This section of the website is dedicated to the words and thoughts of members of Christ Church Unity. We welcome submissions of articles, poetry, or other material that is in alignment with Unity principles. Please send your submissions to Reverend Evrol Officer at revevrol@unityboston.org.
The Short Walk to Freedom By Reverend Evrol Officer, From Earth Star Magazine, October/November 2008
Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela once said, "There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere." I was first made aware of his statement by one of his grandsons, with whom I developed a very close relationship while he attended college in Boston. We had many great discussions on President Mandela's powerful statement, and then once, on his return from a summer vacation in South Africa, this young man presented me with one of my most treasured gifts-a large poster of President Mandela with the inscription. The framed poster now hangs in my home as a personal reminder of the thought, the man who uttered it, and of his grandson.
Down
in the little pocket between the seats in my gold Saturn I've stuck a Post-It
note that has "Pray" written on it. This little stickie is a reminder
for me to stay in touch with God; I need the reminder because I get distracted
with all the things on all my other lists. Even with the reminder, I still
sometimes feel awkward, maybe a bit artificial when I recite prayers. It
reminds me of Janice Joplin's tongue-in-cheek lyrics of her song Mercedes Benz:
"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches,
I must make amends. Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends, So
Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?"
