Getting to heaven…. As with all the places we seek, there seems a drive to find an ever simpler road to a well-publicized destination, with more billboards and road signs than ever. However, anything we know of an afterlife comes through the eyes, ears, touch, and connections with this world and its ever-present mysteries. So, what […]
We know Victor Yampolsky as the beloved maestro of the Peninsula Music Festival, entering his 30th season. Little do we know of his unusual journey in life. Born into the atheistic society in Russia and embraced by the Hebrew Immigration Service as a young musician, Victor was invited into the synagogue when he arrived in […]
Our Fellowship has taken on an ambitious and important goal: to be with one another in our aging and dying to the best of our institutional ability. This vision of community is an extraordinary commitment we make to one another. It is also true that each of us has to make peace with the fact […]
We begin with the mystery of our existence, and then we ask ourselves a set of questions: What is going on? Why are we doing this? Why are things so difficult? We find metaphors to tell us who we think we are and why we are doing this, like the metaphor of God. “Half the […]
“Be Prepared.” That’s motto of the Boy Scouts. Someone once asked Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, “Be prepared for what?” He replied, “Why, for any old thing!” The Reverend Joan Shiels is a long-time friend and frequent speaker at our Fellowship. She was both a Brownie and a Girl Scout.
Our fourth principle calls for “respect and dignity for all”. Funny how that works when it is for folks who think like us, but what about those who do not? If we truly hold to this UU principle, then we also need to reach out with an open hand to those who hold more conservative […]
In the UU hymnal is a hymn that begins: “A fierce unrest seethes at the core of all existing things”. Every morning we wake to face the unknown. Mary Oliver in Morning Poem says “Every morning the world is created” and in her poem Blue Pastures, “And you must not, ever, give anyone else the […]
At the turning of the year, let us be in rhythm with the season. What are our takeaways for 2014? How can we live most fully in 2015? Let us be inspired by a Unitarian minister you’ve probably never met: Dr. Wendelin Waldemer Wieland Argow. And then let’s celebrate the New Year with our Fellowship’s […]
Research shows that self-compassion, a core idea of Buddhist practice, is a better predictor of mental health than self-esteem. Last December Doc presented an overview of self-compassion. This time, we’ll take another look at this powerful concept and how it can help us in the coming year. Frederick “Doc” Heide is associate professor at the […]
This is the time of year when we long for community. Four members share what it means to them to be “home” at UUFDC. Celebrate with our speakers and Choir, and then join in our annual holiday potluck following the service.