May 7 is High School Graduate Sunday

This past Tuesday, our Church Administrator Kelley shared the following poem with us in staff meeting. I immediately asked if I could share it as part of our ministry minute this week. As we prepare for our annual Graduate Sunday this week, this poem really hit home for me.  


The Facts of Life

That you were born
and you will die.

That you will sometimes love enough
and sometimes not.
 
That you will lie
if only to yourself.

That you will get tired.
 
That you will learn most from the situations
you did not choose.
 
That there will be some things that move you
more than you can say.
 
That you will live
that you must be loved.
 
That you will avoid questions most urgently in need of
your attention.
 
That you began as the fusion of a sperm and an egg
of two people who once were strangers
and may well still be.
 
That life isn’t fair.
That life is sometimes good
and sometimes better than good.
 
That life is often not so good.
 
That life is real
and if you can survive it, well,
survive it well
with love
and art
and meaning given
where meaning’s scarce.
 
That you will learn to live with regret.
That you will learn to live with respect.
 
That the structures that constrict you
may not be permanently constraining.
 
That you will probably be okay.
 
That you must accept change
before you die
but you will die anyway.
 
So you might as well live
and you might as well love.
You might as well love.
You might as well love.

- Pádraig Ó Tuama


This Sunday is always bittersweet for me, and I’m sure many others in our congregation. Serving the youth of our church has brought me much joy (and tears), but also much wisdom. I have learned so much from them, mostly just watching how they unabashedly care for those around them, being certain to create a space of inclusion and belonging. In a world, and especially a state, where so much is telling them to hate or dislike certain things, thoughts, or even people, they simply choose to love. Our youth have taught me to live and to love, even when it seems really difficult to do, and for that, I am grateful. 


I hope you can join us, in person or online, this Sunday for Graduate Sunday. You’ll get to hear from all of our graduates, and witness first-hand the ways in which they choose to live and love. Congratulations to all of our graduates! This church loves you!


Peace,
Pastor Meghan