We start off with dreams, visions of ourselves and who, where, and what we want to be. And we toil away chasing those dreams, working to make that vision real, painting ourselves into the landscape of life. But what happens when you achieve your vision of yourself, and you take a look around and realize … Continue reading Blindsided by Vision
Wendell Berry’s famous poem of the same name urges us, when we awake in the night with anxieties and fears about things little and small and local and global, to seek out the peace that can be found in nature. In this service, we’ll explore how we can learn to relax by the rhythms of … Continue reading “The Peace of Wild Things”
Many of us move through life at a breakneck speed, never slowing down to take care of ourselves, nourish our spirits, or break out of routine to find joy in spontaneous moments. Life has a way of throwing obstacles in our way—illnesses, deaths, births, career changes—that make us grind to a screeching halt and force … Continue reading “Courage, Dear Heart”
There is a Hasidic teaching, made popular among teachers by the Quaker educator and activist Parker Palmer, that tells us, “We need a coat with two pockets. In one pocket there is dust, and in the other pocket there is gold. We need a coat with two pockets to remind us who we are.” We’ll … Continue reading “A Coat With Two Pockets: Embracing Ourselves at Our Best… and Our Worst “
“Who are you?” The Caterpillar asked Alice, in the Alice in Wonderland. This timeless spiritual question becomes the core of Hindu Jnana practice. We can define ourselves by our titles, our family connections, our community life or our psychological profile. But is that enough? When all is said and done, how do you find our … Continue reading “Who Are You?”
Crickets and lightning bugs. Thunderstorms and fireworks. Popsicles and Coppertone. Summer’s simple pleasures invite us to slow down, take a deep breath of fresh air, and regard the world around us with wonder. We’ll welcome summer and its many blessings with a Popsicle communion to celebrate the season. (Sugar-free Popsicles will be available.)
The Syrian refugee crisis, the rise of terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists, and the often stilted coverage of both by the media produces the perfect storm: heated rhetoric is leading to attacks on Mosques and death threats and violence against Muslims. As UUs, we are called to treat those the rest of the world would see as strangers as our friends, to respond with love in the face of hate, and to hear and bear witness to the stories of people facing a hostile world. We will hear from our Muslim neighbors, and learn how we can stand with them during this turbulent time.
At the heart of so many spiritual and religious traditions is the act of letting go, be it through the absolution of sins, through detachment from the material world and society, through forgiveness. The writer Haruki Murakami says, “No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some … Continue reading Letting Go of Letting Go
