As we light a chalice,
a container of air, earth, and fire,
this ritual of our faith
reminds our subtle-and-crashing-about beings
that we are part of a collective—
a community of care and connection,
courage and questions,
scared and sacred together.
Today we gather with intention and creativity,
releasing what we must,
shaping what we will,
in a space made possible
by generations of community care
and the courage of connection.