Origin Stories

Posted on January 17, 2025 by admin

We’re probably all familiar with prequels and origin stories as tropes in popular media. It
seems these days any story worth telling is worth telling again from the beginning.

Our personal origin stories might not be star-studded big-budget blockbusters, but they
carry significantly more meaning. For better or worse, we are the result of our individual
experiences. We can try to reboot the story, try to recast the characters, and maybe even come up with some new plot twists, but we can’t fundamentally alter the story while still being true to ourselves. What we can and should do is try to engage with our past and understand what it means for us at different stages of life.

As I age, I see new meaning in my past to which youth, immaturity, or inexperience left me blind. The story didn’t change, but the point-of-view of the reviewer did. UUCG has an origin story. Unitarian Universalism has an origin story. You have an origin story. I have positive feelings about my family of origin, the experiences of my youth, and the constellations of people, places, and things that led me to who I am today. Maybe you do and maybe you don’t.

Whether your past shaped you in positive ways or you overcame adversity and feel that you’ve made it in spite of your history, we are still connected to our origins. Let this new year be a season of understanding and acceptance even if it can’t be one of celebration and embrace.

~Ian Van Sice

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Winning the Lottery

Posted on January 16, 2025 by admin

My dad fought in World War II and his battalion spent a good ten grueling and exhausting months marching across Europe in the fall and winter. 

To boost morale of the soldiers the commanders held a lottery – the winner received a 3 day pass to France. My dad won a lovely weekend in Paris! 

In his letter to my mom about the weekend he talks about the marvelous bed in his hotel room. It was lovely and fresh and had beautiful linen fabric throughout and goose feather pillows and a warm hand made quilt cover. His buddies were so jealous of the wonderful sleep he must have gotten all weekend. 

The reality was that he never slept in the bed at all. He slept on the floor with his knapsack for a pillow. He said it was too soft and too nice for what he was used to. It bothered his back, he said.  He couldn’t imagine sleeping in that bed when his buddies were on the ground. 

As an adult I now understand this narrative a lot more. My dad had a strong sense of equity and justice and probably was uncomfortable living with such niceties even for a weekend when his buddies were not with him. He felt awkward with all of that comfort. He was used to other conditions. I think he felt it would be too much to enjoy for just himself. 

I honestly believe that if he could have given his weekend pass to another soldier he would have. 

That ‘justice’ and ‘equity’ belief system was with him throughout his life. I was raised in it though under a different name. His practice told a story more than his words ever could. 

~Lydia Patric

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The Worst Tattoo Ever

Posted on January 15, 2025 by admin

I have five tattoos. They all have a story that I love sharing, but my favorite is my frog on a daisy. When seeking out a tattoo artist I wanted a 3D version of a frog on a daisy in honor of my mother. So I reached out to some people I know and found an up and coming tattoo artist… that had literally only done a dozen tattoos. 

I sent the kid pictures of what I wanted and he said, “I’ll try my best.” That’s all I asked. 

I got the tattoo of a frog on a daisy, on my hip over my left ovary, the one that is plagued with PCOS. 

I was proud of the tattoo, it was cute, not what I wanted, but the kid was green. I posted the tattoo online and was blasted for getting it. 

“It looks like a child drew it,” “I can’t believe you paid money for that,” “That is the worst tattoo ever!.” The comments just kept coming till I turned them off. 

The tattoo wasn’t the best, but it was my story…it was my tattoo. 

It wasn’t till 2018 when I went to see a spiritualist that I got confirmation that my mom loved it. The spiritualists said “you have something on you that looks like a ribbon…it’s green or pink, I can’t tell. You mom is showing me a photo and I can’t tell what it is, but it’s on your body.” 

I lifted my shirt and showed her the tattoo, “yes, that is it right there, it looks like a ribbon to me. But your mom said she loves it and thinks it’s beautiful.”

At that point, I decided to never change it.

~Candice Carver

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Perspectives

Posted on January 14, 2025 by admin

History fascinates me. I have enjoyed reading US history for years. The Revolutionary War through the Civil War, particularly the period between about 1810 and 1860, is the period I study most. There are innumerable volumes written about US history with many covering the same periods and events. Why is this? How many books are needed to describe the winter at Valley Forge or the siege at Vicksburg?

Sometimes there is new scholarship that changes the narrative, but often the purpose of a new volume is to tell the story in a new way. History is more than a simple chronology and atlas of
happenings. Who and why are the reasons I revisit these events.

Of particular interest to me are biographies of historical political figures in US history. Through these, I can see the perspectives of many different sides of major points in our nation’s story. Stories can unite or divide us, teach us, entertain us, evoke powerful feelings, and bring us to tears (though hopefully not of boredom.) Not every storyteller has an agenda or
ulterior motive, but they do all have perspectives. It is important to remember that.

Understanding the interplay between our perspective and that of the storyteller can lead
to a deeper connection between speaker and listener. Be generous in your interpretation of other people’s stories. Seek to empathize rather than criticize. Try to share your story, too. These steps will help forge stronger bonds rather than push us apart.

~Ian Van Sice

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The Story of Our Work

Posted on January 13, 2025 by admin

Through the recent Winter holiday season, I was often hearing (quite often on social media now) the lyrics to that heart tugging song about the work of Christmas. It has become probably the most meaningful music for this time of year for me as I prepare for the turning over of the past year and the preparation of regular life to continue into a new one. It reminds me that the miracles we so often want and pray for are very often the realities of our very own efforts and what we bring to the  table each day. 

The Work of Christmas 
When the song of the angels is stilled, 
When the star in the sky is gone, 
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock, 
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken, 
To feed the hungry, 
To release the prisoner, 
To rebuild the nations, 
To bring peace among others, 
To make music in the heart. 

Howard Thurman 

As Unitarian Universalists these words bring us to our principles; Justice, Equity, Generosity, Transformation, Pluralism, and Interdependence. How will the story of our work unfold this year as we practice our faith each day? 

~Lydia Patrick

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How The Story Ends

Posted on January 10, 2025 by admin

I just finished listening to,  The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop. I am a ‘Gilmore Girls’ fan. I have watched the series more times than I can count –  with each of my daughters together and separately over and over again. We laugh, we cry, we sing the theme song, and we talk about how empowered we feel with the strong and fast moving dialect from the female leads of the show.

I was thrilled to download Kelly Bishop’s book. 

How disappointed I was at first because her narrative was a story, not about my beloved series, but about her life.  

It was her story about dancing and her love for dancing. It was about taking any part she could get on and off Broadway so she could dance. It was a story about the foibles and mishaps of living in big cities and taking small parts to make a living.

Her story was about  her relationships with friends, foes, fellow dancers, and loves – and if I am honest it was these stories that drew me. 

The story was not what I wanted or expected but was what I needed. Our stories connected. I leave you with these nuggets, thanks to Kelly Bishop. 

“There’s a lot more to being human than this finite, mundane, earthbound world we live in, that we’re really part of a much greater cosmic whole that’s all around us.”

“I don’t think about the many times I fell nearly as often as I think about the many times I got back up.”

“Don’t cry because you think your best days are gone. Smile because you had them in the first place.” 

~Lydia Patrick

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The Story We Tell Ourselves

Posted on January 9, 2025 by admin

The close of one year and the opening of a new one are natural points for reflection. Perhaps you spend your energy on tomorrow and visions of what is to come. Maybe you feel more drawn to review what happened over the last twelve months. Either way, these spaces in between time feel purpose-built to examine a time outside of themselves.

When you look to the past, what do you tell yourself? When you dream of the future, what voice do you hear? Are you congratulatory? Are the voices hopeful? Do you sit in judgment of the choices and decisions you made? Are the voices hopeless?

We make many decisions within a year. I believe we are all trying to do what we think is right but sometimes we fall short. That’s OK. Our faith tells us that nobody is as bad as their worst day and that we are all inherently worthy. If 2024 was a hard year for you, if you feel like you didn’t achieve those resolutions or accomplish much at all, try to remember that we are more than our “results.” If 2024 was a banner year for you, I am proud and I wish you continued success.

Still, try to remember that we are more than our “results.” In both cases, look to our values and know that you are good and you are worthy.

~Ian Van Sice

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