Most of us have a need to belong. But that drive toward community can collide with another very American drive. Unless we are perfect, most of us walk through life with the need to prove something. I have spent my adult years trying to prove that I am not, as I was labeled in childhood, […]
Many years ago, I almost killed myself and a carpool of children. If I had carried out the act, would I deserve the “evil” title? Most Unitarian Universalists are reluctant to call those who act under the influence of medication, as I did, “evil”. But what about those who act under unimaginable fear or stress, […]
Why do so many of us seem to suffer from a kind of spiritual emptiness? One answer is the modern realization that our universe is unimaginably vast and indifferent to us. That sense of insignificance and meaninglessness can lead to despair. Or it can draw us to fundamentalist beliefs that provide a false sense of […]
On Mother’s Day, 2022, Linda had a stroke, followed by another one months later. She had to re-develop her ability to speak, and is still working on her swallowing, walking, balance, and small motor skills. Along the way, she has learned 4 lessons that apply to all of us, especially as we get older. Sunday […]
We progressives feel trapped in a country that is becoming unrecognizable. Every new outrage increases our anxiety and brings us closer to despair. But does despair – the absence of hope – serve any purpose? In this difficult age, hope is our only way out. Unitarian Universalism is founded on the notion that we can […]
Linda Crawford leads this service about how our early history can determine the way we shape our lives. Few of us have escaped childhood trauma. That experience can distort the lens through which we view society. Sibling rivalry and parental criticism distorted my perspective until I was well into middle age. Severely mistreated children may […]
Have you ever experienced a moment of connection with the universe? Perhaps you were out walking or listening to beautiful music when you felt an indescribable joy. You lost awareness of where you were, in both time and place. But how does this happen? During blissful moments, the parts of our brain that sustain our […]
Stories shape our lives in ways we often forget. They are not just the words we read or hear; they are the narratives we carry, the truths we live, and the forces that shape our understanding of the world. This month, as we explore the Soul Matters theme of Story, we ask: What’s your story? […]
In the journey of self-repair, we often uncover messages from our past—those repeated so often by society and family alike that they seemed true. Yet many of these words placed unnecessary burdens on us, limiting who we are meant to be. “Boys don’t cry,” “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” “Know your place”—phrases like these, […]
Most of us want our lives to have mattered. We want to have been contributors, however small, to the world around us. Meaning adds a crucial element to our existence. It goes beyond the material, beyond comfort, beyond happiness, to a deeper level of being. It reaches past our personal needs and gives something to […]
