All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar. —Helen Hayes, American actress In today's session... we explored the amazing abundance and diversity of plants. We heard a version...

The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen. Together, our vision widens and strength is renewed. – Mark Morrison-Reed IN TODAY’S SESSION… Our focus this week has been on community, and the gifts that each of us bring when we come...

Life is like a compost heap. The rotting debris of everyday trials just keeps piling up... but if we wait long enough and remain steadfast and strong, even the stinkiest pile will bear good and worthwhile things. —posted on the...

What is home? A roof to keep out the rain? Four walls to keep out the wind? Floors to keep out the cold? Yes, but home is more than that. It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength of a father, warmth of loving hearts, lights from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship....

Awaken to the universe's simple gift of the butterfly. Watch with fascination and joy as a jeweled treasure glides by and gently touches your soul. — Kristen D'Angelo, freelance writer, blogger, and photographer IN TODAY'S SESSION... we learned about metamorphosis in both butterflies and frogs....

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit at home, and when you walk along...

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. — Henry David Thoreau, 19th-century Transcendentalist If you want to save animals, you have to save the Earth, and to do that, you have to be green. — Marisa...

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. – Henry David Thoreau IN TODAY’S SESSION… Connecting our human homes to nature is...

Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. — Robert Fulghum, author and Unitarian Universalist minister IN TODAY'S SESSION... we learned the importance of balance in the web of life. We considered...

Perhaps the most radical thing we can do is to stay home, so we can learn the names of the plants and animals around us; so that we can begin to know what tradition we’re part of. – Terry Tempest Williams IN TODAY’S SESSION… We spent a wonderful time getting inside animal homes of all kinds.

No shade tree? Blame not the sun but yourself. — Chinese proverb IN TODAY'S SESSION... we learned about trees' vital role in our lives. We used our bodies to build a tree and then experienced a guided meditation in which we grew from acorns to mighty oak trees. We represented our interdependence...

The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams. – Henry David Thoreau IN TODAY’S SESSION… During our discussions of finding home in a particular place, the Creating Home group learned about the homes of other animals and compared some of them to our homes. This session explored what...

Your deepest roots are in nature. No matter who you are, where you live, or what kind of life you lead, you remain irrevocably linked with the rest of creation. — Charles Cook, founder and director of Wild Earth Adventures IN TODAY'S SESSION... we learned about some interesting partnerships in...

We see in the world around us many symbols that teach us the meaning of life. You could notice if you wanted to, but you are usually too busy. We Indians live in a world of symbols and images where the spiritual and the commonplace are one....

We did not weave the web of life; We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, We do to ourselves — attributed to Chief Seattle, chief of the Duwamish Nation IN TODAY'S SESSION... we heard the story, "The Grumpy Gecko," which showed that all living beings on the Earth are connected on...

I want to remind myself and others that our homes can become sacred places, filled with life and meaning. – Gunilla Norris IN TODAY’S SESSION… We began our exploration of home by talking about thresholds – places of entrance and exit where we begin and end our journeys. We created name...

We love beyond belief. — Thandeka Think of something you can do to create more of an ethos of care and compassion within your own congregation or small group ministry program. Explore the possibilities and make a commitment to make it happen. Consider what you have learned in the What Moves Us...

No one knows better than I that the [Spirit] often fails to keep appointments with our congregations on Sunday morning. When that happens, it is often useful to go for a walk in the woods on Sunday afternoon! But even so, what has happened Sunday morning is not without value. For even when the...

We live by our devotions. — James Luther Adams (1901-1994) Identify a way in which your personal religious behavior displays your religious beliefs. Then, identify a way your congregation's beliefs are displayed in congregational structure, practices, and action. Reflect in your theology journal...

The emotional impulses that urge [human]kind to be religious are a part of human nature everywhere and apparently always. We truly need to be religious. — Sophia Lyon Fahs What core emotional needs of yours are foundational to your personal Unitarian Universalist faith? Reflect on how these needs...