Moment of Oneness, October 21, 2026 - Presided by Denise Hackert-Stoner and Written by Margaret Dilgen

photo by Margaret Dilgen

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81507551772
Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: 1-301-715-8592

Welcome: This past Saturday, along with many of her family and friends, we remembered and celebrated the beautiful life of our beloved Margaret Dilgen. As I thought about preparing this Moment of Oneness, I remembered working with her as she created a beautiful, fall-themed Moment of Oneness.  So here, let us pray with Margaret, and revel, as she did in this beautiful season.  Margaret began her prayer with this welcome: “So happy to be here with all of you and be part of this time of year. Sit back, take two deep breaths, clear your mind of all the every day cares and thoughts. Relax and picture a beautiful autumn day.”

Reader 1: Autumn is a season with abundant gifts for the body and soul. It offers a harvest for aspects of life that are rich and plentiful with possibility, and are the result of creative and spiritual efforts extended throughout the previous seasons. Autumn encourages fervent prayer for courage to embrace change in all its complexity, and to seek the hidden beauty within the increasing darkness.  In the depths of not knowing and at the threshold of change there lies the opportunity for both subtle and profound transformation.  Let us seek the lesser-known shore as the destination for our autumn journey. (Sibyl Dana Reynolds)

Prayer:

Response after each:  O Taste and see the goodness of our Creator)

We remember the beauty of our world, how all is interdependent, like bees in a hive, each part reliant on another part in order to exist.

We remember how the Holy One resides within and among us, energizing our love and encouraging our actions for good.

We remember people who are like nurturing honeycombs to us,

offering the sweetness of their enduring affection and acceptance.

We remember the sustaining energy of nature, its ability to urge us to change, the sweet taste of the seasons as they beckon us with their transitional beauty.

We remember the wonder of our minds, all we are given in thought, insight, and decision-making, our mental faculties that lead to greater well-being.

We remember our gathering in prayer; the strength these moments give us for our spiritual paths. (Joyce Rupp, Prayer Seeds)

Margaret was a teacher of young children.  That calling was never far from her.  So, as a final suggestion on celebrating the season, she left us some hands-on suggestions:

Some Autumn ways to capture the beauty of the season...

Craft an autumn journal. Create autumn's splendor within the pages.

Take an afternoon walk with your camera and capture photos of fallen leaves, wet shiny stones, mossy pathways, piles of acorns, spider's webs, ripe orange pumpkins. Paste these images in your journal.

Paint your prayers in autumn colors.

Margaret chose “It’s a Wonderful World” as a closing prayer and song.  I have chosen this version.  I think she would approve.

What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

https://youtu.be/rBrd_3VMC3c?si=LJjzna6Jw0-f5-Ux