Since the beginning of this school year, Nicolai has been preparing for a right of passage in the Unitarian Universalist church called Coming of Age. In this ceremony, held later in the year, Nicolai will stand in the pulpit and share his personal credo with the entire congregation. This evening, as part of the process, parents were asked to share letters describing what they admired and valued in their children as well as any words of advice they wanted to offer. The entire group assembled afterwards for a moment of reflection. I leave for Santa Barbara tomorrow and will spend the entire week there working.