Spring Into Transformation

Posted on March 28, 2024 by admin

It has been said that we enjoy three seasons in the South: Spring, Summer, and Football.  As much as I have learned to appreciate a Saturday afternoon of gridiron athleticism, Spring has always been my favorite.

When my children were little and we were in the middle of the controlled chaos that is raising children, I thought of spring as the time of year when things slowed down. As I watched leaves unfold, I thought this was the true pace of life. I felt that I had permission to relax in Spring as I watched things slowly change.

Now, I’m older and I have all the time I want to relax out of doors. I spend a lot of it in my various garden patches, watching birds, taking pictures of butterflies. Now I can feel the strong pull of ‘Life’s longing for itself” as I hear the morning chorus of birds compete for their own piece of territory.  Some days it’s hard to take it all in, all this inevitable march of change.

~Karen Smith

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Perspectives Can Change

Posted on March 27, 2024 by admin

Our goal  is  to  create a  beloved  community  and  this will  require  a qualitative change  in  our  souls  as  well  as  a  quantitative  change  in  our  lives.
Rev.  Dr. Martin  Luther  King  Jr.

 I was trying to think about where I first learned about community and neighborhood and family. Many of those details are absorbed as children when we just find ourselves in a family in a neighborhood in a community we may not have chosen but were born into. 

I remember, as a child watching “Mr Roger’s Neighborhood” and feeling so safe and happy watching him sing his way through the show and deal with some pretty interesting issues along the way. While I don’t agree with his stance on everything… I think he pioneered a lot of controversial topics in a very safe and loving way that enabled children and adults to accept themselves and others. He created a virtual community where few topics were off the table for discussion. 

Today social media is invading all of our spaces and senses with dares and dialogs and demonstrations of how things shouldn’t and should be. 

In his Ted Talk on Building Resilient Communities Nick Tilsen talks about taking conflict and challenges, and disconnects, and finding ways to reconnect with our real identities, who we really are and find ways to rebound from challenges that we face. To see what really matters, commit to the process, commit to the pathway; commit to coming together  – continuing the work. 

The decision we have to make is how we are going to live our lives in the face of everything that is around us invading our subconscious each day. I don’t think any one of us is free of these pressures. The balance comes in putting them in their place. Mindfully focusing on what matters. And that is where transformation living can occur. 

~Lydia Patrick

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Show Me How

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Bob Patrick

A few days ago, I was observing an online classroom. There were a couple of points where the professor was interacting with an individual student.  The student said something that I could tell the professor wanted to give some additional input to, maybe even correct. Rather than say something like: no, that’s not right.  Here’s the correct information (which a professor is in a position to do–even expected to do), she asked a question: would it be okay for you to feel/think/say ________?  Immediately the student grasped the new possibility (posed as a question) and embraced it. No one was made to feel wrong or stupid. I watch in amazement. I want to be like that!  I wrote it down so that I could further ponder that approach. 

Recently I, along with several other members of our congregation, attended the Southern Odyssey for Unitarian Universalist Leadership (SOUUL). My first meeting was with a small group where we engaged in some inspiring and provocative conversation. Sitting on the table in front of us were smooth, fist sized painted stones. We were invited to  use one of the stones as a “talking stone,” meaning that whenever you wanted to speak, you asked for the stone and held it while speaking into the conversation. I’ve used talking sticks before, but never a stone. The artwork on it was fun, and holding the weighted stone in my hands felt grounding and centering while I was speaking. It felt significant when I handed it on to someone else or received it myself. I want to try that sometime!

These are just two simple examples of something inherent in us as human beings. Both of them enhanced my life experience in some way. We learn from and are transformed by each other. Just being in proximity to other human beings who might be doing or saying something new to me immediately invites me into that new thing. For good or for ill. 

The power of transformation is in us and around us. We are changed by and changing each other all the time. Being reminded of that makes me want to pay closer attention to what I am learning and what I am showing others how to do!

~Bob Patrick

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One Step At A Time

Posted on March 25, 2024 by admin

Never a failure, always a lesson.
adrienne maree brown

Bob and I practiced hot (Bikram) yoga for a time in AL and in GA.  

This hot yoga is a series of 26 postures each done twice and sustained for 90 seconds in a room heated to 105 Fahrenheit and 90% humidity.. You don’t  leave the room during the session as you go through the stretches and positions that help you cleanse your cells from the inside out. Sweating is cleansing. 

The postures and poses are done in silence with only the voice of the instructor so that everyone can focus on the meditation of the practice and fine tuning their poses. The repeated practice can improve lower body strength, range of joint motion in both upper and lower body, and balance. Mindfulness and breathing regularly improve with practice as well. 

The most important takeaway for me was the repetition of the poses each time and the breath work and the constant struggle to keep my eyes open. The heat and the concentration and the exertion were exhausting. Closing my eyes was an escape. 

But we were instructed to stay present in the moment, stay focused on the breathing, and use the repetitive movements and instructions to perfect our practice. I have found, that even now, when life throws me another curve ball (as it often does) I find myself going back to my breathing and keeping my eyes open to the moment so I can stay focused and centered on the work that needs to be done. Namaste. I think transformation can be like that also. 

~Lydia Patrick

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Moon Phases

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Bob Patrick

Many people across human history have paid reverent attention to what they see of the moon in the sky at night. Almost every indigenous tradition has sacred stories about the moon, some of which attempt to explain why it is forever changing, sometimes a sliver, sometimes as if cut in half, other times shrinking or growing. Of course, there is always (once a month, sometimes twice!) that glorious full moon. My Papaw planted his garden by the moon, and harvested it by the moon, too (thanks, Farmer’s Almanac).

We know that the moon doesn’t change. We know that what changes is the position of the moon, earth and sun to create light and dark portions on the moon from our perspective. Those who pay attention to the moon phases these days as part of our spiritual practice notice that the moon spends roughly half the month increasing in what we can see, and half decreasing in what we can see.

From our perspective. An increasing moon can be a call to use our energy for creative, good and hopeful things. A decreasing moon can be a reminder to clean up, take care and secure things in our lives.  Both are important processes. 

And, those moon phases can be reminders of life. Every encounter with every other human being is a moment that we filter through our perspective. I have an encounter with someone, and I immediately think I’m seeing half light and half dark. What do I make of that? Is this person on the increase (growing more light in themselves) or on the decline (in need of space and support)?

The moon phases can remind us that everything is always changing, and everything is always relational. Every moment is an opportunity to respond and engage, to be better, to do better. 

~Bob Patrick

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Ostara’s Transformation in Us

Posted on March 21, 2024 by admin

Ostara, celebrated at the vernal equinox, marks a pivotal moment in the wheel of the year, embodying rebirth and renewal. This time of balance, when day equals night, offers a profound reflection on the transformation of the world and our place within it. Ostara heralds the arrival of spring, a season of awakening and vibrant life after the introspective chill of winter. It’s a moment that encourages us to open our hearts to new beginnings and possibilities, mirroring the natural world’s resurgence.

In contemplating Ostara, we observe the earth’s reawakening: dormant seeds burst into life, pushing through the soil to embrace the sunlight; trees, barren through the cold months, begin to sprout new leaves; and animals emerge from hibernation, the cycle of life visibly resuming. This external transformation reflects an internal journey of renewal. Just as the earth sheds the last remnants of winter, we too are invited to let go of past burdens and embrace growth and rejuvenation.

Ostara is a reminder of balance—not just the equinox’s day and night—but in our lives. It encourages us to find harmony between action and rest, giving and receiving, growth and reflection. This balance is crucial for our personal development and the well-being of the world around us. As we celebrate Ostara, we recognize our role in the broader ecosystem. We are reminded of the interconnectedness of all things and the impact of our actions on the earth.

The festival of Ostara is not just a celebration of the changing seasons, but a call to mindfulness and stewardship. It challenges us to consider how we can contribute to the world’s renewal, promoting sustainability, and nurturing the environments we inhabit. As the world transforms around us, Ostara inspires us to reflect on our transformation, encouraging us to grow in harmony with the earth, fostering a deeper connection to the natural world and to each other.

~Candice C. Currier

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More Than Meets The Eye

Posted on March 20, 2024 by admin

Are you familiar with the Transformers? You know, those robots in disguise? Long before the Transformers movie franchise, there was a cartoon version that captured the imagination of my son when he was only five or six. In the show, there were cars and trucks that transformed themselves into powerful robots to fight evil robots. One year his grandparents sent him some birthday money to buy a toy transformer. The toy was above his age, but really I thought, how hard can it be?

Pretty hard, actually. When I saw the lengthy instruction booklet, I immediately regretted buying the toy. Hesitantly, I handed the car to Chris and began to study each step, aware that there were now clicking noises in the room. There were numerous steps, with a twist this way and twist and turn that way, but definitely not a twist another way. I foresaw a broken toy in our future. Finally I finished reading and turned to Chris to show him how to transform his car into its alter ego robot, but he didn’t need any help. With a beaming smile he held the robot up to me, magically transformed by his little hands, and said, “like this Mama?” Humbled, I replied, “exactly like that.”

I learned a bit about transformation that day. Transformation involves risk and simply believing in our amazing abilities to adapt and change. Sometimes transformation is best served by putting aside the instructions and experimenting on our own. How many twists and turns will it take until we ourselves are transformed from the ordinary to extraordinary? Who knows? There are a lot of unknowns in transformation. Encouragingly, the potential for transformation exists in us all. There is so much more to each one of us than meets the eye.

~Lisa Kiel  

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