Letter from the Acting President December 2022
“Time may change me,
But I can’t trace time.”
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
Just this week, the trees around my house near downtown Houston changed from a deep green to brilliant
oranges, reds, and yellows. I’ve always been a bit amused by the fact that here in Houston our foliage
changes so much later than elsewhere in the country, as if to say, “See, we can do it too! Better late than
never.” While others witness the warm-toned veil of fall draping over the landscape come mid-October,
here we wait until the year is almost through. One way or another, however, the change comes.
The holiday season reminds us of many things, one being the delicate balance between permanence and
change. Some, of course, claim there is nothing that is truly permanent – everything is always changing;
time waits for no one. Others maintain that some things are everlasting – God’s love, for example, or the
light of truth.
In life, there are times when we feel the currents of change carrying us forward. And yet, there seem to be
parts of ourselves, through it all, that remain unchanged. A friend who retired a couple of years ago recently
told me, “In the morning, when my feet hit the ground and I look in the mirror, I see the same boy I’ve
always seen.” In this way, we carry within us a kind of essential spiritual kernel that is there for life.
It is interesting to ask oneself, “How would I describe the spiritual kernel that makes me me? What values,
beliefs, and desires are part of my very being?”
The New Year is a time when we anticipate changes big and small. As you move into a new season, what will
stay with you? What will change?
Many people create New Year’s resolutions, while others simply envision or set an intention about how they
want to change – how things could be different. There are many motivations for these changes, both
internal and external, and sometimes when we don’t change in the ways we had hoped for, we become
disappointed and frustrated. We tend to focus on what needs to change rather than what is important to
remain unchanged.
Our inner spiritual kernel can serve as an anchor. As your leaves change, sometimes in unexpected ways,
where are you rooted?
With Peace and Warmth,
Stuart C. Nelson, MA
Acting President