Evergreen trees and plants have to be more careful than deciduous plants about how they allocate their resources, and which edges they really want to grow, because they don’t get the same opportunity to restore through dormancy. The choices they make inform how they make it through the next winter. In a similar way, as we move into the new year, what goals are worth re-evaluating, and which are important enough to us to commit to? How can we grow into more resilient selves, while helping others along the way? Trees grow best in a forest!

BIO: An aspirant and student of the Meadville-Lombard Theological School’s class of 2028, Chelsi Burger (she/her) has filled many roles since graduating from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife in 2014. She has completed two terms of service with AmeriCorps, served in the US Forest Service’s DC policy office supporting clean air and watershed initiatives, as well as pollinator and habitat rehabilitation programs, before joining the US Peace Corps as a volunteer serving rural farmers in Zambia (RPCV 2015–2017). Since returning, she has grown a small business, Mollusk Mama, which focuses on removing barriers to aquatic animal keeping for underserved groups and educating people about wild aquatic animals and the necessity of their habitats to human health. In October 2025, she commissioned as a Navy Chaplain Candidate. As a member of Tree of Life UUC in McHenry, Illinois, she is a youth programming facilitator for middle school students. She lives with her girlfriend, two cats, and her darling dog, Daisy, at their home in Woodstock, Illinois, where she volunteers at the local library, enjoys gardening, and participates in wacky poetry projects with the Atrocious Poets.