We all know that families now aren't necessarily like Ozzie and Harriet (it turns out Ozzie and Harriet's family wasn't all Ozzie and Harriet)... family has a traditional context, but today it's not as simple as two parents with 2-3 kids... it's about relationships... it's about people who are bound together by love and a sense of being responsible for one another... it's spouses with no children, like Jeffrey and me... it's a group of women who meet to cook dinner together once a month... it's a one-parent family with adopted children... it's two men who've made a life together... at the end of the day, all we have is love... getting love, but even more, feeling love... — Ina Garten, chef and cookbook author

We believe all people should be treated fairly, without racial, cultural, socioeconomic or territorial boundaries—the UU second Principle. This session embraces all families on their daily journeys into beloved community: Love without boundaries.

Participants affirm all families through the story and activities. Families self-define, and some are marginalized when their definition is not fully acknowledged in the dominant culture. One example is same-sex couples and their children in states that do not yet recognize the right of equal marriage for all.

Families are the building blocks of all beloved communities. The Faith In Action activity invites the congregation to outreach to the local community in a unique way as families make puzzles and share them with people in the neighborhood. It is one way to let people know that Unitarian Universalists accept all families.

Goals

This session will:

• Reinforce the second Principle, "We believe all people should be treated fairly," and apply it to families
• Teach that there are many different kinds of families
• Demonstrate that Unitarian Universalist love encompasses all types of families.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Identify their family
• Experience many kinds of families
• Engage in multiple ways to show love without boundaries with families.