Dear Ones,
In 1983, Billy Joel wrote “Keeping the Faith” as his way of explaining a creative revival – a debt he felt he owed to the music, the friends, and the culture of his youth. The song is a love letter to a world that no longer exists.
We don’t fully understand what our places mean to us until they’re gone. The restaurant isn’t just a restaurant. It’s the table where you celebrated, argued, reconciled and laughed. It’s the waiter who knew your order and hugged you when you arrived. It’s years of dinners that somehow became the architecture of a life. When it closes, you don’t just lose a place to eat. You lose a place to be – a physical location where your history was stored and your identity was reflected back at you.
You cannot preserve what is gone. Not denial – the restaurant is not coming back, and particular magic existed only in that particular place. But integration. Folding what you loved into who you are, so that the place lives in you even when you can no longer visit it.
- This means telling the stories.
- It means finding the photograph and putting it somewhere you can see it.
- It means ordering the same drink somewhere new and tipping your glass to the place that first introduced you to it.
- It means letting the people who shared those places with you know – explicitly, today, not eventually – what those years meant. It also means staying open to what comes next.
Billy Joel’s most generous line is that tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems. Not that tomorrow replaces what was lost – nothing does. But that the capacity for meaning, for joy, for the kind of belonging that makes a place sacred is not finite. It doesn’t run out when the doors close.
The closed restaurant. The shuttered beach bar. The empty booth, the dark stage, the locked door. These are not the end of the story. They are proof that something worth grieving existed – that you were paying enough attention to love a place well, that you lived richly enough to accumulate losses worth feeling.
Billy Joel went to the grave of his musical youth, picked up what mattered, and walked back into the present with his arms full. You can do the same.
When a place closes, that version of you loses its address.
Psychologists call these locations memory palaces – physical spaces so saturated with experience that simply walking through the door triggered a cascade of identity and emotion. When the space disappears, the cascade has nowhere to go. That’s not sentiment. That’s neuroscience.
We tend to think of this kind of loss as something that accumulates only with age. But it visits us throughout life, each time in a different costume.
The childhood home sold to strangers. The college bar that became a bank. The neighborhood that priced you out. The office building you worked in for 20 years, demolished for condominiums. Each generation has its own version of the closed door, the dark window, the sign that says thank you for the memories as if a laminated notice could possibly cover it.
What changes as we age is not the loss itself, but our growing awareness of what the loss means. Younger people experience it as shock – the world was supposed to hold still. Older people experience it as pattern recognition – this is what time does, and it does it without asking. That recognition is not resignation. In the right hands, it becomes wisdom.
Joel’s answer to the vanishing world of his youth was not to mourn it into paralysis. It was to make something from it. The entire album –An Innocent Man– was his way of saying: this shaped me, and I won’t pretend otherwise, and I’m not ashamed of what I’m made of. Joel related: “The material was coming so easily and so quickly, and I was having so much fun doing it. I was kind of reliving my youth.”
The good old days weren’t always good. But they were real, and they were yours, and nobody gets to take that part.
Keep the faith.
Pastor KatieD+
Morning Reflections
THURSDAY HELLO
AUGUST 13, 2026
School is where you first realize the world isn’t fair and not everybody has crayons or a PBJ in their backpack.
Quick story: When my godchild was a high school freshman he and his best friend won the local National History Day contest which meant they got to go to Washington, with other winners from our region, to present their exhibit and compete with kids from all over our nation! It was a big deal.
I helped pay the trip fee, which the school labeled as “all-inclusive,” and gave him twenty dollars for spending money. Turns out the “trip fee” only included travel and lodging. Food was on your own. So for three days, in DC, he had to eat whatever $20 would buy him. Which was mainly french fries and ketchup.
The shame he felt as other kids ate their fill ruined what should have been a joyous, celebratory trip. He’s never forgotten it, and we’ve never lived it down.
Well, when the next school year rolled around, his mother, my sister was in Target, getting all the “stuff.” A display of crayons and pencils was marked 4 for $10. He pulled four packs of crayons and four packs of pencils off the shelf and dropped them in the cart. When she snarkily suggested he was a little old for crayons, he stared her down, then softly said, “Not everybody has $20 for crayons and pencils Mom.”
Shame leaves scars.
Please purchase some crayons and pencils and drop them off at a primary school near you. They’ll know who needs those crayons, and you’ll know you’ve made a difference in the life of a child
Sandy Knoell was always 1st to send in school supplies when we collected them for the kids. Sandy moved to Ohio to be near a daughter two years ago. It is not unusual for elders to move to a Sr. Living facility or with one of their children.
THURSDAY HELLO
AUGUST 6, 2026
I wanted to talk about the trade deadline today, and by that I don’t really mean how the Detroit Tigers traded Skubal and Mize, although I am satisfied with the return received (I was hoping Skubal would remain a Tiger – but had forgotten that Boros was his agent). Rather, I was thinking about how I – even with my Sweetie's birthday around the corner – survived another trade deadline. But that is old news by now, like Me and Jack.
So, instead, I am writing about how I would not trade my church for any other. When I say that, I realize I should say “our” church (or congregation) instead of “my”, but I don’t say it meaning I own it or that it revolves around me. Rather I mean that I am excited (dare I use the word proud?) to be a member and extremely pleased with how she is working to fulfill her mission of Connecting People to Jesus and to One Another—that is the MI United Church of Christ Conference. Our 'little' local church is stressed to the max.
It all starts with the clear proclamation of the Gospel. The words of Jesus to Nicodemus are echoed in every aspect of ministry. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3.16-17)
Though I won’t do the worship services in Richmond after August 30 (retirement) I expect–I will be available to do Pulpit Supply on Sunday mornings at other local churches. I am still Word and Sacrament centered, Gospel proclamation that connects to real life, servant involvement of many people in a wide variety of roles, etc. (I could go on, but I think you get the gist).
But it is not just about Sunday mornings. It is also how a building can be used for serving the community. Remember, the Church that plays together, stays/prays together. Both focus the opportunity to get to know Jesus and the people of His church better. This is just one small example. This Thursday’s Hello would get too long if I tried to describe (or even offer a complete list) of activities that start with things like the Christmas Day Dinner, KIDS, school supplies, the food pantry, euchre, and UCC special collections for the wider church. These were practiced well at one time. Only Euchre and the Christmas Day continue for the Richmond local church where I have been serving as Pastor. Our in-person worship and the number of active and regular participants is very small in number.
Opportunities to be nurtured by God’s Word is a priority. Multiple small groups can gather around the Scriptures for support and growth regularly. Devotional booklets were distributed freely for home usage and daily reading plans and online resources abound. At this time however, our local Richmond church is in financial trouble. A membership meeting is scheduled for August 16 to discuss how and if we can continue serving the community.
Another major “3.16-17” from the Bible is the foundation for all of this: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3.16-17) The Word heard should result in Word spread through our actions.
And you might remember what happened to the church in Jerusalem when they did something very similar in response a not-so-different situation. “The word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly.” (Acts 6.7) I cannot tell you how many times the people I visit express their appreciation that someone is coming to minister to them … and this ministry has also opened the door for Word and Sacrament to be delivered to many individuals who are not members of our local church.
I hope all who read this feels good about their home church. And, if you do not currently have a church home, I encourage you to look into one soon. Realizing that churches were full back in the '50s—I believe that was the response to the Depression and War. I hope we don't need another economic depression or full blown world war for people to Give Thanks and worship again. We know in our hearts that there is nothing like sitting together to sing praise, listen to the Word, and share Table Fellowship in person. Like the little boy in a story often told, about when the little boy had nightmares, he kept calling for his Mom who said after his third call out, "honey, God is right there with you," his response to his mother was "I want God with skin on!"
Thursday Hello, 2026 July 9 Reflection
‘Remembering ‘
'Himself' is currently reading “Your Detroit Tigers – the Great, the Good, the Top 400” by Tom Gage with Alex Avila (thanks, McDonald Library). While I expect all of you know we are celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary, I am not sure how many know that the Detroit Tigers have been around for half of those years. Founded in 1901 (that’s why season ticket holders are called “The 1901 Society”), our MLB team is celebrating its 125th anniversary. This has prompted me to reflect upon my life.
Using a very specific metric, Gage lists the top 10 Tiger hitters of all time as 1) Ty Cobb, 2) Al Kaline, 3) Charlie Gehringer, 4) Lou Whitaker, 5) Alan Trammell, 6) Harry Heilmann, 7) Migel Cabrera, 8) Sam Crawford, 9) Hank Greenberg, and 10) Norm Cash. (Harry Heilman) died at the age of 56. How many did you root for during your lifetime? (Al Kaline’s career as a Tiger started the year 1952). That is a whole lot of history.
Using a different metric, the top 10 pitchers list is as follows: 1) Micky Lolich, 2) Justin Verlander, 3) Hal Newhouser, 4) Jack Morris, 5) George Mullin, 6) Hooks Dauss, 7) Tommy Bridges, 8) Dizzy Trout, 9) Wild Bill Donovan, and 10) Jim Bunning. Two of them (Mullin at 64 and Donovan at 47) left this earth kinda young. And himself admits that he had never before heard of Hooks or Wild Bill. However, three of the top four many of you long time MI residents saw pitch for our Tigers – and number 10 was a hero of many at Tiger Stadium (did you “followe him” all the way to the US Senate). Finally, overlapping Mr. Tiger’s career, Hal Newhouser’s last year as a Tiger was 1952.
At a recent funeral I found myself reflecting on the many times I have had the privilege of serving families in this regard over the years. In my first years of ministry I did the prayers at the visitation of some World War One veterans. Since then there have been vets from World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, and multiple other military actions. There was a time when I was visiting three different men in hospice – one a veteran from WW2, one from Korea, and one from Vietnam – and I was amazed at how similar their post-war trauma stories were. I also note that in every year since being in ministry in one form or another I have led prayers for at least one individual who was younger than me (an ever-present reminder of my mortality).
It’s more pleasant to reflect upon other “major life events” that have privileged me. I haven’t stayed in touch with all of the couples with whom I did pre-marriage work, but I know some are grandparents (I confess I am not sure about any being great-grandparents) … talk about feeling old! However, I must confess it puts a special smile on my face as I hear about their children - and grandchildren - growing up.
The privileged life we all are granted in our baptism is described by Peter this way: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2.9) One does not need to be in ministry for over 40 years or have lived for over 83 to have reflections like mine. Our privileges – like our gifts and our life stories – are all different, but equally real and equally blessed by our Lord and Savior Jesus.
The verse following the previous quote also is true for all of us. “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2.10) I love how the word “now” appears twice in this verse. The more consistently I am conscious of the constant grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus, the more free I am to truly enjoy life – no matter what it brings … This is my major reflection /research for today.
Friday, June 19: Prayer
Thursday, 2026 June 11th Reflection - 2nd after Pentecost/Mt 9:9-13, 18-26
On June 7, I shared about Abraham's call, and on June 14, it will be about Sarah's laugh. I know some prefer to hear about the Gospel so that is attached about the June 7 Gospel. I audio so you can be doing whatever as you listen. Pastor Katie
Pastor's Reports to Council
Four Week Bible Study
Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures
Week 1:
- YouTube discussion
- Handout: Names of God
Week 2:
Week 3:
Pastor Katie’s Office Hours and Pastoral Care
If Pastor Katie is not in the office when you need pastoral care, please know that Pastor Katie is always glad to take your call or to arrange a day and time to meet with you.
Cell number: 586-202-8644
Home phone: 586-716-9543
Email: daileystory@gmail.com.
You can also call the office at 586-727-3155 and leave a message with Helen or on the answering machine. In the old days, hospitals and rehab/nursing facilities used to inform pastors when one of their flock was admitted. That doesn’t happen anymore, so please feel free to give us a call when needed.
Rev. Katie Dailey, Pastor
E-Mail: daileystory@gmail.com
Phone: CELL: 586-202-8644
Office hours:Pastor Katie is available before worship on Sundays from 9 - 10 am and then again
after worship from 11 am - 1 pm. She is also in on Wednesdays from 10 am until 2 pm.
OFFICE: 586-727-3155
Church E-Mail: firstunitedcc@outlook.com
OFFICE HOURS:
The secretary is in the office on Tuesdays, 8:30 am —12 noon and Fridays 8:30 am till 1 pm. If you need additional assistance at other times, please send Helen an email at firstunitedcc@outlook.com or leave a phone message at the church office: 586-727-3155.
Thank you.