often diverse, opportunities. As we spread out and engage with these chances we learn more and find new ways to express ourselves and learn about ourselves. We may develop contacts within what initially appear to be quite diverse communities, but as we immerse ourselves we find a link that binds us. We develop new links and forge new friendships that lead to ever more opportunities and ideas, pushing us further along our path wherever it may lead. A small detour before we re-join our main carriageway or a complete change of direction, that is the mystery of opportunity.

Abundance is what gives life spark. Abundance often conjures up a mental picture of financial prosperity, but abundance is much more than money. The abundance of a meadow in full flower fills your heart and soul with joy and while that to me is a rich abundance there is no financial incentive to search it out. The food we have available to us is an abundance that many would be grateful for. I’m not saying we don’t need money, we need to buy that food, but some of the things we take for granted make our lives abundant often in ways only we can appreciate if we take the time to notice them. Smiles, hugs, cheery words, all cost nothing and are internal abundance forming. Have a think about your personal abundance……. Welcoming abundance into your life by feeling abundant and positive, easier said than done but worth the effort! So where is the abundance? It could be financial or it could be internal. It could be re-uniting with an old friend and a shared memory. Discovering a new talent or rediscovering an old one. A business opportunity out of the blue that gives us a financial boost, the abundance of friends enabling us to offer an opportunity from one community to another forging more links between people and the chance for more abundance and opportunities. Abundance gives us the opportunity to help others which can help them to find abundance from a new opportunity, a spiral that continues to grow.
I thought about how chance meetings and opportunities can change where you are going and I don’t know why but it made me think of pigeons! Pigeon holes are only for pigeons. Pigeons know where they are going, maybe that’s why they fit in holes! Heading in a general direction and trusting in what we find rather than trying to fit in to what we find sounds a much better idea.

And we're off!

I have a glass cutter and goggles - I'm in!!

So wrote Karen in commenting on a Facebook posting of mine on the Staffordshire Unitarian group page. Sounds like we could be planning some sort of jewel heist or doing a bit of house-breaking. We are actually planning a stained glass workshop led by my friend Lorna who lives in Hove. We were best friends when we were 16 and have stayed that way for over 40 years. Our lives have taken quite different paths - Lorna is a teacher and an artist. She seems to be able to pick up skills to do a variety of artistic things very easily - I am not hopeless but I wouldn't make a living out of it. But we do share things - we are both joiners and we are both people who get passionately involved. And we like to know about each others' lives and the people in them.

Thinking back to last Sunday and our coming of age ceremony for C, and I make the link with our plans for a stained glass workshop. Although there are people who have found themselves at our door through a focused search - I am one such person - there are many others who come because their friend or a family member does; or they come along to a wedding or a funeral; or join us for a social or a walk. At every opportunity we are each, as individuals and as a group, the public face of Unitarianism. We are all ambassadors. Which means that we must

• Talk about our Unitarian communities with enthusiasm but also be prepared to listen to the deep yearnings of others;
• Have highly enjoyable events and activities to invite people to;
  
• Be creative with our ceremonies and rites of passage; and
• Invite people along.

This is not just about finding new members but about believing that there are people who need what we have to offer if they but knew. It is also about people being touched by a loving and open faith community, with no expectation of anything more. A Unitarian community, as any other, is where networks collide. This should provide us with abundant opportunities.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Staffordshire Unitarians Blog - SUB-versions. We are creating a group blog which challenges us to write as a group. We have a few rules - here they are

1. No-one can post consecutively (after the initial two postings);
2. We will attempt to start each new post with the last line of the previous one; and
3. We will encourage as many people from our community as possible to participate whether or not they have access to the internet.

We will aim for short rather than long and for weekly posts - but we need to find our rhythm so do not want to be prescriptive at this point. Looking forward to some interesting comments!

Here goes ...