And truly, I want us to call in the protection of the ouroboros this year as a charm against consuming one another, and destroying ourselves in the process. The snake eating its own tail forgets that it is a part of itself until it is too late. It sees its tail as enemy, as prey, as something to conquer. Dear ones, we cannot continue to eat our own. I see this so often in our families and in our progressive spaces alike. We tear down our allies and comrades, trapped in a loop, while the violence we seek to dismantle rages on.

We re-turn, turn again, for comfort – like a dog laying down before sleep; we return in search of what we missed the first time – like scanning the table for our keys; or we return in a way that alters fate, like Orpheus’ pained backward glance. In our second Zoom services for the Days of Awe as the pandemic still rages, we can look to the idea of “return” as a way of taking stock, of seeing what is left and what we can make from it.

“And I started to realize that if God is what animates me, then God is what animates everything. And suddenly the “Shema” converged with the mad rantings on the Dr. Bronner’s magic soap bottle that boldly proclaims “All One!” And for that brief moment, I succumbed to oneness. To God.”

As we enter the new year, I hope to work alongside many of you here today and many others from across Maryland to see that this new year brings about much needed paid family and medical leave for all workers in our state.

We must not close our eyes to the pain of the world. Brutal injustice exists at the same time as we live our lives. Joy is a powerful and unlimited natural resource that we must continually cultivate, individually and as a community. As Rebecca Solnit says, “Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a fine initial act of insurrection.”