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!

Changing a filter will refresh results (and remaining options) immediately. Searching by keyword or changing the number of items per page requires use of the "Search" button.

Displaying 1 - 8 of 8

  • May we be active participants in the liberatory potential of democracy.
    Reflection | By Shaya French | June 21, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Choice, Conflict, Conscience, Democracy, Unitarian Universalism, Young Adults, Worship
  • If love is a law, how may I follow it with more faithfulness?
    Reflection | By Joanna Fontaine Crawford | December 21, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Arts & Music, Christianity, Conscience, God, Justice, Worship
  • 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
  • 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
  • The crisis was an opportunity to learn to be fully me and love it, inner turmoil and all. I learned that strength comes from authenticity, never from perfection.
    Reflection | By Tomo Hillbo | November 27, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Brokenness, Conscience, Direct Experience, Family, Grief, Healing, Love, Mothers, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Vulnerability
  • My oldest child was confused: why would no one stop and help us? Even though people weren’t stopping to help us, my son said, he wanted to be more like me and stop to help someone anyway.
    Reflection | By Rayla D. Mattson | January 3, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Caring, Character, Children, Compassion, Conscience, Direct Experience, Generations, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Mothers, Parents
  • I long for progressive religious communities that are confessing communities—places where we admit our wrongdoings, are held accountable, and called back into covenant.
    Reflection | By Robin Tanner | May 3, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Character, Christianity, Community, Conscience, Direct Experience, Honesty, Humility
  • We are sometimes selfish, sometimes complicit with systems that do harm, sometimes the cause of pain and injustice. Until we can hold compassion for ourselves and others—until we can be forgiving when we fall short—our love is incomplete.
    Reflection | By Sean Parker Dennison | March 29, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Anti-Oppression, Brokenness, Compassion, Conscience, Direct Experience, Disability, Growth, Honesty, Humanism, Multiculturalism, Secular, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism, Vulnerability

Writing for Braver/Wiser

If you're interested in writing for Braver/Wiser, please refer to Writing for Braver/Wiser (PDF) to learn more!

Ready to Submit?

If you've reviewed our "Writing for Braver/Wiser" guidelines, visit our submission page!