Rose Morba - On Belonging

Rose Morba

My name is Rose Morba (she/her) and I have been member of Beacon since my son was an infant. He’s now 31, so it’s been quite a few years. Let me tell you a story about belonging. During the pandemic, I found that doing some writing helped me get through the worst of it. When I saw that Beacon started a writing group, I thought it would be a great way to continue writing and connect with people at Beacon. The theme the first month was “belonging” and we were given a few prompts. The prompt that caught my attention was “What Do the Trees Tell Me About Belonging” and this is what I wrote.

A place where I feel I belong is walking in the woods. I don’t think I had been consciously aware of this until the prompt was given in the writing group. I have a sense of being grounded and belonging when trees, shrubs, and plants of all shapes and sizes form a border on both sides of a path I’m walking on. In the woods, I feel the security of the trees, like a safe haven, and see the beauty of the sunlight streaming through the branches and leaves. I take in the different kinds of bark and shapes of leaves on trees whose names I don’t know. Sometimes I want to label them – is it an oak, a maple, or an elm – but most of the time it doesn’t matter. Identifying and labeling what’s around me isn’t the purpose of my meandering. Being present in the moment is what matters to me. As the trees shed their leaves from summer to fall and winter, I begin to appreciate the endless views through the open forest and the paths and contours I hadn’t noticed. 

I’ve learned that during any season the trees and woods share their beauty, providing comfort and a sense of belonging. Like the forest, Beacon has also given me a sense of belonging. I feel comfort learning from and being surrounded by like-minded people. The Beacon community has informed my values and beliefs and I’m grateful to be part of it – all 31 years!

Annet Gaal is studying psychology and education. She is now doing her units of student teaching with assignments that change every 6 months. She has also been visiting a nursing home as part of a voluntary aid project. "It's a wonderful feeling to help," she wrote. (Pictures)

Agnes Demeter is studying to become a Unitarian minister at the Protestant theological seminary in Kolozsvar. She will receive her bachelor's degree in theology and hopes eventually to serve "a wonderful village church." Agnes' father Zoltan, who visited Summit in 2019, is one of the leaders in the Unitarian Providence Charity, which has been taking medical and other supplies into Ukraine to help residents and soldiers.