In 1994 Marshal and I retired. I coined it “out the door in 94”, and indeed we were. We sold the house, the sailboat, an old Honda, and with great delight, a snow blower! We headed to Arizona with only one huge regret. We were leaving our Grosse Pointe Unitarian community of 22 years. These soulmates were our sailing buddies, travel companions and dear friends. There were tears!
Immediately upon getting unpacked in AZ we headed for UUCP. We didn’t know a soul and entering this much larger sanctuary brought more tears of homesickness. Then out of the crowd stepped Billy Butler with a handshake and a warm smile of welcome. She reached out and made the day.
Now it was our turn to reach in to this new UU home and we joined the hiking group for a Saturday outing. The very next day at UU we had welcoming faces and stories to share. Over the years and on many a hike they became a very integral part of our community.
In the following years we have reached in to serve on various committees all of which have enlarged our love and caring of this Congregation and widened our friendships.
As I remember those first days and Billy’s warm welcome I am reminded of how important it is to reach out to a person visiting our UU home for the first time.
~ Julie Smart
Editor’s Note:
Our regularly scheduled column, Notes From Your Dance Partner, will be on pause during Reverend Christine’s sabbatical. In its place, we’re excited to have a series of guest speakers who will be sharing their experiences at UUCP. NFYDP will return in August.