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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 and brief prayer, grounded in Unitarian Universalism. Join the Braver/Wiser community and sign up today!

Displaying 101 - 150 of 324

  • Seen from behind, a person walks along a low-tide beach. Kelp covered rocks in foreground. Gentle surf and ocean waves in distance.
    I am learning to give up needing to know the answers, and instead live with the questions.
    Reflection | By Diane Dassow | October 20, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Body, Direct Experience, Illness, Patience, Peace, Spiritual Practice, Worry, Worship
  • A starry night sky and and an atmospheric glow blanket the well-lit southeastern African coast as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above.
    I need to celebrate our human family, whose power and potential shimmer against the backdrop of deep time, because we aren’t at our best right now.
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | October 13, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Awe, Humanism, Science, Wonder, Worship
  • Four members of the Squamish and Lil'wat Nations, with their backs to the camrea, are each draped in a traditional Squamish or Lil'wat blanket.
    I was leaving my mom in another world, located far away from mine.
    Reflection | By Mike Adams | October 6, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: History, Identity, Indigenous American, Indigenous Peoples Day, Race/Ethnicity, Worship
  • Five people of color are seen in a line, holding hands with arms crossed in a sign of solidarity.
    In order to be welcoming, the systems of power and privilege in our spaces need to be actively dismantled.
    Reflection | By Shannon Lang | September 29, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Diversity, Equity, Hospitality, Humanism, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A person's hands shape a clay vessel on a potter's wheel.
    I want to be shaped in a way that lets me serve the eternal.
    Reflection | By Jake Morrill | September 22, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Contemplation, God, Meaning, Presence, Purpose, Transcendence, Worship
  • On a rocky ledge overlooking the wildnerness, a Black man wearing a backpack holds a map.
    Dear Creative Life Force, the infinite healing power of creativity is the best gift you've given to us.
    Reflection | By Erica Shadowsong | September 15, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Creativity, Direct Experience, Family, Identity, Personal Stories, Self-Respect, Worship
  • A person holds their palm to the camera, obscuring their face. Their palm is painted with streaks of bright paint in yellows, reds, and blues.
    My God lives in the margins and witnesses to the broken-hearted.
    Reflection | By Jami Yandle | September 8, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Worship
  • Six adults sitting in a circle comfort and listen to a seventh person, who appears distressed.
    Somehow, the things that are too much to bear alone are bearable together.
    Reflection | By Elizabeth Stevens | September 1, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Disaster or Crisis, Worship
  • 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.
    Reflection | By Mariela Pérez-Simons | July 14, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Earth, Earth-Centered, Imagination, Limitations, Nature, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Worship
  • 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.
    Reflection | By Ndidi Achebe | July 7, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Community, Compassion, Direct Experience, Fear, Humanism, Limitations, Love, Relationships, Worship
  • 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.
    Reflection | By Kimberlee Anne Tomczak Carlson | June 30, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Change, Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Growth, Nature, Patience, Transformation, Worship
  • 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?
    Reflection | By Takiyah Nur Amin | June 23, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackLivesMatter, 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), America, Anti-Oppression, Conflict, Direct Experience, Division, Equity, Justice, Living Our Faith, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • 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.
    Reflection | By Li Kynvi | June 9, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Identity, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Worship
  • 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.
    Reflection | By Rayla D. Mattson | June 2, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Direct Experience, Letting Go, Secular, Worship
  • 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.
    Reflection | By George A Tyger | May 26, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: America, Death, Direct Experience, Family, Grief, Memorial Day, Military, Sacrifice, Secular, Service, Worship
  • 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.
    Reflection | By Christine Slocum | May 19, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Body, Community, Worship
  • Travelers on an airport escalator, taken from the top looking down.
    It’s through our shared interdependence that we are sheltered and saved.
    Reflection | By Karen G. Johnston | May 10, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Compassion, Connections, Fear, Interdependence, Relationships, Service, Worship
  • In a kitchen, a mother with an iPod and headphones dances and sings while her teenage daughter also dances.
    Spirit of Life, remind me to release that which no longer serves me so that I may be present to joy.
    Reflection | By Katie Romano Griffin | May 5, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Children, Family, Generations, Home, Mothers, Parents, Worship
  • Against a black background, a white egg rests on its side. A second egg, standing on its end, has had its top removed and green sprout grows out of the egg.
    I am no longer a victim of change: I am shaping the world that is to come.
    Reflection | By Martha Durkee-Neuman | April 28, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Change, Direct Experience, Ending, God, Patience, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Worship
  • A scattering of hardware--nuts, bolts, screws, and washers--on a surface, and some of them clustering around a large circular magnet.
    May we be with one another in solidarity and struggle.
    Reflection | By Tuli Patel | April 21, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Family, Hope, Secular, Solidarity, Worship
  • A black-and-white photo, taken from above, of the photographer's legs outstreched over water, and his young son nestled on top of his legs.
    Sometimes love is simply letting someone else like what they like.
    Reflection | By Nathan Ryan | April 14, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Children, Connections, Direct Experience, Fathers, Generations, Joy, Love, Parents, Searching, Worship
  • In a grocery store, a person wearing a mask looks off-camera while two other masked shoppers shop behind them
    May I have the wisdom to be curious when I find myself grumbling about “them.”
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | April 7, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Conflict, Conscience, Healing, Humanism, Integrity, Relationships, Secular, Self-Respect, Worship
  • Outdoors, and seen from behind, a person with short gray hair wears a colorful hat with tulle and pink flowers.
    A triumph of love over death is the core of the Easter message.
    Reflection | By Rachel Lonberg | March 31, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beauty, Christianity, Death, Easter, Joy, Love, Worship
  • A sharp, gleaming fish hook lies on the edge of a boat, with a body of water visible in the background.
    Spirit of Life and Love, help me to notice when I am hooked.
    Reflection | By Shari Woodbury | March 17, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Buddhism, Contemplation, Mindfulness, Patience, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • At the edge of the woods, with bare trees, the back of someone's head as they hold binoculars up to their face.
    Maybe hope is fleeting. It leaves and returns again; there’s beauty in its impermanence.
    Reflection | By Jessica Clay | March 10, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Contemplation, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Presence, Secular, Winter, Worship
  • On a bed of rocks, an empty pink snail shell has a small hole. Purple flowers rest nearby.
    My broken is what makes me who I am today.
    Reflection | By Paula Gribble | February 24, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beauty, Brokenness, Wholeness, Worship
  • A woman slighty bows her head as a priest's hand moves away, having just left a cross of ashes on her forehead.
    Impermanence, mortality, ashes, dust: this is the truth of being human.
    Reflection | By Lora Brandis | February 17, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Christianity, Death, Discernment, Grief, Humility, Lent, Love, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • A black man in a dark space looks sideways into the camera. Across his face, in colored light, the letters A G C T represent DNA nucleotides.
    I've adopted the practice of spiritual reconnection with my ancestors to heal intergenerational trauma.
    Reflection | By Jabari S. Jones | February 10, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, Diversity, Generations, Healing, History, International, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Transformation, Trauma, Worship
  • A person's hand, in motion, hovers above an "emergency stop" button
    I’m part of a covenantal community and when a covenant gets broken, it’s my responsibility to name that break, with kindness and the intention of healing, and to call us back into right relationship.
    Reflection | By Julica Hermann de la Fuente | February 3, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #SideWithLove, Worship
  • A black person's hand, holding a pen over a blank notebook.
    I named the truth as I perceived it, because it didn’t feel like there was any other option.
    Reflection | By Aisha Ansano | January 27, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, #SideWithLove, Direct Experience, Living Our Faith, Truth, Worship
  • A Black woman, with her back to the camera, speaks into a microphone in front of a large audience outdoors, which appears to be a rally or protest.
    Black Queens saved our democracy. We owe them a great deal.
    Reflection | By Carol Thomas Cissel | January 20, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: America, Democracy, Humanism, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Women, Work, Worship
  • As protestors with a large US flag climb on the U.S. Capitol in the background, a man in a hat and sweatshirt is helped by other protestorsgets to rinse his eyes, presumably from tear gas.
    Holding people accountable for the impact of their behavior is not revenge; it’s what makes change and growth possible, and no real healing in community can come without it.
    Reflection | By Kristin Grassel Schmidt | January 13, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: America, Conflict, Democracy, Disaster or Crisis, Forgiveness, Humanism, Redemption, Responsibility, Seven Principles, Universalism, Worship
  • Sitting cross-legged on a bed, a person holds a guitar and appears to sing. Next to them is a musical keyboard and an open laptop.
    I experience the creative impulse as living just under the surface of the daily grind: tugging; imploring, When do we all get to sing together again?
    Reflection | By Erin J. Walter | January 6, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Arts & Music, Creativity, Direct Experience, Humanism, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Self-Care, Worship
  • "2021" is written in the snow on a gravel surface outdoors.
    What’s the one word you hope will define your upcoming year?
    Reflection | By Tim Atkins | December 30, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Choice, Discernment, Identity, New Year, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • a child smiles up in wonder amid multiple vertical strings of light
    The stories remind us there is still and always joy in this world, but it usually comes right alongside the struggle.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | December 16, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Hope, Joy, Searching, Worship
  • A whisk and dustpan filled with dry twigs, fallen spruce needles, and broken Christmas ornaments
    This is a "love saves" story.
    Reflection | By Paul S Sawyer | December 9, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Advent, Anger, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Compassion, Direct Experience, Humanism, Living Our Faith, Love, Psychology, Relationships, Respect, Responsibility, Self-Respect, Worship
  • With white Christmas lights strung in the background, and lit candles, a paper Advent calendar on a table has open doors.
    This year, the Advent season seems particularly seized by a spirit of the expected, the longing.
    Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 2, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Advent, Children, Christianity, Hope, Living Our Faith, Parents, Purpose, Worship
  • Swimmers in the waves of the sea look to a pink sky, where a murmuration of starlings forms a striking shape.
    The wilderness alongside every moment, sprawling in each direction, holds more than the silence that theologians imagine of God.
    Reflection | By Jake Morrill | November 25, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Contemplation, Death, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth-Centered, God, Imagination, Nature, Transcendence, Worship
  • Against a blue sky, a bright red spiral of roller coaster track carries yellow cars of passengers, who are suspended upside down.
    We seek blessed assurance through pandemic chaos, relentless loss, and unimaginable stress.
    Reflection | By Taryn Strauss | November 18, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Children, Family, Humanism, Integrity, Secular, Seven Principles, Worship
  • A bright gold sun on the horizon seems to rest on a person's outstretched hands, palms up,
    We are all in this together, and when bad things happen that are preventable by human means, we are all implicated.
    Reflection | By Erica Shadowsong | November 11, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Evil, Goddess, International, Worship
  • The Statue of Liberty, as seen from behind and from the waist up, against a grey sky.
    Uncertain as the world feels right now, love will bear whatever lies ahead.
    Reflection | By Julie Fanselow | November 4, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: America, Body, Brokenness, Democracy, Direct Experience, Healing, Health, Humanism, Marriage, Secular, Worship
  • a dark-skinned woman’s portrait blends into dissolving colourful paint
    Learning to love all of me—including the parts I used to be scared of—made the fear go away.
    Reflection | By Ndidi Achebe | October 28, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Family, Mental Health, Race/Ethnicity, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Worship
  • Two hands cupping the flame at the top of a taper candle.
    Sometimes, there is no reprieve from the pain of this world. Sometimes, it is too big and too obvious to ignore.
    Reflection | By HP Rivers | October 21, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Caring, Christianity, Connections, Family, Generations, God, Goddess, Paganism, Presence, Sorrow, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • A baby turtle on a beach, with the ocean and two blurred humans in the background.
    Arm's length: What was once a defensive or suspicious expression has now become a gesture of care, an indication of love and protection.
    Reflection | By Karen G. Johnston | October 14, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Caring, Direct Experience, Environment, Humanism, Interdependence, Nature, Climate Justice, Worship
  • Underneath a plaque, affixed to a wall, that says NO BICYCLES PLEASE, a bicycle is leaning on the wall.
    I feel disoriented when I’m in a new place or situation and can’t figure out whether the rules are real or imaginary.
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | October 7, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Community, Direct Experience, Interdependence, Limitations, Living Our Faith, Secular, Self-Respect, Worship
  • From beneath a bed, a parent and child hang over, flashlight pointed at the camera, as if checking for monsters under the bed.
    In these days of so much uncertainty, may we choose honesty over comfort, love over complacency, and truth over convenience.
    Reflection | By Rachel Lonberg | September 30, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Children, Direct Experience, Discernment, Fear, Parents, Secular, Trust, Truth, Worship
  • Washington, DC, USA - June 19, 2020: A young protester and celebrant of Juneteenth holds a sign that reads "I am my ancestors' wildest dream" at Black Lives Matter Plaza / Lafayette Square
    None of us would be here were it not for those who lived and won a fight that they were not meant to survive.
    Reflection | By Daniel Gregoire | September 23, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, History, Humanism, Justice, Living Our Faith, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • Two cats look curiously at a food bowl being set down by a person.
    Part of being in community is noticing what's needed. Part of being in community is doing what is necessary but unclaimed.
    Reflection | By Christine Slocum | September 16, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Caring, Community, Conscience, Generosity, Humanism, Interdependence, Nature, Responsibility, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A black parent embraces their child, who is smiling in to the camera
    One day, I’ll have to care for my mother as she once cared for me. I’m not ready to handle the truth that our relationship must change.
    Reflection | By Erica Shadowsong | September 9, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Caring, Child Dedication, Children, Coming of Age, Coming-of-Age, Direct Experience, Fear, Generations, Growth, Humanism, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents, Secular, Worship
  • A view of the starry sky at night, straight up, through the silhouette of trees around the edges.
    What once seemed certain is now unpredictable, even dangerous.
    Reflection | By Leslie Ahuvah Fails | September 2, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Challenge, Change, Children, Direct Experience, Earth, Humanism, Nature, Parents, Spiritual Practice, Worship
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