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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!

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11

  • A painting of a person's head, in profile. Their brain and the background are both awash in swirls of color, galaxy-like sparks and stars, and cosmic texture.
    People who aren't neurodiverse tend to frame neurodiversity as symptoms of inconvenience to people around them. For me, my ADHD means beauty.
    Reflection | By Quinn Gormley | March 13, 2024 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Beauty, Direct Experience, Identity, Multiculturalism, Psychology, Self-Respect, Wonder, Worship
  • A close-up of a bright fuschia flower blooming on a spiny cactus, with other pink buds around it.
    When we become fully aware of our limited time on earth we can still leave behind flowers and songs.
    Reflection | By Tania Márquez | May 17, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beauty, Death, Indigenous American, International, Personal Stories, Worship
  • A tiny chickweed seedling still has the cap of its seed pod, while the tiny seedling next to it is unfurling its tiny green leaves.
    Remind me that life is magical and mysterious.
    Reflection | By JD Stillwater | April 19, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Awe, Beauty, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Nature, Stewardship, Wonder, 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
  • 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
  • In a suburban neighborhood, a girl lies stomach down on a lawn, holding a camera up to her face.
    I hope that this Great Silence, which has come alongside the suffering, holds the beginnings of our healing.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | May 6, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Balance, Beauty, Body, Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Hope, Humanism, Imagination, Nature, Presence, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Secular, Spring
  • A close-up of green strips of broken glass, as if petals of a flower.
    Surround yourself with skillful teachers. Let them teach you, but don't let them do it for you. That learning is yours to do.
    Reflection | By Karen G. Johnston | January 22, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Arts & Music, Beauty, Brokenness, Creativity, Direct Experience, Growth, Humanism, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Secular
  • A time-lapse photo showing graceful, dance-like movements of a person against a black background
    We can be cheerleaders for simple joys (even when we don't share them) and compassionate about the fact that we’re all just trying to survive.
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | November 6, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Arrogance, Beauty, Direct Experience, Discernment, Humanism, Joy, Secular, Self-Care, Self-Respect
  • A small button, leaning against a rock, that says "you are beautiful"
    It is deeply spiritual work to learn to treat ourselves with compassion; to learn to see ourselves, if only in moments, the same way we look at something or someone we find beautiful: a newborn baby, the ocean, a sunset.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | February 13, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Beauty, Body, Caring, Compassion, Direct Experience, Integrity, Love, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Respect
  • Against a fuschia background, a spoonful of tiny rainbow candy sprinkles
    However imperfectly I may be living this life of mine, there’s no one better at it, and there’s no one else who can do it for me.
    Reflection | By Lindasusan Ulrich | April 25, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beauty, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth-Centered, Humanism, Nature, Searching, Secular, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Spring, Vernal Equinox
  • A black-and-white close up of long, black curls
    My heart broke the day my son stood in the bathroom crying. He handed me a pair of scissors and told me to just cut it. I told him how beautiful his hair was and how sad I would be to see him cut it.
    Reflection | By Rayla D. Mattson | April 18, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Beauty, Body, Children, Courage, Direct Experience, Gender, Humanism, Mothers, Parents, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Self-Respect, Strength
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