“The older I get the more I understand that laughter isn’t about pretending that things are fine. It’s about surviving the fact that they aren’t. It’s about staying human when life could easily harden you.” -Catherine O’Hara (actress best known for her roles in Home Alone, Beetlejuice, and Schitt’s Creek, who died recently) As I … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 2.25.26
“A culture of domination is anti-love. It requires violence to sustain itself. To choose love is to go against the prevailing values of the culture.” – bell hooks With it being Valentine’s week, many may feel disenchanted by a holiday like this, as capitalism normalizes and puts pressure on the giving of gifts whose origins … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 2.11.26
“The seeds are in the compost. The ancestors are in the soil. Our love is older than any wall. The roots break through.” -Alexis Pauline Gumbs, from Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies This particular time in our culture, history, and season, is one in which we are being stretched by both deep grief … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 2.4.26
We chose Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck as our next book. I was particularly intrigued because I had never heard of the title before, despite knowing most of Steinbeck’s other titles. One of our group members read it as a young person and liked it very much! Here’s the Amazon blurb. “A postwar continuation of Cannery … Continue reading UUFM Book Discussion Group ~ Wednesday, March 25, 2026 5:45 PM
I’ve been both deeply disturbed and profoundly inspired by what we have been continually witnessing here in our state. How timely it seems that our monthly theme of January has been Practicing Resistance when that currently is being called forth in a significant way, and in February we are reminded that we are invited to also consider … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 1.28.26
“Knowledge is not merely knowing facts, but the humility to acknowledge the vastness of what we don’t yet understand.” ― Aloo Denish Obiero I only gain focus when I begin by noticing how my attention is scattered. I only deepen awareness when I begin by acknowledging what is unconscious in me. I only grow kinder … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 1.21.26
“Change is only possible, & all the greater, When the labour & bitter anger of our neighbors Is moved by the love & better angels of our nature.” – an excerpt from “For Renee Nicole Good” by Amanda Gorman It goes without saying: It has been a long and heavy week. The collective trauma we … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 1.14.26
The following is an excerpt I adapted from my most recent worship service. Our Soul Matters monthly theme is Practicing Resistance, and my writing for this service focused on Presence, Rest, and Pleasure as Acts of Resistance: I believe a large and underrated part of decolonizing and liberating efforts is to prioritize space for imagination – a … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 1.7.26
“If we believe we live in an unfriendly universe, we will build walls to defend and weapons to attack. However, if we believe we live in a friendly universe, we will create bridges to connect.” Albert Einstein Understanding how our brain reacts to modern threats can enable us to act from compassion and build the … Continue reading The Neuroscience of Compassion
“All our wisdom is stored in the trees.” – Santosh Kalwar This past Sunday afternoon, I was fortunate to take a little time on a forest path near to my home. Truly unstructured windows of solo time feel like a luxury somedays, but I keep striving for enough reduction in other areas of my life … Continue reading Director of Lifespan Faith Formation 12.24.25
