Braver/Wiser: Courage and Compassion for Life as It Is
Braver/Wiser
Braver/Wiser
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Life is full of hard edges and complicated choices. Braver/Wiser gives you weekly message of courage and compassion for life as it is. Every Wednesday we deliver an original written reflection by a contemporary religious leader, and brief prayer, grounded in Unitarian Universalism. Join the Braver/Wiser community and sign up today!

 

  • Startled into Noticing

    In a suburban neighborhood, a girl lies stomach down on a lawn, holding a camera up to her face.
    Startled into Noticing
    I hope that this Great Silence, which has come alongside the suffering, holds the beginnings of our healing.
    By Elea Kemler | 5/6/2020

  • Refusing the Lie

    An illustration of a person looking back at looming, interlocked gears and cogs.
    Refusing the Lie
    We can’t turn back the clock to save lives, but maybe we can change our addiction to productivity that enables our leaders to fail us so tragically.
    By Jude Geiger | 4/29/2020

  • Holding On and Letting Go

    An array of glasses, bowls, and trinkets set on a table for a yard sale.
    Holding On and Letting Go
    Sometimes, I know I'm hanging onto a part of my life that I'll eventually need to let go of...but not just yet.
    By Amanda Poppei | 4/22/2020

  • We Cannot Escape One Another

    A series of large red plus signs, made out of tape, on the floor of a grocery store aisle
    We Cannot Escape One Another
    A new disease, without any cure, is pushing us apart. And, yet, we cannot escape one another. We need one another. Whether I acknowledge it or not, the guarantee of safety does not exist.
    By Manish Mishra-Marzetti | 4/15/2020

  • In the Midst of Powerlessness

    A white person, kneeling in front of a basin, is seen washing the foot of a black person as part of a Maundy Thursday service.
    In the Midst of Powerlessness
    Jesus had no political power. He lived his whole life in the shadow of the Roman empire, and that empire killed him. Yet Jesus healed the sick, he listened, he moved among the ordinary people, in the lowly places.
    By Myke Johnson | 4/8/2020

  • The Muscle of Our Collective Spirit

    A series of doors in a dark room, with one door opening to allow in bright light as a blurred human figure moves through
    The Muscle of Our Collective Spirit
    I’m confident in our human ability to together muscle our way into renewing our world.
    By Aram Mitchell | 4/1/2020

  • At a Threshold

    In the medieval Turku Castle, Finland, an archway and cobblestones contain ghostly figures (thanks to a time-lapse photos)
    At a Threshold
    “Game” is no longer the proper metaphor to guide my thoughts and actions. We are—all of us—in liminal space, at a threshold confronting immediacy, shrouded in fog.
    By Rita Capezzi | 3/25/2020

  • The Ninth Obstacle

    A pair of muddy arms reaches up to push a muddy foot, as if helping someone climb a wall.
    The Ninth Obstacle
    Years ago, I did one of those mud run obstacle races. There were eight physical obstacles on the course, but my biggest learning was that we all had a ninth obstacle.
    By Laura Solomon | 3/18/2020

  • The Smallest Biggest Number

    Against a red background, two people stand facing one another, with a gap between them.
    The Smallest Biggest Number
    If two is the smallest number in ethics, it's also the smallest seed of certainty; the way not to get lost. Because the ultimate test, when the fear and grief finally give way to clarity, is knowing ourselves by how well we cared for one another.
    By Erika A. Hewitt | 3/11/2020

  • Two Sides of the Same Coin

    Seen from above, in light cast only by flames, a solitary person swings two "poi" fire weights on chains (sometimes called "fire juggling")
    Two Sides of the Same Coin
    We all have our foibles; pieces of ourselves that we both admire and occasionally revile. These gifts and struggles exist in tandem.
    By Alix Klingenberg | 3/4/2020

  • New Levels of Sacred

    A wicker bassinet, lined with bedding, with infant clothing draped on the edge.
    New Levels of Sacred
    Before I birthed my baby, he was a possibility, a kick against my insides. With that first cry, first breath, he became a person in the world.
    By Caitlin Cotter Coillberg | 2/26/2020

  • The Truth About Chocolate?

    A tray of chocolate desserts, and a hand holding a half-eaten dessert.
    The Truth About Chocolate?
    If we aren’t willing to ask the important, uncomfortable, and even scary questions, we won’t get to larger and deeper truths.
    By Katie Romano Griffin | 2/19/2020

  • Assisted Living Devices

    A silhouette of two people reaching out their hands to each other.
    Assisted Living Devices
    A lot of us feel like our lives should have come with instructions. Or maybe they did, but we lost the only copy a long time ago.
    By Elea Kemler | 2/12/2020

  • Amplified a Thousandfold

    A singer with a microphone, reaching with dramatic body language, with smoke and lights in the background.
    Amplified a Thousandfold
    We have so many opportunities to bless each other in this world, but they don’t always announce themselves as moments of profound transformation.
    By Lindasusan Ulrich | 2/5/2020

  • The Spark of Life

    A bouquet of wilted, faded roses.
    The Spark of Life
    If we don’t know where the spark of life comes from, can we know for sure where it goes?
    By David Kohlmeier | 1/29/2020

  • From Broken Parts, Whole

    A close-up of green strips of broken glass, as if petals of a flower.
    From Broken Parts, Whole
    Surround yourself with skillful teachers. Let them teach you, but don't let them do it for you. That learning is yours to do.
    By Karen G. Johnston | 1/22/2020

  • Unafraid

    A black man in profile, dimly lit, against a dark background.
    Unafraid
    When you’re the only black man in a sea of whiteness, purses still get clutched, and people still cross the street, and hellos still get lost in the void.
    By Adrian L. H. Graham | 1/15/2020

  • More Than a Sum

    Two Latinx women from Mujeres Unidas y Activas shout to a crowd using a bullhorn.
    More Than a Sum
    We are never numbers to be tallied for turnout. We are more than a sum. Together, we are the hope and courage.
    By Robin Tanner | 1/8/2020

  • Next Year's Words

    In the background, letters are piled on a Scrabble board. In the foreground, someone holds the "C" tile as the letters "R E A T E" fall towards the board.
    Next Year's Words
    One of my most treasured New Year’s traditions is coming up with a word for the year: a single word that I want to be the theme for my entire year. When I’m questioning what’s the right thing to do, I will look to my word of the year for guidance.
    By Tim Atkins | 1/1/2020

  • Messy, Wildly Imperfect Love

    On a church chancel, children dressed as sheep and cows kneel during a Christmas pageant
    Messy, Wildly Imperfect Love
    Every year, I tell the congregation not to worry about mistakes because there aren’t any; there is only us, telling an old story about love getting born into this aching world.
    By Elea Kemler | 12/18/2019

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