Spiritual warrior's pledge: Not for myself alone, but that all the people may live. — Brooke Medicine Eagle, Buffalo Woman Comes Singing

There is nothing to make you like other human beings so much as doing things for them. — Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road

IN TODAY'S SESSION... we introduced the topic of service through the story of Joseph Tuckerman, a Unitarian minister who founded the practice of social work in America and created the organization which is now the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry. We tied sailor knots like those which might have been used by the sailors whose families Tuckerman served, and we listened deeply to one another through personal interviews.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... what it means to be of service. How do members of your family serve one another? In what ways is your family of service to your community? In what ways are you of service to your church? One of the themes of this week's session was the importance of listening and being in relationship in order to be of service. In what situations do members of your family wish that others would listen to them more carefully?

A Family Adventure. Joseph Tuckerman reached out to the poor of Boston, helping people to get everything from shoes to medicine to jobs. What organizations in your community serve those in need? Can your family help prepare or serve a meal, help younger children with homework, or otherwise connect with a nearby social service organization (perhaps affiliated with your congregation)?

A Family Game. Ask your child to show you the knots they tied in class. Learn from your child how to tie some of the knots. Then have knot-tying races—or race to see how quickly you can untie them and then tie them up again.