Les Short

I Am Fortunate, by Les Short

When I saw that the UUFR was celebrating 75 years and wanted contributions, I decided I would take some time to do just that.  I wasn’t sure how much to write…

I was born in England and, after the failure of my first marriage, I moved to the US to be with my soulmate Linda.

My mother fell ill with Alzheimer’s. Her disease progressed as expected, and she passed away just days before her 90th birthday. Later that year, my companion and best friend Mac had to be put down. I was inconsolable.  About 6 weeks later, my brother passed away!   His death hit me really hard. And, as an atheist, I did not believe in an afterlife.

I am fortunate; I came to believe the Universe is God – it is conscious.  And we human beings are fractals of that Universal consciousness.  Meaning we are made in its image and are fully whole versions of that consciousness.   We may never understand the universe fully – who can really know the mind of God?  Life looked better, the future no longer seemed bleak.

I started praying at night and in the morning.  I started meditation, and enjoyed being mindful of the moment I was in, rather than yesterday or tomorrow. Having had this spiritual awakening, I felt a need to join with people who believed in a God, but I wanted something more free, more liberal and more inclusive.  After looking around, I found the UUFR, and my wife and I attended our first meeting.

From the UUFR website, I read that, “as Unitarian Universalists, we seek wisdom and inspiration from many sources but believe our own individual experience and conscience are the best authorities for our beliefs. We also believe the purpose of religion is to help us live more fully within this lifetime and help make the world a better place. We also believe that the religious community helps us to realize this purpose.”.  I was convinced I needed, and wanted, what the UUFR was offering.

I also really like the covenant of right relations:

• Value what unites us over those things that divide us.
• Practice patience, listen carefully, and speak our truth with compassion.
• Hold ourselves accountable for our actions and commitments and assume good intentions on the part of others.
• Reflect carefully about the potential results of our words and actions before we express ourselves.
• Respect and support those we have chosen to lead us — our called ministers, and our professional staff.
• When differences arise, speak directly, with kindness and respect, to those with whom we disagree, and not gossip about others.

We liked what we saw and heard, and we’ve been coming ever since – about 6 months at the time of writing.  I find the sermons inspiring, the singing uplifting, and the people friendly.  I very much like it when the children are present and do skits and plays – it fills us with joy.

After a few months I decided I wanted to become a member and contribute more.  I recently attended the UUFR 101 with Rev. James and I’m signing up for events for volunteer activities. I have found that being of service is vital to my spiritual well-being.  I have been volunteering for park projects, animal shelters, and helping others in need.  It seems to feed my soul.

I had started writing prayers and meditations while in rehabilitation, A.A. and the UUFR has inspired me to continue doing this – so much so, that I’m just about to publish volume one of Prayers and Meditations for the Atheist and Agnostic.  Having been an atheist, I knew that there were other souls suffering from a lack of spirituality, they probably had a hole in their life, and they may also be suffering from alcohol and/or substance abuse.  I wanted to try and help them in some way and, since I was writing them for my own use, I decided it couldn’t hurt to share.

I think I’m doing what my God would want me to do, and I continue to try my best.  The UUFR gave me a religious and spiritual home, somewhere I could practice and enjoy my newfound faith.

Thanks for listening and thank you for being a part of my life.