The dictionary defines resilience as a) the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness and b) the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
In her reflection, “Come to Church Anyway!” Victoria Weinstein discusses that we should always show up. Sometimes showing up requires resilience.
This song is about resilience.
Struggle is a hard word to sit with. Many of us were taught that struggle meant we werr doing something wrong. Many of us struggle daily. Many of us have only known struggle. Many of us cause our own struggle.
According to Merriam Webster, struggle is a) to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition and b) to proceed with difficulty or with great effort.
Merriam Webster defines bravery as the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty and as showy display.
I could think of nothing that exemplifies both of those definitions more than Pride. So for today’s words, I have chosen For Pride by Lois Van Leer.
“This week the UU World published an article that was harmful to trans people people in the Unitarian Universalist movement. Many cisgender (non-trans) UUs are wondering how to best understand and support non-binary folks, trans women and men, intersex people, and others most affected by the article when they talk about it with other cis people. Here are some tips.”
Here is the full article from the Transforming Hearts Collective “Tips for Talking about the UU World Article“
Earlier this week, UU World published a problematic, hurtful, and harmful article. Instead of writing my own response, I am passing the mic. In their article on Medium, CB Beal “Centering the Marginalized: symphony and triptych” describes why the UU World article was so upsetting and how we can do better in the future.
“When we want to do justice, and I believe that UU’s do, we have always to ask ourselves “Who is this about, and where is their story?”” – CB Beal
Alex Kapitan also made a public response on Facebook.
And here is the Response from TRUUsT : “Putting the “T” First: Public Statement on This Week’s UU World Article” written by the TRUUsT Steering Committee.
Please read them and share them widely.
Image Credit to Su’ad Abdul Khabeer from their twitter account @DrSuad.
Dedication – the quality of being committed to a task or purpose.
This closing found on the Worship Web by Max A Coots is about pushing forward after the words.
“Faith is that act of moving even though you do not know the outcome. We do not know the path that will bring us where we need to be, but we know that continuing the conversation is essential to moving beyond this point.”https://bit.ly/2GVXJ72
#UULent is designed to be used individually, as a family, or as a congregation. For each day in Lent a word has been selected. Each day participants are invited to reflect on the meaning of the day’s word, then create a photograph that represents the word, idea, practice, or concept and post it here and/or elsewhere.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday and for each day until Easter, the word for the day and a related quote will be posted. Reflect and engage throughout the day, checking for the word and quote in the morning, then come back later in the day to add your photo* and to see the images and words others have shared throughout the day (*YOUR photo – please respect copyright!).
May this intentional practice and discipline impact your daily life in ways that bring you closer to your spiritual core and offer you resiliency for life.
Here at West Fork Unitarian Universalists we will strive to post a reflection each day on the word of the day. We look forward to journeying through this season of contemplation with you.
We can help our struggling loved ones by reassuring them that they can bring us their pain without guilt or shame. This article from Omid Safi is a good place to start.
West Fork Unitarian Universalists 