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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

  • From above, the back of a person's head as they sit in meditation and use a Tibetan singing bowl.
    I have struggled forgiving myself for not knowing how to create appropriate boundaries.
    Reflection | By Lynette Yetter | September 20, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Buddhism, Compassion, Forgiveness, Journey, Relationships, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • A person's hands are clasped in prayer in what appears to be a church pew.
    Every relationship is an ongoing story that unfolds between people.
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | June 28, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Connections, Forgiveness, Healing, Relationships, Worship
  • 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
  • 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
  • On a church chancel, children dressed as sheep and cows kneel during a Christmas pageant
    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.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | December 18, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Brokenness, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Community, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Love, Playfulness, Tradition, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism
  • A toddler pouts in the background, while a plate of grapes with a corndog occupies the foreground.
    When I internalize cultural messages about the definitions of success or failure—or anything, really—I undermine my own sense of self-worth.
    Reflection | By HP Rivers | April 3, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Children, Compassion, Family, Food, Forgiveness, Grace, Letting Go, Limitations, Mothers, Self-Respect
  • A person silhoutted against window blinds talks on the phone
    My soul nudged me from a hiding place to confess and to seek forgiveness, and only through the grace of the Great Mystery of Life unfolding around us did I receive the blessing of journeying with a beloved, grieving friend.
    Reflection | By Rebekah Savage | January 9, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Connections, Direct Experience, Failure, Forgiveness, Friendship, Guilt, Love, Reconciliation, Relationships, Self-Respect, Vulnerability
  • As an ocean wave splashes, a surfboard and a pair of legs are shown mid-wipeout.
    If a friend were in my situation, I would have seen their failings as human. So why hold someone to an unforgiving standard just because that someone is me?
    Reflection | By Kat Liu | August 8, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Character, Children, Compassion, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Friendship, Humility, Kindness, Love, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Self-Care, Self-Respect
  • Two pieces of colored chalk, lying on a flat chalkboard, with a multi-colored heart drawn on it.
    It is my only memory of a lesson from Kindergarten Sunday School class. Maybe it’s the only one that counts.
    Reflection | By Misha Sanders | August 1, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Acceptance, Children, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, God, Grace, Imagination, Love, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism
  • Rows of colored candy, meticulously laid out in rows of the same color, with one yellow candy in the "wrong" spot
    Spirit of Compassion, remind us that our task as humans is not perfection, but faithfulness.
    Reflection | By Lindasusan Ulrich | January 31, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Balance, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Humanism, Letting Go, Psychology, Secular, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Worth
  • Gathered around large bowls of masa (cornmeal dough) and filling, four women make tamales.
    I am ever grateful for the friends who are my family; who have pieced me together each time I’ve fallen apart; who laugh, cry, dream, and age happily by my side.
    Reflection | By Marisol Caballero | December 28, 2016 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Caring, Child Dedication, Children, Family, Fathers, Forgiveness, Generations, Humanism, International, Mothers, Secular
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