Disclaimer: the following does not reflect the official position or opinion of the Unitarian Univeraslist Church of the Brazos Valley. It is only the opinions and thoughts of the blogger.

I attended my last church board meeting as President-Elect. Assuming that the congregation agrees on May 21, I'll be chairing the next board meeting.

It will be an interesting year for the church. We will be looking for a minister. Full-time, if the congregation approves the budget or part-time if the congregation modifies the budget. There are some that would argue that we are doing just fine without a minister. I'll make sure the worship committee identifies those people and tell them to serve on the committee.

If you are an Unitarian - Universalist minister in need of a congregation check out the one in College Station, Texas. We are not a large congregation but we are very kind and forgiving and poised for growth. If you consider yourself in agreement with UU Principles (www.uua.org) and enjoy herding cats check us out (www.brazosuu.org). We are an imperfect institution full of imperfect people who welcome more imperfect people to join us on our quest for truth, spiritual growth and a more just world.

Of course, the minister has to be perfect.

Just kidding. Imperfect is okay.

The weather is pleasant for most of the year. The summers can be brutal but winter lasts for days, sometimes hours, rather than weeks. The spring is the most picturesque season with huge swathes of wildflowers lining the roadways. The political climate leans to the right but the progressive community is making inroads. There are complaints about the political climate but most people work to diversify it rather than just move away. Most folks like living here. Overall, the quality of life here is good.

None of this is official, I'm just reflecting on the future. I get to write a letter that will go in a search packet.

I will be doing a bit more writing than usual in the next year and I won't be able to just walk away when people complain. Some folks expect me to do something.

I will have to call upon organizational skills that I have not used in about a decade.

The next 12 months should be a time of great personal growth and shrinking of available time. I hope I can sustain my enthusiasm for the full 12 months. On too many things I tend to sputter out before reaching the end and the quality of the final result suffers.

If the congregation agrees Walter will be serving on the board as an at-large member. Initially, I was hesitant about that but I think I will appreciate the support. There will be some things that will need to be communicated and agreed upon beforehand. We can deal with that at a board retreat.

I almost overwhelmed myself thinking about the things that need to get done before the June meeting. Calm down, take a deep breath, find the quiet.

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My Spanish lessons are taking hold. If I need to count, about 75% of the time, I do so in Spanish. I can count up to 59. I haven't learned the word for 60, yet.