Roots hold me close; wings set me free; Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me. — "Spirit of Life," Hymn 123 in Singing the Living Tradition

IN TODAY'S SESSION . . . the theme was "At [name of congregation], we have a special worship service called a flower ceremony." [Describe what you did, e.g., "We held our own flower ceremony, then took a walk and looked for flowers growing."]

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER . . . Read one or more of the suggested books for this session:

"The Flower Ceremony, A Plain and Simple Beauty," adapted from a story by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer in her book Lamp in Every Corner: Our UU Storybook (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2004). This story can be found in Love Surrounds Us, a Tapestry of Faith curriculum.
Ava's Poppy by Marcus Pfister, 2012. Ava is delighted when she discovers a brilliant red poppy in the middle of her yard.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try . . . asking each family member to find a flower that represents them in some way (for example, a bright red rose for Mama's red hair, a daisy with white petals for all the white teeth in Daddy's smile). Arrange all the flowers in a vase together to make a bouquet of your family.

A Family Adventure. Visit a local botanical garden, greenhouse, or a farm where flowers are grown.

A Family Discovery. Explore "Celebrating the Flower Ceremony" on the UUA website for sermons and information related to the Flower Ceremony. Or, read two articles from UU World Magazine: "Czech Unitarians, Who Developed Flower Communion, Invite the World to Their 90th Anniversary" by Petr Dolak Samojsky, Summer 2012; and "What Does Your Flower Communion Bloom Symbolize?" by Sonja L. Cohen, Spring 2012.

A Family Game. Do the "Five Little Flowers" finger play with your child:

Five little flowers standing in the sun. [hold up five fingers]

See their heads nodding, bowing one by one? [bend fingers several times]

Down, down, down comes the gentle rain, [raise hands, wiggle fingers, and lower arms to simulate falling rain]

And the five little flowers lift their heads up again! [hold up five fingers]

A Family Ritual. Involve the whole family in gathering flowers to bring to this year's flower ceremony. Create a family version of the flower ceremony to do at home.