A free-range Unitarian Universalist minister
I was ordained as a minister by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1998, and transferred to the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2012. Alaska is not exactly a hotbed of ready-made UU minister jobs, so at the moment I’m “free-range.”
My main gig—other than homemaking and parenthood—is editing The Interdependent Web for UU World magazine.
Making meaning of daily life
One of the guiding principles for many UUs is “the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” Writing is how I live out this principle. Meaning isn’t out there, waiting for us to discover it along the side of the road. We find meaning by making meaning, by paying attention to the world around us, by thinking about what happens, and by sharing our thoughts with others.
In Girdwood, Alaska
I live with my partner Liesl, our daughter Willa, and our dog Brady in a small ski village an hour south of Anchorage. We moved to Alaska in 2005 so that Liesl could become an aircraft mechanic; after training at UAA, she now works at the Girdwood airport. I think of myself as a reluctant Alaskan; I appreciate Alaska’s beauty, but it doesn’t fill my soul like it does for Liesl. Writing about life here helps me focus more on the beauty, and less on my need to live somewhere warmer, greener, and less isolated.
This world. This place. This life.
Thank you for visiting Nagoonberry. I hope you’ll find a way to connect—by commenting on posts (either here or on my Facebook page) or contacting me via email. I look forward to hearing about the meaning you’re making of your world, your place, your life.
Nagoonberry 
October 14, 2010 at 6:25 am
Where did you get your tee shirt with the words on it? I like it and wouldn’t mind owning one.
October 14, 2010 at 6:56 am
Northern Sun, I believe.
August 19, 2011 at 9:17 pm
I grew up “open” Brethren.
August 20, 2011 at 8:43 am
Hello Heather! I’m delighted to have found you out here, thanks to your Hooked visit. I grew up completely disconnected from and suspicious of any organized faith practices, and have since mellowed to a big-time fondness for Unitarians. Cap’n J and I visit the one in Bellingham when we’re not fishing. You’ve got a lovely site; I look forward to reading more of your reflections.
Be well –
Tele
August 20, 2011 at 11:32 am
Hi, Tele! Glad you found your way here, and even more glad that connected with UUs. It’s a good place for those of us who need a lot of elbow room on our search for truth/meaning.
October 29, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Heather, I always say my life motto is “Not all who wander are lost!” That is so funny. My dad actually asked me one day “What are you doing now, Rose” and my reply was “I am a wanderer who is not lost.” Ha ha. We actually have a sign by our back door that says so.
October 29, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Wanderers make interesting discoveries. 😊