By Melissa Jeter“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.”—Hebrews 12:1New year, new me, right?Maybe, but I just want to sit on the couch. The days are l
By Christine Slocum“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.” –Mary Oliver, from "It Was Early"We can be many things.Friday afternoon? We were traffic. Car traffic. You usually find both of us on bicycles to commute, but work took us too far that day. My colleague lives on the wa
By Deborah Weiner“Life isn’t fair, but government must be.” —Ann Richards, former governor of TexasMy mother, Vera Weiner, was one of the founders of the Unitarian Society of New Haven.In the 1960s she, along with a group of activist Unitarian and other progressive women, were leaders of Planned
By Tim AtkinsWhen hardships come into your life it breaks you for a while, but when it is done with you evolve into a new person. —Madalsa SharmaNew Year’s is my favorite winter holiday. Since 2015, I’ve engaged in a ritual of reflection and intention that’s dear to me: choosing a word to serve as
By Joanna Fontaine Crawford“At a time when over half the published arguments in favor of slavery were being written by Christian pastors, [Rev. John Sullivan Dwight] was publishing what would become an anthem of abolitionists.” —@ZachWLambert, via TwitterI’ve always loved the song “O Holy Night.” L
By Tania Márquez “Ritual is a form of direct knowing, something indigenous to the psyche. It has evolved with us, taking knowing into the bone, into our very marrow.” ―Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of SorrowWhen I was growing up in Tijuana, México, our neighborhood would celebrate the traditional p
By Megan Lloyd Joiner“Now is the moment of magic, when people beaten down and broken, with nothing left but misery and candles and their own clear voices, kindle tiny lights and whisper secret music…” —Rev. Victoria Safford, “The Moment of Magic”In the Christian calendar, Advent is a time of waitin
By cristy cardinal“An army of lovers cannot lose.” –from “Queers Read This!,” a 1990 manifesto by ACT UPThe picture of the flagpole, bent at a ninety-degree angle, and the small scrap of fabric, edges frayed where the flag ripped apart, snapped me back to reality–the reality where our state governm
By JD Stillwater“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane GoodallI remember the moment. I shuffled out of my Plant Biology class feeling adrift, feeli
By Erika HewittContent warning: racism“So much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.” —Adrienne Rich, “Natural Resources”“I don’t know who to vote for,” the woman said over the phone. “My daughter tol