Each month, WUUC explores a theme of the month… January’s Soul Matters theme is IMAGINATION.
The question we will explore is: What does it mean to be a people of Imagination? Here are a few thoughts to ponder as we consider, discuss, learn and play with this theme.
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Imagination’s great gift is improvement. At least that is what adults are usually taught. Yes, imagination can help to heal the world. Imagination moves us forward. It makes us better.
We are urged to imagine and build the world we dream of. A world with more justice. More peace. More love.
And to do this work, we are often called to imagine a world that is real, but broken. To imagine pain and suffering that we have not experienced; hunger and starvation, poverty, violence, war, oppression, tyranny and, for many, insurmountable suffering of the heart, mind, and spirit.
But Imagination isn’t just a force that drives us forward toward a more perfect future,
There are ways in which this view of imagination can impoverish us. It can steal the stage. It can shut out the experience of the perfection of the present. When we review what has been painful in our past, and what could be problematic in our future, we suffer unnecessarily.
Imagination pulls the sacred into our impoverished present. Through the lens of imagination, we can perceive the common as precious, even miraculous.
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Perhaps our most important work is to re-imagine imagination.
When you got out of bed this morning. After a shower, you didn’t just pull on fresh clothes, you also pulled out a jewelry box and slipped on your grandmother’s ring. As you slid it on your finger, she slid, not just into your memory, but into your day. Now, because of imagination, you aren’t just elegant, you’re accompanied.
Or how about that invisible friend of yours when you were a child? Imagination made sure you didn’t travel through those early years alone. It conjured up a loyal friend.
Author Unknown
The laughter of our children becomes the sound of angels. Sunshine on our face becomes a greater treasure than gold.
… Wouldn’t it be great if we walked around surrounded by our souls, so that they were the first things people saw… Then people would judge us by who we really are. … Imagine no more racism, ageism, sexism, fatism, shortism, homophobia. Imagine falling in love with who a person is, just by looking at them. … Imagine people knowing by your soul…
Author Unknown
What will become of a failure? What can be built with an honest mistake? Keep paying attention. Keep dreaming and supposing that more is possible. We don’t know the ending. And if you are tired, then it must be time to rest. Staying curious is like a muscle. We flex – reaching for what we don’t yet know. And relax – leaving space for what is yet to come.
Rev. Theresa I. Soto
The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.
J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
If a fairy could grant me one wish, it would be to give every child an imagination that would last a lifetime.
This article was Inspired by Soul Matters January 2021. It was adapted and embellished, and some parts were copied, by Linda Sherry.
By Wendy Condrat Here are six recommendations for those who have a new relationship with trees after reading Richard Powers’ “The Overstory.”
“Ginkgo: The Tree That Time Forgot” by Peter Crane
“American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree” by Susan Freinkel
“Oak: The Frame of Civilization “ by William Bryant Logan
“Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit” by Andrew Moore
“ The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring” by Richard Preston
Each of these stories traces the history and rich contributions to America’s past as to our dependence and love of these trees, despite their disappearance from our landscape. (In a matter of decades, the American Chestnut was eradicated.)
And if you have not read “The Overstory,” begin with that as a lengthy but gripping historically fictional but factual journey into eco-forestry.
Even though we humans haven’t been making use of the church buildings, it seems that the puppets and stuffies have been having a wonderful time. And hey seem to have welcomed Rev. Dan’s new puppet friend Winston the Wolf to join their fun!
They have been making crafts:
Playing in the nursery:
Having circle time:
Taking naps:
Singing together:
And celebrating the holidays!
Hoping you all experienced as much holiday magic as the stuffies and puppets did.
Join us on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. via Zoom for a meeting of the WUUC Nonfiction Book Club, hosted by Alaine Davis. We will discuss “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama. RSVP to Alaine, alaine.davis@yahoo.com.
One of The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2020
A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.
Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of Nov. 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.
Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden. — Barnes and Noble
Four times a year, the WUUC Book Discussion Group gathers to read and talk about a nonfiction book. You only attend the meetings about books that interest you, so we end up with a different group of participants every time. We meet to connect and talk about a book in depth. Anyone is welcome to suggest a book and/or lead a discussion. Contact Alaine to RSVP, suggest a book, or offer to host a future discussion.
Special Sunday Collections Our Sunday service special collection on Oct. 18 collected $375 for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. The FRRC is a grassroots, membership organization run by Returning Citizens (Formerly Convicted Persons) who are dedicated to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with convictions, and creating a more comprehensive and humane re-entry system that will enhance successful re-entry, reduce recidivism, and increase public safety. While this month’s collection went to a Florida-based organization, it had national implications, as it helped hundreds of returning citizens pay fines/fees so they could register to vote.
Next month’s ASJ Special Collection will be on Sunday, December 20, and will go to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. The UUSC is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates. We hope you will consider giving generously to UUSC’s important work.
As always, the ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month. Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
WUUC’s 2020 Virtual Giving Tree WUUC will once again host a Giving Tree for families needing extra support with gift giving during the holiday season. This year we are excited to partner with families living in the Greenleaf apartment complex in Kenmore, the community that WUUC collaborates with through our Black Student and Families Fund project. Our ongoing contributions to Greenleaf families provide a safe environment for Northshore students to explore and express their identity as they navigate the racial constructs of their world. Watch the WUUC email lists for more information about how to contribute to the Giving Tree.
21-Day Racial Equity Challenge Over forty WUUC members and friends participated in our first Racial Equity Challenge, which provided 21 days of learning, reflection, discussion, and action. Lively and thought-provoking discussions took place at several virtual meetings, at youth group gatherings, and around the family dinner table, with people of all ages engaging at whatever level they chose. The Racial Justice Task Force will be offering a second opportunity to participate in the 21-Day Challenge in early 2021 – stay tuned for more information!
