Ceremony offers touchstone to hope
SUN PHOTO BY BRENDA BARBOSA
Marsha Curtis hands out small white stones to members of the Unity Church of Peace of Port Charlotte during the church's "white stone ceremony" on New Year's Day.
Each year, the church invites its members to let go of the troubles of the previous year, and embrace the possibilities of the upcoming year.
SUN PHOTO BY BRENDA BARBOSA
Unity Church of Peace of Port Charlotte member Richard Curtis leads the church's New Year's Day "white stone ceremony" at which members are invited to let go of the old and embrace the new.
NORTH PORT — In nearly every tradition, the new year symbolizes a time of endings and beginnings, a time when folks say goodbye to the old to make room for the new.
“In order to do this, we must let go of the things that hold us back. If you can see your life is unmanageable in some aspect and you want to do something about it, you can,” speaker Tim Wetmore said to a group of 40 devotees gathered Tuesday afternoon for a New Year’s Day White Stone Ceremony at Unity Church of Peace, 1250 Rutledge St. (off Veterans Boulevard), on the North Port/Port Charlotte line.
