“The only obsession everyone wants: ‘love.’ People think that in falling in love they make themselves whole? The Platonic union of souls? I think otherwise. I think you’re whole before you begin. And the love fractures you. You’re whole, and then you’re cracked open.” Philip Roth What is happening for the remainder of February… This … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 2.22.23
“…Those stones giving extra gravity to your heart? Lay them down in the Great River of Grief. It flows forever. It softens everything. And while you’re still here Don’t miss the miracles. Let your heart be a leaping dolphin. At least sometimes. Let it be an opening rose. Let it be a deep-rooted tree growing … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 2.15.23
Dear Ones, The heart you see here was created by the Rev. Dan Schatz on the Unitarian Congregation of West Chester (PA). He entered all the song words from the gray hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, into a word generator, and this is the image that emerged! Love is at the center of our singing, … Continue reading February 15, 2023 Minister’s Message
Dear Ones, It is good to be back in Mankato, though, I cannot lie, San Diego was delightful. Warm weather, sunsets into the ocean, good friends, and time to reflect. Such Study Leave sustains me, and I know what a privilege it is. And it is a bit of self-love—something we all need—a chance to … Continue reading February 8, 2023 Minister’s Message
“Creation seems to come out of imperfection. It seems to come out of a striving and a frustration and this is where I think language came from. I mean, it came from our desire to transcend our isolation and have some sort of connection with one another. And it had to be easy when it … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 2.8.23
Rev. Rita will be away on Study Leave from Jan. 28th – Feb. 5th. Please contact Board President, Bob Finley finbob@charter.net or (507) 380-1869 or Communications and Office Administrator, Shelly Storm uumankato@gmail.com or (507) 388-5022 for Fellowship matters. I am available to text or call for emergencies. Thanks for your consideration and your patience at this time.
“Cleansing and clearing are two words which suit the essence of Imbolc, as this is February, the Roman month of purification. This can be a cleansing of the self, in undertaking a good ‘detox’, or a clearing and cleansing of the home, in keeping with the tradition of spring-cleaning.” ― Carole Carlton Before Groundhog Day, … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 2.1.23
Starlings murmurate together, a distinct relational pattern that enables them to keep warm at night, to exchange information, to find good feeding places, to stay safe and whole. A flock of individual birds can act in concert by orienting their own movements to that of six other individuals. Single birds become one strong body, ensuring … Continue reading January 25, 2023 Minister’s Message
“If we want to support each other’s inner lives, we must remember a simple truth: the human soul does not want to be fixed, it wants simply to be seen and heard. If we want to see and hear a person’s soul, there is another truth we must remember: the soul is like a wild … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 1.25.23
Dear Friends, I am intrigued by the interplay of two quotations from our monthly Soul Matters packet on “Finding Our Center. On the one hand, according to Lao Tzu, At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want.” On the other, according to … Continue reading January 18, 2023 Minister’s Message
