Braver/Wiser: A Weekly Message of Courage and Compassion

Braver/Wiser

Braver/Wiser: Courage and Compassion for Life as It Is

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!

Displaying 1 - 10 of 220.

  • A hand with red nail polish cups a compass, above the mossy floor of a forest, and the other hand points to moss or another object on the ground.
    My inner compass reminds me of the power we’ve been given to create a new future.
    by Mariela Pérez-Simons |
  • Two hands, of dark skin color, reach to each other. Each hand holds a jigsaw puzzle piece with half of a red heart on it, suggesting that the two pieces fit together perfectly.
    I learned that love and support can be expressed in many different ways by different people.
    by Ndidi Achebe |
  • Hanging underneath an outdoor surface is a new green chrysalis, a clear one that’s about ready to emerge, and a butterfly that’s already come out.
    Emergence, becoming, is inherent in each of us.
    by Kimberlee Anne Tomczak Carlson |
  • A white nationalist, wearing body armor with a white nationalist symbol, stands in front of a line of religious leaders, some wearing Side with Love garb, at the Charlottesville Unite the Right Rally (August 12, 2017).
    Do we who are UUs really believe in the values of our faith enough to enact to them in bold, clear, and unequivocal ways?
    by Takiyah Nur Amin |
  • An outstretched hand, palm towards camera, with a rainbow of light cast across it.
    I miss the days before ministry when I wore glittery skirts and gaudy sarongs and fairy wings, and covered myself in glitter for Pride.
    by David Kohlmeier |
  • A neon pink triangle and "Silence = Death" in the glass wall of the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC.
    Help me live in gratitude for the LGBTQ+ ancestors who paved this road we walk and roll on.
    by Li Kynvi |
  • Cropped shot of a woman relaxing in a chair with a book and a cup of tea
    I feel sad to lose a spiritual practice that I can now recognize, honor, and appreciate.
    by Rayla D. Mattson |
  • A U.S. Army Honor Guard in dress uniform lower a coffin into the ground.
    Memorial Day is not to be celebrated. It is to be observed, scrutinized, and witnessed on behalf of the true witnesses of our human failure to love our neighbor as ourselves.
    by George A Tyger |
  • Several people wearing masks stand, in church, holding out their hands as if in prayer.
    Committing to right relationship means being willing to revise our practices when we learn that previously accepted habits might be harmful.
    by Christine Slocum |
  • Travelers on an airport escalator, taken from the top looking down.
    It’s through our shared interdependence that we are sheltered and saved.
    by Karen G. Johnston |

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