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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 - 9 of 9

  • A cropped shot of two people holding hands in comfort across a wood table.
    12-Step recovery has provided me with perspective, forgiveness, and freedom from shame.
    Reflection | By Lane-Mairead Campbell | March 1, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Addiction/Recovery, Forgiveness, Grace, Relationships, Transformation, Worship
  • A vibrant colourful sunset or sunrise sky over limestone pavement landscape and a wind-bent English Hawthorn tree at Twisleton Scar, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, UK
    I wasn’t really “born this way.” I grew this way.
    Reflection | By Heather McDuffee | September 28, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #Pride, Choice, Coming Out, Friendship, God, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Marriage, National Coming Out Day, Transformation, Trust, 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 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
  • On a city street strewn with fallen leaves, a person with long hair is seen from behind, wearing a backpack.
    Sometimes grief sends notice ahead of time; sometimes, it shows up as an unwelcome, uninvited guest.
    Reflection | By Monica Dobbins | October 30, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Bridging Ceremony, Change, Children, Direct Experience, Grief, Growth, Humanism, Letting Go, Mother's Day, Parents, Secular, Transformation
  • A ring of leaves: from small green leaves, to large green ones, to yellowing leaves, to dry leaves.
    Who are you going to be, today? And tomorrow? Who are we all becoming, together?
    Reflection | By Amanda Poppei | May 8, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Change, Children, Mothers, Parents, Searching, Transformation
  • In the shrubs next to an empty road, a sign (a blue "yes" on white board) is staked into the ground.
    Last year for Lent, I decided to say yes to any request. I made it all the way to Easter without  having to honor my decision.
    Reflection | By Nathan Ryan | March 14, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Choice, Christianity, Direct Experience, Humanism, Lent, Power, Privilege, Relationships, Spiritual Practice, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism
  • In silhouette against a twilight sky, a signpost thrusts seven different "arms" in different directions.
    How many times do I need to make mistakes before I’m ready to admit that I’m not any better at this than the bigoted and willfully ignorant?
    Reflection | By DeReau K. Farrar | September 12, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Challenge, Change, Direct Experience, Humanism, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Secular, Self-Respect, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism
  • A kneeling Geisha and a white male in western clothing bow to each other in a tea ceremony, as westerners drink tea in the background.
    For almost thirty years after coming to the United States, I didn't fully understand the cultural cues around me. Initially, this gave me the false sense of liberation. I often interpreted uncomfortable situations to be my fault, as an ignorant immigrant. Trying hard to assimilate, I unconsciously suppressed what came naturally to me.
    Reflection | By Yuri Yamamoto | July 5, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Culture, Direct Experience, Identity, Immigration, International, Letting Go, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Transformation
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