September ends in a mood of high national anxiety and uncertainty. As I write, the presidential race is extremely close, and the economy is a wreck.

Meanwhile, wars go on in Iraq and Afghanistan, the national deficit mushrooms, the health care crisis belies our self-image as a compassionate, equitable people. It is a challenge to decide even which — or how many — issues we can treat as crises before we feel paralyzed by the enormity of it all.

This is a time when we need one another — to gain or give support, encouragement, pathways through the thicket. It is good, it is necessary, to be together. On November 2, I will preach on “voting your UU values.” Between now and then, I encourage each of you to reflect on how your core values informs your voting.

Please share your thoughts with me. There is no one, right way to vote UU values, so I need to hear from as many of you as possible. Get in touch with me, and we’ll schedule a few minutes to converse.