A traditional Native American Vision Quest consists of a person spending one to four days and nights secluded in nature. This provides time for deep communion with the fundamental forces and spiritual energies of creation and self-identity. As part of her Coming of Age journey to develop a personal religious credo, Maya spent a good portion of the day alone in the woods of New Hampshire. Her strategy for staying warm in the sub-freezing conditions included the use of a hammock to keep her off the ground, a sleeping bag to trap her body heat and a tarp to keep the snow off the suspended cocoon. This is the scene encountered by her mentor when he went back to retrieve her. The Coming of Age program concludes when each of the 14 year old participants shares their personal credo in front of the entire congregation of our church. It is invariably the most moving service of the year.

Closer to home, my date for the iRobot Holiday Party was a vision of beauty. Held at the swank Royale in downtown Boston we were treated to fine food, an exceptional band and more dancing than we have done in the last year.