An exploration of why “everyday depression” comes to us, what it intends, and whatmeaning it may hold for us. Bruce A. Bode is Minister Emeritus at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (QUUF) in Port Townsend, Washington, from which he retired in 2018 as the Senior Minister after serving the congregation for fourteen years (2004-2018). Before … Continue reading Everyday Depression’: Our Potential Ally
Springtime and gardening go together and have us imagining Beloved Community as a garden. Imagine the soil of Beloved Community as the ground of being that nurtures Unitarian Universalism. What do we want to cultivate? How do we handle the weeds? Will everyone be welcome? Camille Dungy’s book “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” provided … Continue reading Creating the Garden of Beloved Community
Moral injury is a human condition, suffered as a part of living in a world where we, others and the earth are harmed by actions or the failure to act. How do we integrate these experiences to be able to continue to live when everywhere we look there are more reasons to cry in agony, … Continue reading Living with Moral Injury
We ALL face challenging changes and losses in our lives–whether it be a change in our health, the loss of a loved one, or the evaporation of a dream. And every time we face such changes, we are offered a powerful spiritual choice. Rev. Kate Lore is a Unitarian Universalist minister known for her work … Continue reading Through the Storm: Finding Light in Life’s Changes
This talk will focus on the potent inner/outer landscape: the intersection between who we feel we are internally and how we behave in the world. As areas of confluence in the natural world, ecotones are especially rich in biodiversity. Viewing ecotones as a concept, we can begin to apply their value in human contexts – … Continue reading Spiritual Life as an Ecotone
The architect, philosopher and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller wrote, “We arecalled to be architects of the future, not its victims.” In our changing worldthat call has become increasingly urgent: when we hear it, how can werespond in ways that help create the future we hope to see? The Reverend Carol McKinley, now retired, lives in … Continue reading We Are Called
What is it like being a teenage Pakistani Muslim in America? Hear from exchange student Aman Fatima, as she shares her Muslim faith and the differences between life in Karachi and Poulsbo, Washington Aman Fatima is a 15 year old exchange student from Karachi, Pakistan. She attends West Sound Academy in Poulsbo.
Life doesn’t always pause when our hearts are heavy, our minds are fractured, or our spirits feel like they’re unraveling. This truth is both raw and universal. And yet, we endure. That’s the miracle of being human–we endure. Somewhere in the depths of our pain, we find reserves of strength we didn’t know we possessed. … Continue reading In the Depths of Darkness: Harnessing Our Strength in Times of Turmoil
Visiting an elderly uncle in Toronto recently, I was shocked to discover that he was actively dying and none of his 5 children or other family members was present. I realized that in our culture, we have very little information or encouragement to be present in this difficult but transformational and often deeply spiritual time. … Continue reading Afraid of attending a dying person? Why you needn’t be.
Reflecting on the power of community and the potential for small actions to have larger impacts and ripple effects, and about mindfulness and the importance of paying attention to details. Madeline Ostrander is a science journalist and writer whose work has appeared in NewYorker.com, The Nation, Sierra magazine, PBS’s NOVA Next, Slate, and numerous other outlets. … Continue reading Small Things
