When she puts her mind to it, my niece can be a really spectacular kid. Yes, she wears too much kohl on her eyes. And she backtalks her parents something terrible. And she can be wound a little tight at times. But I think those are minor issues, completely standard for a high school freshman. Oh, she's caused us concern over more major issues, too, but today's not the day to contemplate those. Instead, today is the day she was confirmed in her community Lutheran church and I'm very proud of her.Unlike other kids, her early girlhood didn't include being dragged to Sunday School against her will. For reasons all their own, my sister and brother-in-law decided against giving their kids any religious training at all. A little over three years ago, as she was entering adolescence, my niece insisted on learning more about God, on cultivating her spiritual side. She chose this church (where her late greatgrandmother had been a member) on her own and told her parents if they didn't take her to the services, she would ride there on her bike.
For three years' worth of Saturday mornings, she went to confirmation classes. Last year she (and her kid brother) were finally baptized. She did it all on her own and, amazingly enough, even after initially encountering resistance from her parents. And today, she was confirmed and can take her place as an adult in her church.
I left the Lutheran church more than a decade ago and have found my spiritual home at Unity Temple. That doesn't diminish my pride in her or her accomplishment. I believe that worship is a highly personal and individual affair. The important thing is that my niece is in touch with her spiritual side and has a fulfilling relationship with God. I am so proud of her.
So is my mother. She is still in the hospital and unable to attend this morning's special church service. But she is a proud and loving grandma. We compared notes on my niece: Was she nervous? Was she proud of herself? Did she enjoy the celebratory lunch afterward? We relived every moment. This, even though my niece had been to the hospital herself to see her grandma for Mother's Day.
My mom and my niece have a special bond that enriches them both, and that's worth celebrating on this special day.
Is Unity Temple also Unitarian Universalists? Several years ago my sister and I took our elderly aunt to Boston to the UU "Mother Church" on Arlington Street. (It's beautiful!) Aunt Mary has been a "Uni Uni" (that's what my sister and I called them!)all of her life and she very much wanted to go to this church for some services. So, we took her! It was a short trip but well worth it when we saw the pleasure that it brought to her. Not to mention the fact that we "did Boston" the way most tourists do! If I remember correctly, the minister was Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie - she was wonderful - even introduced the three of us to the entire congregation and made mention that my aunt was a 70 year UU member. She is still living, so she is almost at the 80 year mark!! My dad was a UU for years and his brother left the UU to become a Quaker.
ReplyDeleteYou should be very proud of your niece. It isn't often these days that you find a young teen who is willing to find her own "spiritual side" without being prodded by parents. Hooray for her!!
I'm not anonymous - I'm Snowbird. Drat.
ReplyDeleteThinking of your niece and your mom in this special occasion.
ReplyDeleteYes, Madame Snowbird, I am a proud UU. I think that church in Boston was the site of Revolutionary/Bill of Rights activity. I've been by it (I guess it's what we UUs do in Boston!) but I'm jealous that you got to go in for service!
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