I have just returned from a two-week trip to South Korea with my husband. We had a wonderful time learning about the country’s history and culture, and touring to see culturally significant places. We don’t speak Korean; fortunately most of the transportation signage is in English in addition to Hangul, the Korean alphabet, so we could get around. Everywhere we went and everything we did required our full attention, as we navigated language and cultural differences. It occurred to me during our time there that the experience of travelling can feel similar to what’s it like living through our r ..read more

The Chalice Board of Trustees are busy completing various projects and preparing for the annual congregational meeting scheduled for Sunday, June 9. This month, I would like to take the opportunity to highlight some of the changes that our Bylaws Task Force has suggested. With the support of the Board, they are requesting the following adjustments to our by-laws. These changes represent our commitment to transparency and shared governance. To become a member of Chalice, a person must be in good standing with the congregation. This is a straightforward measure of accountability and to guarante ..read more

At our February Elders Lunch, it came up that there has been a rise in mental health struggles and feelings of loneliness coming out of the pandemic (those things existed before 2020, of course, and then the pandemic made everything worse). And of courses, in congregational life we are often carrying a certain amount of grief for loved ones gone. I was asked how I take care of myself. I think the question was 50% “we want to make sure you are taking care of yourself as you provide care to other people” and 50% “you are someone who thinks about self-care a lot, tell us your insights!” Ministers ..read more

The Chalice Board of Trustees are busy completing various projects and preparing for the annual congregational meeting scheduled for Sunday, June 9. Some of us are also serving on the Pledge Drive Task Force to secure funding for another beautiful Chalice year. The Board of Trustees met with the Coordinating Team for the annual CT/Board retreat last month. From that, we had some clear themes that we are working into goals for the coming year. They include: We are a people of connection. We are working towards being a welcoming community who offers interesting paths for our congregants to brin ..read more

Each October, at our annual Beloved Dead service, I speak the names of our members who have died in the previous year. I keep a log of these names, so can tell you definitively that in the 12 years I have been at Chalice, 50 members have died. If you are someone who knew most of those people, it is a lot of loss to carry. And you don’t need to have lost so many people in the past decade to feel your share of grief these days. We have lost several congregants recently who were active and engaged in our community, congregants we were used to seeing on Sunday mornings. Sudden death has its own im ..read more

As an act of self-love, I bought myself a copy of “All About Love: New Visions,” by bell hooks last year for Valentine’s Day. Of course, I did not get around to reading it until approaching this year’s Valentine’s Day. But I strongly believe that the right book will find you when you’re ready to welcome it, and this year was just the right year to dig into this work. Collector and lover of words, bell hooks graces us with beautifully snippets, including this quote from Parker Palmer: (Emphasis mine) “To be fully alive is to act…I understand action to be in any way that we can co-create reality ..read more

At our monthly Elders Lunch (held on zoom the second Friday each month from 12 noon to 1 p.m.), Rev. Sharon shares a reading from the book In Later Years: Finding Meaning and Spirit in Aging by Bruce T. Marshall, a Unitarian Universalist minister. The following are excerpts shared at our November Elders Lunch. The theme of this chapter is “Legacy.” During our final years, we review our lives. What have I done? What am I proud of? What do I regret? What has my life meant? How has it mattered? What lessons are contained in this life I have lived? And what might I pass on to the next ge ..read more

As was announced to the congregation via email on January 25, member Alice Dodd has passed away. There will be a viewing at the funeral home (please check back here for the location) on Friday, February 9th, from 4-7 p.m. A Memorial Celebration of Life service will be held at Chalice on Saturday, February 10th, at 5 p.m. in the Chalice chapel. The service will be streamed using the same Zoom information as our Sunday morning worship service. (Zoom ID: 832 129 662) For those coming from out of town: Escondido, California is about 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. You will want ..read more

As was announced to the congregation via email on May 20, member Bruce Campbell has passed away. A Memorial Celebration of Life service will be held at Chalice on Saturday, January 6th, at 2 p.m. in the Chalice chapel. The family requests that everyone attending the service in-person take a Covid test that morning. The service will be streamed using the same Zoom information as our Sunday morning worship service. (Zoom ID: 832 129 662) For those coming from out of town: Escondido, California is about 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. You will want to fly into San Diego Internatio ..read more

As was announced to the congregation via email on August 22, member Gene Troxell has passed away. A Memorial Celebration of Life service will be held at Chalice on Saturday, November 4 at 2 p.m. in the Chalice chapel. The service will be streamed using the same Zoom information as our Sunday morning worship service. (Zoom ID: 832 129 662) For those coming from out of town: Escondido, California is about 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. You will want to fly into San Diego International Airport (aka Lindbergh Field) and rent a car for transportation. Directions and Parking The pos ..read more