UU (Unitarian Universalists) and our Animal Friends!

From UU World: "I realized both my animals and my church community have spiritually fed me throughout my life" 
Kimberly French -A UU World contributing editor, Kimberly French is a journalist and essayist whose work has appeared in Tikkun, Utne Reader, Salon, and other magazines. She is the author of the book Perkins School for the Blind. She is a member of the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Middleborough, Massachusetts.

Krowka, Laura's Cat "working" at Cambridge Homes on Monday nights

29 Examples Of Animals Helping Their Interspecies Friends

Turns out, love knows no bounds in the animal world as well. (click here)

Questions to Ponder with your family and friends:

• How does it feel to have an animal as a friend? How does this feel?
• What is different about an animal friend then a human friend?
• How are you living our UU faith by caring for all being?

"We acknowledge and affirm the kinship and interdepend­ence of all beings, and adopt an ethic of inter­spe­cies com­passion as an integral com­po­nent of liberal religion." 

- Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry

Peace blowing in the wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBQ-KsGo_BI

Peace Through All People

http://u.jimdo.com/www32/o/sfc5ac04a050f0c6b/img/i262ab4144f0ad661/1284064154/std/a-peace-mala-is-a-symbolic-bracelet-that-promotes-friendship-respect-and-peace-between-the-faiths-and-all-people-in-our-world-it-cuts-through-all-forms-of-prejudice-and-celebrates-what-makes-us-different-from-each-other.jpg

What happens when compassion and peace share a meal together?

Where is your compassion for those that have a different faith then you? 

How does that make you feel? What do you talk about?

Do you think prayer can help make the world a more peaceful place?

Prayer…is the little button by which the love of God may be diverted from the powerhouse of God’s spirit and carried into every remotest corner of the human heart.

John Haynes Holmes (Unitarian, pacifist, reformer, clergy) A Summons Unto Men ed. Carl Hermann Voss (1970) p.92

Shalom (Peace) Water

Unitarian Universalist (UU) Congregation all over the WORLD,

are bringing little containers of water with them 

to their UU Sanctuaries around this time of year.

In this time of In-Gathering, 
as the Summer comes to an end, 
and the newness of Fall is beginning to arrive.

Grounding us together in 
Peace, Shalom.

Spiritual activities and questions to ponder with your Family and Friends:

• Draw your water and its environment! (Bring it Sunday to show people)
• Where is your water from?
• What is the Story that goes with your water?
• Create a song about your Water!
• If you were to create a Chalice lighting about your water, what would it be?
• Take a quiet moment and all meditate on the water.

Have a Listen... 

emma's revolution: Swimming To The Other Side

Final Reflections

Final Reflections on the Eco-Justice Year 2012-2013

Questions to Ponder with your children/youth:

• What did you see Grow this year?
• Who did you work with? 
• What UU Principles are about Eco-Justice?
• How will you help in the Garden this Summer for the Friday Night Supper Program?

Print, solve and bring to ASC on Sunday!

Service to others is the rent you pay 
for your room here on earth. Muhammad Ali 

Rainbow Reflections

“Life can only be understood backwards; 

but it must be lived forwards.” ― Søren Kierkegaard

Ponder this with your family and friends:

• How does a rainbow arrive?,  ~ aka what does it take to make a rainbow?
  
• What happens to a seed when it is placed in the darkness of the earth?, What does it NEED?
  
• Why do we care for our bees and ladybugs, our human friends and plants? What does that have to do with being Unitarian Universalist anyway?

Dumplings / Seeds!

Dumplings!

Come Sunday to Find out what Dumplings and Seeds have to do with each other!

Spiritual Practice Ponderings with your Family and Friends:

• What seeds have you planted or will you plant this spring?
• Why are flowers important and Divine?
• Where does your seeds/food come from?
• What do our Bee's need from us?
• What Unitarian Universalist Principles have to do with planting seeds and why?

https://www.facebook.com/LoveBombSeedBombs

http://www.change.org/petitions/usda-stop-killing-bees-and-butterflies-ccd-while-saving-monsanto-round-up

What do you like to count?
Can you Count all the plants in your home that will flower?

MY-Great-SUN!

My-Great-Sun!

(Migration)

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.  

~Rabindranath Tagore

How do you travel? 

What foods do you need to keep you strong?

What is the farthest you have flown before?

Faith for Migrants!