UU Lent 2019 – Day 8 – Mistakes

CZ

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
― Albert Einstein

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others.”
― Brandon Mull, Fablehaven

“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”
― Sophocles, Antigone

“At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give

Here is “A Blessing for Risk-Takers and Failures” by Robin Tanner

UU Lent 2019 – Day 6 – Struggle

CZ

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.

The Struggle Continues By Israel Buffardi is a reminder that struggling doesn’t mean we are weak and that we still have a way to go. 
Often, we struggle because we want everything to be just so. This story from Quest for Meaning by Rev. Lynn Unger tells of the danger of this.

 

 

Tips for Talking about the UU World Article

CZ

“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“

UU Lent – Day 4 – Dreams

CZ
The dictionary defines dream as both
a) a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep and b) a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.

 

Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred?
      Does it dry up
      like a raisin in the sun?
      Or fester like a sore—
      And then run?
      Does it stink like rotten meat?
      Or crust and sugar over—
      like a syrupy sweet?
      Maybe it just sags
      like a heavy load.
      Or does it explode?
I chose this song because some of our dreams are wrapped up in the words of this song.
What are your dreams?

We can do better. We should do better.

CZ

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.