Community Life Blog

— DAY 10: TRADITION —

We give thanks for our traditions, and for our freedoms.

We give thanks for how the deep roots of tradition keep us stable and strong. We give thanks for traditions connected to our spirituality and religious faiths, our families, our communities, and even our individual selves. We give thanks for our ancestors – the people who have come before us and serve as beacon lights, guiding us to live lives of integrity, meaning, and purpose.

We give thanks for the roots of tradition because that steadiness has given us strength to grow, and serves as a foundation to build a better future. We give thanks for the privileges and freedoms we now enjoy because of the faith and fortitude of our ancestors. We give thanks for the clarity of hindsight, of seeing the past with honesty so that we may learn from it and continue to make the world a better place. We give thanks for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and we fight to make sure those are truly provided to all, and protected for generations to come.

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What are some of your favorite family traditions? What traditions do you dislike? (And can you understand why they might be important to others?)

How has tradition helped you grow as a person?

We gain wisdom through learning from our mistakes –
what is something you have learned this year, or this month, or this week?

How have traditions changed during your life, and in what ways are they better than before?

The bell hanging in the First Parish belltower was forged by Paul Revere, a prolific silversmith and a pillar in American history.

Every year on September 11th, the town of Weston holds a short gathering to ring bells and then plant flags on the town green to memorialize the terrorist attacks of 2001. It is a beautiful tradition and powerful to experience.

Our partner church in Transylvania is in Torda, Romania; in 1568, King John Sigismund issued the great Edict of Torda, the first great proclamation of religious tolerance and freedom; this was the first time Unitarianism was recognized as its own tradition.

Our annual Christmas pageant is a beloved tradition at First Parish.
Save the Date: this year it’s on December 17th! 

(…If you have a kid who would like to participate, contact Rev. Sarah)

Christmas has many beautiful traditions. In this time of darkness, we shine light however we can. May the light of love & faith guide all of us throughout the holiday season and into the new year.