“We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.” –from the proposed new language for Article 2 of the UUA By-Laws
How do you express gratitude in your life?
Author: Michael Tino
Generosity
We are being asked to consider adopting a set of values at the center of our faith that include “generosity.” As we do so, we will need to be careful about the ways in which we reflect on this value in our lives.
How have you witnessed generosity being valued in a way that is not classist?
Fences
I look at the world
From awakening eyes in a black face—
And this is what I see:
This fenced-off narrow space
Assigned to me. -Langston Hughes, from the poem “I Look at the World”
How have you experienced the narrowness of inequity?
The Privilege of Waiting
On the radio the other day, I heard a song written in the voice of Ida B. Wells, journalist and educator, singing to Susan B. Anthony, who had asked Wells to put her calls for universal suffrage aside while white women got the vote. Based in an actual conversation between the two women, “Wait My Turn” exposes the privilege that some people have of being able to wait for rights. -Michael Tino (CLF)
When have you witnessed people being asked to wait while others were given rights/
Paying Attention
“We are called to pay attention to the society in which we live. We are called to understand the ways in which the lives of people we don’t know, and never will know, are made harder by political and economic policies that value some kinds of people over other kinds of people. In paying attention to our society, we give thanks for the many people who are working for justice for everyone, and we join in working with them so that all people are treated with the dignity and worth they possess.” -Amanda Udis-Kessler, from “We Are Called to Pay Attention”
What are you paying attention to today?