Taking the bus, which costs about a dime, after listening to Càntor, Ensamble de música antigua perform Vivaldi, Bach, Telemann, Handel and Hayden at the Gene Byron Museum, the woman in front of me turned around and we talked. We met at the reception after the concert in the courtyard of the magnificent hacienda. I … Continue reading How are ordinary people persuaded to comply passively with injustice …

Guest column by Elizabeth Skinner Michael Nelson suggested I write a piece about how the Fellowship and its progressive faith and voice make a difference “way up north in Marysville.” He may have been thinking of a UU effect on the larger community, but my thoughts on this matter focus more on the individual and … Continue reading “Way up north in Marysville.” …

The wonder of seeing all the candles shining in the darkness at our Christmas Eve service will lift me into this New Year with gratitude for the goodness that shines out from the life of our Fellowship. My mother felt that the service was “homey” and was pleased to feel at home–inspired and glad. She … Continue reading The wonder of seeing all the candles …

Maybe December is a month when we can slow down instead of speeding up. Do one less thing and not one more. Why not take a nap? Let memories drift like fat, lazy snowflakes across the landscape of your life. Make a wish list that encourages dreaming; the act of slipping into the world of marvels. … Continue reading Maybe December is a month when we can slow down …

One celebrates their ancestors in Sweden on All Soul’s Day by putting votive candles on their graves. Halloween in Sweden is seen as a crass and commercial import from the states, but the ancient custom of honoring those you loved with light bonds with quiet power. The mellow flicker in the graveyards is not spooky. … Continue reading The mellow flicker in the graveyards is not spooky …

The good poem maintains a delicate balance between strangeness and familiarity. The author must make the familiar strange enough to be re-seen or re-felt by the reader. The truth is always a little strange because the conventional world has little interest in truth, and regularly accepts packaged versions of it … This excerpt from Stephen … Continue reading Mixing the strange and the familiar keeps our progressive religion evolving …

Kansas gay feather, those violet-purple spires, have begun to bloom on the roadside. Soon asters and goldenrod will shine across the prairie, summoning autumn. At our Fellowship Board retreat, which moved with gusto into the important issues that give our community forward momentum, I announced that I plan to retire in May of 2016. Normally, … Continue reading I plan to retire in May of 2016 …

On a perfect Swedish evening, on the beach of a perfect lake ringed by woods and meadows, a family arrives just as the red-gold of the lowering sun begins to shimmer on the water. The daughter and father move quickly into the lake and swim out. The mother sits on a large towel, reaches for … Continue reading On a perfect Swedish evening …

A decade has passed since we sold our little house in Sweden. We left boxes of books, family pictures, bikes, and antiques with a friend. Stuff that we could not haul back to Kansas or simply toss. It’s time to sort through these belongings. It makes us happy to return to a more leisurely approach … Continue reading A decade has passed since we sold our little house in Sweden …

Do you ever need a break from bad news? I do. Since the 1980’s, I’ve taken breaks from NPR and the headlines. An endless stream of horror stories pulls joy from my bones. I become exhausted and starved for meaning that sustains and inspires. I turn from the news toward what restores a larger context, … Continue reading Do you ever need a break from bad news? …