Cut down the forest of desire, not the forest of trees. — The Buddha, Dhammapada 283 IN TODAY'S WORKSHOP ... we prepared for the Council Among the Trees ritual, which continues in Workshop 7. HOMEWORK: Take time each day to reflect on the being your mask represents....

I think that I shall never see A billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all. —Ogden Nash, American poet, "Song of the Open Road" (1933) IN TODAY'S WORKSHOP ... we viewed a visual essay by Franke James called "What Can One Person Do?" We...

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn. — Ralph Waldo Emerson IN TODAY'S WORKSHOP... we continued to explore the many benefits of trees for other creatures and plants in the web of life with a "Helping Tree Metaphors" activity, and we learned the popular "Rainforest Song" by Unitarian...

To be poor and be without trees is to be the most starved human being in the world. To be poor and have trees is to be completely rich in ways that money can never buy. — Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype IN TODAY'S...

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. — Chinese proverb IN TODAY'S WORKSHOP ... we explored our relationship to trees and heard a story about the interdependence of the ancient forest. We affirmed the value—for ourselves and for the group—of treating each...

Wisdom begins in wonder. — Socrates, Greek philosopher IN TODAY'S SESSION... we celebrated our time together with an outdoor Wonder Walk. We used our senses and our "wonder skills" of slowing down, paying attention, and observing nature. We talked about the quote from Socrates and what it means.

Memory is lodged in pictures and feelings in the cells themselves. Like a sponge filled with water, anywhere the flesh is pressed, wrung, even touched lightly, a memory may flow out in a stream. – Clarissa Pinkola Estes IN TODAY'S SESSION... The final session of our Creating Home curriculum...

It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees... We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind....

We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been — a place half-remembered and half-envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle...

People overestimate the pleasure they'll get from having more stuff. This does not apply to new rose bushes, crayons, or yarn stashes. — Dr. Sun Wolf IN TODAY'S SESSION... we learned about the 5 Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot. We heard the story "Enough Stuff," which introduced the...

We have to celebrate, because this brother of yours …he was lost and has been found. – Christian scripture, Luke 15:32 IN TODAY’S SESSION… Today we used a version of the Prodigal Son story from Christian scripture as a way of focusing on the ways we move away from and back into our homes.

Question: How do energy conscious people think about wind power? Answer: They're blown away! — United States Energy Information Administration IN TODAY'S SESSION......

A place will express itself through the human being just as it does through its wild flowers. – Lawrence Durrell IN TODAY’S SESSION… Today we talked about our worship home. It is an important distinction for children to understand that worship is our corporate response to our faith. It is in...

Imagine a glorious full moon coming over the tops of the spruce, big and yellow, shedding a mysterious light on everything... the moonlight had colour, you could see to paint and be able to appreciate the colour of things. — Arthur Lismer, Canadian Unitarian artist, 1948 IN TODAY'S SESSION... we...

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade. – Chinese proverb IN TODAY’S SESSION… The group talked about ancestors – both family and faith ancestors – and the legacies they leave for future generations. The children heard a story, “The Farmer’s Legacy,” in which a farmer...

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way its animals are treated. — Mahatma Gandhi IN TODAY'S SESSION... We considered how kindness is important in the web of life and learned about real life examples of animals who have acted with altruism to save the lives of...

What is there more kindly than the feeling between host and guest? – Aeschylus IN TODAY’S SESSION… Today’s session focused on the story of John Murray, Universalist minister. A story about John Murray’s arrival in the United States from England was used to start a discussion on...

The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. — e.e. cummings, 20th-century IN TODAY'S SESSION... we played! We learned that, through play, animals, including humans, learn new skills, get exercise, relieve stress, and form social bonds. We learned that laughter and joy are very healthy for us...

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. —Langston Hughes, 20th-century African American poet In today's session... we considered how creativity benefits the web of life. We learned that female bowerbirds select their mates...

Nor need we power or splendor, wide hall or lordly dome; The good, the true, the tender – these form the wealth of home. – Sarah J. Hale IN TODAY’S SESSION… Today we talked about families. Children heard the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins who partnered and raised a chick,...