Have you ever noticed that all of the stories in our lives that we re-write tend to have happier endings, sometimes even mythic? What is the allure of imagining do-overs of glory? This morning, we’ll explore how the very modern preoccupation of imagining alternate selves can be fuel for fantasy and escape, but also fodder … Continue reading Sliding Doors and the Lives We Didn’t Live

In the still lingering aftermath of a pandemic, with our country in turmoil, and with the world in such chaos, do we still know how to engage in “wish-craft?” What is the difference between wishes and hopes?  Without shutting out what is real around us, how might we recharge the rainbow connection of wishes, wonder, and … Continue reading Wishing Boats and Summertime Wonder

Twenty-five years ago, the UUA revised its outdated About your Sexuality program and created OWL (Our Whole Lives). Over the years, some have called OWL “radical” because it is radically honest about the spectrum of sexuality and the dimensions of healthy relationships. It pioneered a normalized, non-apologetic view of sexuality for learners from childhood to … Continue reading Celebrating OWL and Sacred Sexuality

Among the multitude of Hindu deities, there is a goddess named “Akhilandeshvari” – the “Never Not Broken Goddess.” She is anything but frail, though – she carries a trident and rides on a crocodile! As humans, we are also “never-not-broken,” yet how do you relate to our brokenness? Do we despise it? Embrace it? Feel … Continue reading Patching Chindis: On Brokenness

How does a world in turmoil cope with fear, embrace uncertainty, and grow wings of hope and courage? As one psychologist noted:  “A nation that is terrified of uncertainty is in big trouble. We can’t be terrified.”  Some say we should “keep busy,” but I tend to agree with Buddhist nun Pema Chodron, who counsels … Continue reading Learning to Fly, Learning to Fall

Three days after International Worker’s Day, we’ll explore the current reality of the workplace.  Back in 1884, in his essay entitled “Estranged Labor,” Karl Marx argued that workers are objectified and made into miserable shells. Whether or not you agree with this assessment, in our current world of work, too many people who strive for success … Continue reading A Profession Is Not a Personality

Blind faith? Leap of faith? Free faith? How does the word “faith” strike you? For some, it is a poke in the eye, an uncomfortable vestige of a rigid religious past. For others, it remains a positive, re-imagined resource for moving through the joys and sorrows of life. What does it mean to be “faithful?” … Continue reading Easter – Faithful over a Few Things