Tapestry of Faith: Signs of Our Faith: A Program about Being UU Every Day for Grades 2-3

Taking It Home: Finding Beauty in Uniqueness

While we have the gift of life, it seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die - whether it is our spirit, our creativity or our glorious uniqueness. — Gilda Radner

IN TODAY'S SESSION... we said that, as Unitarian Universalists, we believe that we are all unique individuals and that is beautiful. We think our community is stronger when everyone is welcomed the way they are. We found out unique traits about each other. We discussed how our love of diversity leads us to tell stories and explore rituals from other cultures, but we always do that in respectful ways. This is called cultural sharing.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... being stereotyped. Ask your parents and/or siblings and friends: When have you felt judged by your appearance instead of your true abilities?

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try... 

Family Game. Give everyone a slip of paper for each family member. Write their name on the paper. Include a slip of paper with your own name. Now give everyone the same number of slips of a different colored paper. Write on each slip one unique trait of a family member. Mix up the second slips. Match them to the first. See who gets the most correct.

Family Ritual. Start a family story night. Once a month, share a story from a different culture or religion. Find popular stories from Hinduism. Hear tales of the Australian Dreamtime. Start with the book Accept and Value Each Person by Cheri J. Meiners (Minneapolis: Free Spirit, 2006).

Leadership Suggestion. Start recognizing others for the unique gifts they possess. At school, instead of choosing your best friend to be your partner for a science project, pick a student who you know loves science more than you. If you are very outgoing, have a play date with quiet friends. If you are quiet, spend time with friends who are more social. We can all learn new things from each other's unique ways!

Accept and Value Each Person

By Cheri J. Meiners

From inSpirit: The UU Book and Gift Shop

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