As human knowledge has grown, we have come to know the immensity of the universe. The universe is big and we human beings can seem infinitesimally small. The hurting in the world, our community, and our families seems huge, and we can feel as though there is little we can do. There’s so much that…

Excerpted and adapted from Scott Russell Sanders’ book, A Private History of Awe (New York, North Point Press, 2006).In his book A Private History of Awe, Scott Russell Sanders remembers a spring day when he was a young boy, old enough to run around and small enough to be carried in his father’s…

This story is an excerpt from the essay “Balance” by Unitarian Universalist minister Susan Manker-Seale, included in the book Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life, edited by Scott W. Alexander (Skinner House Books, 1999). My daily spiritual practice is to balance….

By the Rev. Gordon McKeeman, reprinted from Out of the Ordinary with permission of the author. Copyright (C) 2000 by Gordon B. McKeeman. Published by Skinner House Books, an imprint of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Sometimes I enjoy cooking. I’ve discovered that one of the greatest of…

Excerpted and adapted from “Carolyn McDade’s Spirit of Life” by Kimberly French, UU World magazine, Fall 2007. Used with permission. Carolyn McDade, the author of the song “Spirit of Life”, does not identify herself as a songwriter or musician—though she has written hundreds of songs and released…

By Elie Wiesel, from The Gates of the Forest.When the great Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem-Tov saw misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light the fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the…

Reprinted from Life Tides by permission of Sarah Tarbox. Copyright (C) 1993. Published by Skinner House Books, an imprint of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Hollow bones, streamlined feathers, and wings shaped to push aside the viscosity of air are not what make birds fly. Birds let go of…