My dad died 28 years ago. I still have some of his things: A red plaid Pendleton bath robe. (I look like Dad in that thing now.) An old Sears table saw bought used in 1950. I still use it, (but for rough cuts only). An old grinding wheel, noisy as sin, but sharpens mower blades in no time....

As years go by and passions cool, we make love in places that young lovers only dream about. We make love at the kitchen table, a Scrabble board the mattress and hints to help the other our passionate kisses. We make love in the car, thrilling to beautiful scenery or a rarely seen wild animal. We...

If I should die, (and I will some day), I won't be far away. You will see me. When the big golden retriever ambles in and lies down under the kitchen table, he's lying at my feet. I'm in the chair....

"Christ is born! Alleluia!" "Only ten shopping days until Christmas!" We lament tying one to the other, but this is not naked materialism. There is religion in the ribbons. A wintry night. A tiny baby, a cattle stall, a bed in the hay, two thousand years ago. From hundreds of miles Kings come to...

The tree is all set Packages piled at its base. Telephone calls from the kids confirming the times of dinner and church. Nothing much left to do. The Fed Ex guy just delivered the last late order. I'll wrap it, and then what? Time on my hands. Time to think. What is this all about? Christmas is...

ALL: Today we honor the youth among us You who are stepping beyond and away and toward Today we share in your journey And encourage your discovery Young Adults (18-35): Today we welcome your energy And offer you a safe place to grow Today we celebrate your hopes and dreams Come live, breathe, thr...

Every week we gather in this beautiful space to find peace. Each week words and music offer and celebrate peace with the hope of instilling it in us. Now, take the peace you have found here, back out into the world with you. Renewed in our faith and inspired to act, Let us be the peacemakers the...

Goodness is a means, not an end. Look within. Who can stop the hunger for more than we deserve? Who can prevent a jealous thought from urging us to protect our hearts? Who can ward off all the uncertainties that disturb the mind before we decide to act?...

Welcome to this place. This is a home where no revealed truths are promoted and no scripture or human being accepted as infallible. This is a place for searching for truth. But we are believers....

Today we celebrate a dream awakening. Today we worship with renewed hope in our hearts. Today we act on an audacity of hopes and dreams for the future. Today we begin the hard work for justice, equity and compassion in all human relations, for today is a day like no other and it is ours to shape...

The stone has got to be rolled back from the tomb again and again every year. Roll up your sleeves. He is not coming back, you know....

Let us join in a moment dedicated to that quiet power within us. It is within that we find the will to face the world; it is within that we find the love to embrace the world; it is within that we find our personal identity and know the world. Yet, within us is also a great void....

May your journey know joy and contentment and satisfaction.

Leader (L): When there was a need, you came forward. Congregation (C): And so we thank you. L: In the nighttime or daytime, on weekends and even in the coldest, darkest part of the year, you helped. C: And so we thank you....

If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations....

There is so much that I want. I want to be well.

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Many Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations follow an annual Ingathering tradition on the first Sunday after Labor Day that includes a Water Communion/Ceremony ritual. Specific traditions vary widely, but often they include introductory remarks, a time for reflection, a sharing of water that...

Come no matter what the topic is, because your church needs you and you need your church.

The author, a member of a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation, reflects on living with bipolar disorder.