Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more.

— Malvina Reynolds (from the song "Magic Penny")

IN TODAY'S SESSION... the children heard a story, "The Mish-Mash Heart," about how love becomes richer when it is given away or shared. We talked about the ways we share our love with one another in our beloved community—our Unitarian Universalist congregation. We made our own mish-mash hearts as symbols of the love we have shared with others in our lives, played Cat's Cradle string games with a partner, and shared joys and concerns which we learned is one way Unitarian Universalists share their feelings and needs for support with each other in community.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... the ways you volunteer your time and efforts to help your religious community to "give back" some of the good feelings you get from participating in your congregation. Share some of the times you have felt the spirit of love in your religious community and how the people at your congregation make this happen.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try... volunteering in your congregation together as a family to "give back" some of the love you receive from your religious community. You might offer to pass the offertory baskets together as a family, light the chalice together at the start of the worship service, or spend a day cleaning up the congregation's building or grounds.

Family Discovery. Create a family heart together with different parts of the large heart symbolizing the good and bad times you've had together as a family. Without using words, colors and designs can depict experiences and reveal feelings as you represent the times of your lives together.

A Family Game. Obtain some string or yarn—or a pre-looped, elastic string, made just for this purpose—and play Cat’s Cradle together as a family. Find suggestions and instructions for playing a variety of string games including Cat’s Cradle on the Alysion website, Momsminivan.com, and author Libby Koponen's website. String games are particularly good on long family trips, as they do not require additional supplies and can occupy minds as well as hands when sitting for long periods of time is necessary.

A Family Ritual. Share joys and concerns together as a family by lighting candles or simply joining hands and sharing the best thing about a particular day or what you are particularly grateful for on this day.