Have you ever been out in public and smelled something delicious? Maybe it was stir fry, french fries, or fresh fruit, but there was this smell coming from somewhere and you had no idea where… Has that happened to you? Sure, sometimes it is obvious, with a little looking, but not always. Sometimes it isn’t […]
Church can be people who trust one another. Church can be people who accept and encourage each other. Church can be a place where it’s ok to be imperfect, and the effort counts for something. Church can be a place where we ask the important questions and admit to one another that we don’t know. […]
I am just shy of six feet tall. There are times when that is uncomfortable, like when I go to a performance at the highschool and the theater seats don’t leave leg room. There are cars I would rather not ride in, and backseats I just can’t use as-intended. Generally, though, it is a blessing […]
Most of the people who will read this were born with some blessings; health, access to education, access to technology, and the mental capability to put them all to use are all blessings; many people lack one or more in their lives. Some of us have been given blessings we don’t even know to count. […]
The Unitarian Universalist Association officially lists 6 sources of wisdom in its by-laws. In reality, those sources encompass hundreds of traditions. In those traditions, there are thousands of concepts that might be referred to as “god”. Some concepts are well-defined and named, others are nebulous and unnameable. The fact is that we must all come […]
Your worth and dignity are inherent. They cannot be discarded or taken away. Maybe you made terrible choices yesterday or all last year. Today, you can choose to be different; today you can choose to be your best. While one’s worth and dignity can be tarnished or buried, made hard to see, there is no […]
I was invited to my first Unitarian Universalist service by a friend. Statistically, you probably were, too. The vast majority of UUs weren’t brought up in a UU congregation. Even those who did grow up UU at some point have to choose their membership, rather than having it assumed for them. Ours is a chosen […]
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated 50 years ago last Wednesday. Many people spent the week mourning his death and celebrating his life and his work. Or, for too many, celebrate a small part of it. It is almost like we’ve forgotten that he died in the service of his mission, not the completion […]
It has been said many times, many ways, that you cannot force a flower to bloom. The conditions have to be right, and you cannot force the issue by shaming the flower. Rumi reminds us that it is rain, not thunder, that nourishes the plants. If you want to see flowers and fruit, you have […]
In the tradition of the Iroquois (as well as a number of other Native American cultures) there are three sisters who are essential to the health of the community. They each have different needs and talents, but it makes them an amazing team. Individually they would be hard to raise and none of them could […]