Help us make luminaria of hope for the Christmas Eve Service! Visit the table by the Great Hall to decorate a paper bag with colorful tissue paper and messages of hope and inspiration. We will use them to line the chancel and entrance to the church on Christmas Eve.
(photo credit: Christina Thrasher)
Though there are numerous observances during November, I have chosen to focus on
three.
Native American Heritage Month
World Kindness Day – Nov. 13
Thanksgiving Day – Nov. 23
Native American Heritage Month
May we pause throughout the month to reflect upon and honor the Unitarian Universalist
sixth source, which is the spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate
the sacred circle of life, and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
Chalice Lightings & Blessings:
Where I sit is holy,
Holy is the ground.
Forest, Mountain, river
Listen to the sound.
Great Spirit circle
All around me. – Blackfoot Chant
Trembling with Joy
The great sea has set me in motion,
set me adrift,
moving me like a weed in a river.
The sky and the strong wind
have moved the spirit inside me
till I am carried away
trembling with joy. – Inuit Shaman Uvavnuk
“I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more.”
― Chief Joseph
How will we open our hearts to more abundance this month? Will it be in richer
conversation with our children, partners, neighbors? Will we hear the birds in the
mornings or notice the change in the light? Will we extend a helping hand where we
know it’s needed? Will we take time to sit with someone in pain? How might abundance
and justice be connected? Will we take time to express gratitude?
-Rhonda Wingfield
Conversation is Key:
It can be difficult to talk with children about courage, what it means for them, how to engage with it, etc., most especially if parents/adults have not “checked themselves” about how they are engaging children.
The following article, How to Raise Kids Who Are More Tolerant Than You, from Greater Good Magazine (Sept. 26, 2017) offers five important suggestions:
1. Use specific, individualizing language, not generalizations
2. Highlight common ground instead of exaggerating differences
3. Check whether your body language matches your intentions
4. Remind kids of their choices of social groups with positive missions
5. Talk about when it’s time to take a stand
The entire article is an informative, short read at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_raise_kids_who_are_more_tolerant_than_you
With hope,
Rhonda
Rhonda Wingfield, DRE
First Unitarian Universalist Church
Richmond, VA