I am a 32 yo female of Native American descent who was adopted as a baby and raised by white parents in a predominantly white community. I have a college education and lived for a time in a major American city, but found myself back near the town I grew up in prior to the pandemic. During this time I (like many others) struggled with my mental health being isolated and feeling a significant lack of community in my life. I made a lot of changes once the world started to get back to normal and one of them was a goal to find community. I have tried a number of activities and hobbies, some stuck, many didn’t. It was on my city Reddit that someone had suggested the UU church and its groups as a place to meet people. I looked it up and decided to jump into an online journey group focused on “Firsts”. Seemed perfect considering this was my first UU activity. It became a highlight getting on zoom and connecting with some wonderful older women every other week to share deeply personal stories and experiences. I’m now in my second round of journey groups. This time I’m involved in two centered around specific reading materials. The chance to read, think critically, and discuss in a safe environment with like minded people has added greatly to my life! I have felt welcomed, zero judgement, deep understanding of my reluctance towards heavily Christian topics and jargon, and possibly the best part of all appreciated for the value my truth brings to these groups. As a non-white person it has been deeply validating to be part of a community that actively thanks me for simply being willing to share my honest opinions, feelings, and experiences. So to anyone out there hesitant to trying out activities at their local UU church I really cannot recommend it enough. Community will change your life and in my experience it was more than worth the risk.

Peace and light✨