RRUUC Land Acknowledgment Acknowledging and remembering that we are situated on the traditional land of the Nacotchtank and Piscataway people, and on the land on which enslaved African people and their descendants labored and lived, we gather together in worship. May the words of our mouths, the meditations of our hearts and the actions of our hands point the way toward a more just future. May the memory of those whose love and labor went before inspire us to create a path of greater joy and justice for all who will follow.
Resolution on Racial Justice As individuals, we are committed to a new level of engagement, to continually seek ways to use our voices, our privilege, our standing in the community to effect change. As a congregation, we are committed to turning a new page. We declare the obvious—that Black lives matter to our beloved community. We affirm the need for powerful words and collective action, both to call out injustice and to call in love.
This is the first in a new blog
series called “Grounding”. I hope to
share the sights and stories of spring unfolding on River Road grounds with the
goal of sparking a sense of wonder and connection to our spiritual home.
I hope you enjoy.
Joe
The mossy area under the Beech tree by the office door is lush in the spring and is graced with a spring bulb called “Glory of the Snow”.
Daffodils by the sculpture outside our sanctuary.
Several locations on our property host Virginia Blue Bells (Mertensia virginica). I believe this group was planted by founding members, Brad and Shirley Patterson.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a common understory shrub on our grounds. The subtle yellow flowers are one of the first to bloom. This plant is the host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly and it produces high-energy red fruits for birds in the fall.
In a week or so, the memorial garden will be rich with the scent of our Korean spice viburnum, one of the many species of viburnum on our grounds.
