Prayer for the New Year
05 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Prayer
This moment, I take a deep breath in gratitude for my life.
May I make more room for what matters most and less for what subtracts from it.
Instead of trying to purchase happiness,
may I savor the wonders of Nature, the support of family, the opportunity to be of service, and foster stronger connections with my neighbors and friends.
Instead of running frantically,
may I become more attuned to the rhythms of Nature, simplify my days,
and nurture relationships that help me experience a more fulfilling way of living.
Instead of thinking of religion as one more thing to do,
may I remember that being a part of a spiritual community inspires me to become my best self, and more truly realize my place in the interdependent web of life.
Blessed Be.
Christmas Storytelling in Dover
07 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Events Tags: Christmas, Storytelling
Thursday, December 8th, 2pm-4pm
As a part of the Christmas program at the Dover Town Library, I will be telling two Christmas stories: The Polar Express and Olive, the other reindeer from 3pm-3:30pm. Come share in the magic and fun of the season! (Map)
Everyone is invited to bring a wrapped tree ornament for the ornament swap and take a new one on your way home.
Enjoy treats and snacks and holiday cheer.
This Sunday Eve Tells All
01 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
Sunday, November 6, 10:30 a.m.
Finally, Eve will offer her side of the story! What happened in the Garden of Eden? Are there any lessons to be learned? If she had it to live over, would she bite the apple?
You will not want to miss this dramatic retelling that speaks directly to women and men today. All are welcome!
Playing Doctor
26 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: congregations, healthy
Say “Ahhh
h!” my nearly three-year-old daughter says peering down the imaginary throat of her teddy bear. “Pretty good! Now, let me get the telescope!” Of course she means stethoscope, as she listens to the stuffed animal’s heart. Playing doctor is one of her favorite games these days as she examines the eyes, ears, nose, hands, and feet and especially if it’s a real person, asking us to take a deep breath. Lately, the veins in our arms and legs have fascinated her. “That’s blood!” she declares.
Peter and I depart tomorrow for a Healthy Congregations facilitator training in St. Paul, Minnesota. This seminar designed for leaders to nurture religious communities no doubt will offer useful tools for our ministry and consulting work with congregations.
My prayer for our religious communities is that we bring the same enthusiasm to them as playing doctor. Let’s engage in routine check-ups instead of waiting for a problem to become severe or chronic. Let’s foster a holy curiosity about what makes our institutions function and be ready to try out new ideas. Above all, let’s remind one another to take a deep breath and create joyful ways to be together!
Quiet Your Mind. Be Here Now.
18 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Buddhism, mindfulness
Sunday, October 23, 2011, 10:30 a.m.
With humor and insights from Zen Buddhism, this service is an invitation to slow down and experience life more fully. Join the Rev. Amy Freedman for music, meditation, and words of wisdom that will help awaken your senses to the present moment. Take a deep breath. Be here now.
Preaching this Sunday
11 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Events Tags: Kindness, world religions, Worship
While my colleague, the Rev. Dan King is taking a well-deserved mini-sabbatical I am pleased to be offering four Sunday services at First Parish in Kingston, MA. Worship is held at 10:30am. Childcare and Religious Education is available. Please join me or help spread the word. A description of the service follows:
Sunday, October 16, 2011, 10:30 am
What Matters Most, Rev. Amy Freedman
The world’s religions and great moral teachers offer the same life lesson: kindness is what matters most. However, there are many times and places where this spiritual truth is missing. When were you touched by kindness? How can we open our hearts to a Kindness Revolution?
Make a Fresh Start!
05 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Reconciliation, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur
In the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jews are meant to reflect on the past year in order to make the New Year even better. This is not just an intellectual exercise. During the Days of Awe you are expected to “fix” all the times you missed the mark.
Obviously, you do not have to be Jewish to take part in this process of reconciliation. Is there someone a life partner, a friend, a parent, a child, a sibling, a neighbor, a colleague, or someone in your community, who you hurt? It could have been an accident. It certainly was a mistake. We feel ashamed of some things we did last year. Maybe it was a big misunderstanding or only something small but that you still remember and carry around with you. Take time this week to say you are sorry. Not only will your relationship with that person improve, your spirit will lighten. It is a way to make a fresh start!
May this holiday remind us to face our mistakes and take action in making amends. May others forgive us when we say we are sorry and may we forgive others when they tell us that they are sorry. As it is written in the Hebrew Scriptures, “Then shall your light burst through like the dawn and your healing spring up quickly.” (Isaiah 58:8)
First Day of Preschool
20 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: parenting, preschool, transitions
As we approached her classroom, my daughter clutched my pants and covered her face in her hands. All summer, we had been looking forward to preschool. Now that the first day had arrived, I wanted to sweep up my two-year old and take her back home.
After juggling full-time ministry and parenting, it was a joy for me to devote my time to motherhood over this past year. We spent a lot of time together pretending, drawing, playing at local parks, and visiting the library. Wherever we go, she is eager to make friends. So, I know that she is ready for school. It is also time for me to reawaken to my professional life.
My husband Peter and I are both former preschool teachers. We searched with care for a place for our daughter. I visited one daycare where the Director said all the right things but the environment was sterile and both the teachers and kids looked bored. The whole family spent one morning at a neighborhood program where everything (including the teachers) looked shabby and tired.
We fell in love with her new school! On a tour our daughter was ready to join the children that day. The classrooms are filled with color and inviting activities. The teachers offer a responsive curriculum shaped by the children’s abilities and interests. As a cooperative, parents also take an active role in the school, helping in the classroom once a month.
Once we crossed the threshold into the Orange Sea Star class, she smiled and pulled us in to “Come, see my school!” We left her happily drawing with colored pencils. I am the one who keeps wiping away tears…
How We Decide
01 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Psychology, Video Tags: Jonah Lehrer
The Greenfield Group, my UU ministers’ study group, is gathering this Spring to explore the future of our religious movement. This is one of the resources for our “Faith Forward” theme. Jonah Lehrer has a book of the same title, How We Decide.
Over the last 20 years, neuroscience research has fundamentally changed our understanding of decision making. Lehrer, a critically acclaimed science writer and the popular blogger behind “The Frontal Cortex,” explains what the latest in cutting-edge research can tell us about how our minds work. How do we make decisions? And how can we make decisions better?
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
“The Geography of Bliss” offers a fascinating journey!
20 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in book review
I just finished reading The Geography of Bliss and loved it!
Where can happiness be found? This is the question that drove Eric Weiner, a NPR foreign correspondent and self-proclaimed grump to travel to ten countries in search for answers about one of life’s most fundamental questions.
During this time of transition when I have completed ten years serving as the Minister of Channing Memorial Church in Newport, RI, this book was a fascinating journey! The author begins in the Netherlands, home of the World Database of Happiness. Through his research there, he discovers the happiest citizens live in some surprising places: Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Thailand, and India. He also explores an experiment conducted in a depressed village in Great Britain as well as visiting the dreary country of Moldova finally heading home to the United States where for all our wealth, Americans are not the happiest people on the planet.
The Geography of Bliss contains many insights into different cultures and the many paths to a meaningful life. It was delightful to travel to different countries from the comfort of my armchair and to meet a diversity of people. Eric’s skills as a journalist and genuine curiosity into what makes people tick captivated my attention. How do you know if someone is happy? You ask them! It turns out most people are pretty accurate in measuring our own contentment. Although happiness is still elusive to define, a universal truth rose to the surface, foremost happiness is relational. More than money, profession, age, or climate, those people who had the greatest sense of trust in themselves, others, and their place in the world, knew happiness.
This is not a preachy or overly-idealistic book. Eric Weiner includes a good dose of sarcasm, irony, and humor to make this a fun and memorable book. I recommend it highly!
Buy from Amazon (affiliate link)
Visit Eric Weiner’s website
http://www.ericweinerbooks.com
