Welcome to 2024

A recent Carolyn Hax column in WaPo resonated with me…

Hi, Carolyn: I’m feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume and magnitude of issues that I’m passionate about: gun control, abortion access, environmental protections, etc. I’ve sent out feelers about volunteering for organizations that address these huge problems, but then I start to feel as if it’s all hopeless anyway, so why bother? How do I get past these feelings and get started? And how do I prioritize these commitments when they all feel equally important? Volunteering

Volunteering: Like with anything that feels too big, think methodically and small. Not, “How do I fix it all?” Just, “What is the next step?”

See how the organizations respond and what opportunities they offer you. Then: What’s the next step? Pick one that fits with your schedule, energy level and sense of purpose. What’s the next step? Work at it for a while, then reevaluate to see whether it’s meeting your needs and the needs of the moment.  Small things in big numbers = big things. Never forget that.

A volunteer I admired once told me that she was sometimes criticized for not directing her efforts toward other (presumably more important) issues. She said she responded, “If every single person picked one thing they care about and did something about it, 90 percent of the world’s problems would be solved.” You can’t do it all, but you can do something. You can do YOUR part.  

Tomorrow at 4:30

Right To Be will hold a webinar: Bystander Intervention to Stop Islamaphobic and Xenophobic Harassment. Register here.

On Thursday at 10

 One Fair Wage‘s campaign manager will provide an update on their efforts to pass a ballot initiative in 2024 to increase the Ohio minimum wage to $10.50; register for the Zoom link here.

Friday at 7

Join AMOS organizer Rev. Daniel Hughes, via zoom for his Tad Talk “Aim for AMOS.” The Amos Project strengthens the ability of people of faith to address local and regional community issues, including mass incarceration, immigration, healthcare, and racial inequity. Want to know more? Register through Thursday. 

Next Sunday

SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) Cincinnati will tour the Clearly Indigenous, Black and Brown Faces, and Charlie White exhibits at the Cincinnati Art Museum at 2 PM. Contact Carole Womeldorf for more information; possibly a good opportunity for a group luncheon prior at a minority-owned business (I’ll be on my honeymoon so it will be up to Carole to organize it ;-).

Finally, on Tuesday, January 16th at 11

Courageous Conversations will hold a webinar on Driving While Black: An Intergenerational Conversation. Zoom in here.

Next edition after we return on the 21st; anyone can send items of interest to announ…@FirstUU.com. Cheers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~