Minister’s Musings

Rev. Johnnie Bloom-Ramirez

You can read our Minister’s Musings in our monthly newsletter.

  • Connections and Change
    The month of June brings with it a lot of change. Children are leaving their classrooms for the summer break, college students are graduating and inserting themselves into the real world.  We as a fellowship are moving into our summer session, when I expect a lot of folks will be travelling, seeing family, and exploring the world at large.  As a bi-vocational minister, still working as a flight attendant, I expect I’ll be zigging and zagging across the country myself this summer, maybe having an adventure or two of my own.  For those of us in town during the summer … Continue reading Connections and Change
  • Your Romantic Soul
    I realize that I have been talking about politics and the effect it’s having on our country, and BIPOC and LGBTQIA (I highlight the T right now because the trans community have become scapegoats for this new regime.  I am taking a break from that this month, to talk about something that is important to some of us: romance.                  Spring has truly sprung (and so has the pollen count, but you know my feelings on pollen – I am just allergic to the world), but this spring has sprung directly into my romantic heart.  I was able to take … Continue reading Your Romantic Soul
  • Future
    This month I’m going to be taking a break on my political and social opinion pieces. We all know what state the US is in right now and to be frankly honest I’m taking a hiatus. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s not that I don’t want to fight, it’s that I don’t want to listen to our mainstream news and social media giving that man any more airtime. Let’s think about the future. What do we want to see for our fellowship for the future? A robust religious education program that partners with and shares amazing resources with all UU fellowships in the area? A powerful and enticing music program that includes a professional music director and choir leader? A strong adult programming block that allows us to engage one another on a spiritual and philosophical plane, all while still having fun and being part of community? I know that even as of last year, we had several moments where we were asked these questions, or asked the ever so appropriate yet vague question “What would we like to see for the future of our community?” This is our opportunity to put our money where our mouth is! UU churches are on a trajectory that could see us gain hundreds of new members in the next coming years. We will not be able to support that if we don’t have enticing programs in place! Caveat: I would never encourage anyone to give more than they could. Give what you can be comfortable with, can live without, and would love to see in action.
  • The Roman Empire
    This month I reflect on the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire fell due to a combination of factors including economic instability, political corruption, military overextension, barbarian invasions by Germanic tribes, and a weakening of the Roman legions; essentially, a decline in internal stability coupled with external pressures from surrounding populations led to the empire’s collapse. Interesting, right? Sounding a bit familiar? Did you know that the Romans also placed their hands over their hearts to recite their pledge to the Empire? Fascinating parallel, isn’t it? While I do not see a complete and total collapse of our government, perhaps this new administration and our current Felon-in-Chief will allow us to see in deeper detail the cracks and flaws in our current Federal and capitalist system. I have hope that this will be the wake-up call that we need as a society to realize that we are being fed lies and misinformation intentionally, by the people who we are supposed to trust and respect. I am well-aware of the cult-like behavior of his followers, but some of those closest to me who voted for him are now realizing their enormous error. They see the rest of the world laughing at us wondering, “Why?” This is not just occurring on “their side.” There are folks on the Democratic side that, while not as blatant, are just as guilty of why we are where we are as a Union. My Political Science professor in college always said that if you want to see why politicians vote the way that they do, especially if it seems antithetical to their prevailing views, follow the money. In the meantime, we must continue our Social Justice work, and we must continue to resist.
  • Grieving
    This holiday season suddenly took a rough turn for me, personally. I am grieving in a strange way: my stepfather, whom I have little respect for and do not have a relationship with for multitudes of reasons, is dying. To put a not too fine a point on it, he was abusive and hurtful, while simultaneously being absent most of my formative years. Sure, he resided in the same house as us, but he largely kept to himself, tinkering with whatever in his motorhome parked in our driveway. I rarely saw him, except in the evenings when he’d come for dinner (that I typically cooked) and when we had company. How do you grieve someone like this? You also must realize that others might have a different relationship with said individual, as is the case with my two brothers who adore their father. That’s part and parcel of grieving what “could have been,” and while it’s horrible, there isn’t much to be done about it. Unless the individuals who experienced a different aspect of the former are willing to truly hear you out and are willing to see the pain, hurt, and broken trust, you won’t be able to change their minds. It’s like my mother said about my grandmother, “My mother and your grandmother are two entirely different people.” You absolutely do not have to forgive them, as I have preached even recently that forgiveness comes after reconciliation, which won’t happen in this case. Nor will I seek it. I tell my patients that you grieve the relationship – the hopes and wishes you had for the relationship that were missing. You grieve the hurt caused by the individual, and you allow yourself the grace to experience the pain and the release that comes with it. You forgive yourself for any weakness, anger, frustration, and pain you internalized during the toxic relationship, and you allow yourself to heal. PS: Don’t forget your red lipstick on January 6th, and Inauguration Day! Embrace rebellion!