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 11 - 20 of 205.

  • 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.
    by Carol Thomas Cissel |
  • 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.
    by Kristin Grassel Schmidt |
  • 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?
    by Erin J. Walter |
  • "2021" is written in the snow on a gravel surface outdoors.
    What’s the one word you hope will define your upcoming year?
    by Tim Atkins |
  • 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.
    by Elea Kemler |
  • A whisk and dustpan filled with dry twigs, fallen spruce needles, and broken Christmas ornaments
    This is a "love saves" story.
    by Paul S Sawyer |
  • 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.
    by Robin Tanner |
  • 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.
    by Jake Morrill |
  • 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.
    by Taryn Strauss |
  • 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.
    by Erica Shadowsong |

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Submit to us!

The Braver/Wiser rotation includes reflections written by Unitarian Universalist leaders who submit reflections for review.
Please send your submissions to Braver/Wiser's editor, Erika Hewitt.