Opening

Activity time: 5 minutes

Light the chalice and offer these words by Marilyn Sewell in Breaking Free: Women of Spirit at Midlife and Beyond:

We look at ourselves as we are, and life as it is, and we come to some reconciliation of the two. As we age, our aliveness shines forth from the depths of spirit, if we dare to go there. Maturity can bring a sweet kind of joy, as we come to know how deeply connected we are with all that is, as we understand and accept how much we have to give.

Lead the group in singing "Gathered Here," Hymn 389 in Singing the Living Tradition.