Author Archives: Bob Patrick

How Do You Say Welcome?

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Bob Patrick

On a recent visit with our son who lives in Michigan, we visited a place in a small village outside of Detroit known as the largest Christmas store in the world. If any item had anything to do with the … Continue reading →

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Are All Welcome Here?

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Bob Patrick

Many years ago, our congregation began a deep conversation around what it means to be a welcoming congregation and what it means to be “radically welcoming.” That phrase, radically welcoming, caused us some pause–as well it should have. To this … Continue reading →

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The Power of Welcome

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Bob Patrick

One of the benefits of being an editor for these reflections is that I get to see what everyone is writing before they are published. Earlier this week, Jenn Yi wrote something that really struck deeply within me. In Jenn’s … Continue reading →

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Welcome as Sacred Exchange

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Bob Patrick

There is a small group of individuals who take up a most important task each week on Sunday mornings at UUCG. They are our Greeters. We have outside greeters who are in the parking lot. We have inside greeters just … Continue reading →

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Labyrinth: Balance

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Bob Patrick

A repost of September 23, 2014 When there isn’t enough compassion being generated (either for ourselves as individuals or in the world in general), we become unbalanced; we suffer from it as we would from a lack of fresh air … Continue reading →

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Labyrinth: Our Lives

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Bob Patrick

Reposted from October 18, 2014 On the signature line of my work email, I have a quotation from the Persian poet and mystic Rumi:  “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field.I’ll meet you there.”  Recently, I … Continue reading →

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Storehouse: Earth Meditation

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Bob Patrick

Reposted from Nov. 15, 2013 I believe strongly that each human being comes into this life with an inherent worth and dignity.  This worth and dignity express themselves in many varied ways from person to person. Some people (and I … Continue reading →

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