It’s a rainy Saturday morning. Usually, it’s my day to sleep in after a long week of juggling my multiple roles as a parent and community home health nurse. At times it feels like an arduous task getting the kids to school on time, having enough energy at the end of the day to cook dinner, and then finally reading bedtime stories. But I still set my alarm on my phone to get up at an early hour and make sure we all get to church for Pancakes, Play, and Planting Peace. It’s a once-a-month commitment, but I make it a priority. We live about 30 minutes away from Concord in the town of Weare. And getting the kids out the door in the morning feels like herding a group of cats some days. But we somehow make it there. When we arrive, I can feel the stress start to noticeably evaporate from my headspace. The kids are greeted by their young friends with warm hugs and shouts of joy. Familiar faces are in the kitchen cooking breakfast and brewing coffee. It’s hard to believe that few years ago, we were all strangers.

I first came to the Concord UU to find some community with other families. I was a mother with two boys, and my husband was traveling internationally as a Merchant Mariner at sea. He typically goes on voyages for 2 months at a time. So at times, it feels like I am a seasonal single parent. I don’t remember how I found out about the Concord UU. Maybe I was scrolling on Facebook for local events to bring the kids to. But I remember going to my first service in the springtime and being very intrigued with the very open format.

I grew up going to Roman Catholic church when my parents were married, and then the Episcopal church with my mother after they divorced. There was always a very set routine for mass, with memorized prayers and the sacred communion ritual. Attending my first UU service was both a confusing and refreshing change to my former church experiences. It was lovely to find a place that held my values without all the complicated dogma.

Since that first time I decided to be brave and step into a new church space very different from my upbringing, I have always found a sense of peace when I enter the building. The people are kind and welcoming. And genuinely care about helping one another and the surrounding community. Over time I gained some confidence interacting and volunteering in the UU community. This year I decided to embark on a new project. I am currently leading the Teaching Garden Project. This idea was born out of the Pancakes, Play, and Planting Peace event. I volunteered to help lead an activity with children and parents to plant vegetable and flower seeds to raise at church. I was able to coordinate donated resources with staff and congregants to make the project a reality. And now the cedar garden beds on the front lawn that were once full of weeds, are revived with fresh compost and seedlings raised by our youngest congregants. I am excited to see them continue to bloom and grow. It has been very rewarding to teach the youngest generation about the love of gardening, the art and skill of nurturing, and the joy that comes with seeing the physical results of hard work for our church grounds.

~ Leah Powers

Our ‘Why My Heart is Here’ series showcases how individual congregants’ roles and activities at Concord UU help them find connection to and meaning in their lives at church. By spotlighting these individual stories, we hope to show how you might also find your heart’s home here.