Sian's Shenanigans

We’ve all been told that listening and hearing are two different things; that hearing is passive, whereas listening is active. So, we can hear what someone is saying, but we might not be listening, which involves not just the words, but the emotions and ideas being expressed both verbally and physically. Listening is quite hard, actually. It requires us to pay attention to the entire person. As we take in the information from the other person, it is very natural…

The monthly theme this month is “invitation” which is, for me, at the heart of Unitarian Universalist worship. We don’t have creeds or dogmas that “tell” people what to believe. We have people sitting in our pews that have all kinds of different beliefs – theists to atheists and everything in between. So it’s important that we respect the pluralism of our faith by making everything inviting. You might have noticed that I always “invite” people to meditation or to…

Last Sunday as part of Question Box Sunday, someone asked if I loved my job. I do! I absolutely love being your minister. I don’t want to be or do anything else. And being a minister is also exhausting. Isn’t that strange? We can love something, but it can also cause us “harm” – lose energy, feel run down, even burnt out if we let it. As a minister I notice that my work is in fact never done -…

We contain multitudes. And yet we are one. It’s a strange paradox. I’m struck by two quotes I found recently. The first is from Winona LaDuke: “The first thing I am is a person… But people either relate to you as an Indian or as a woman. They relate to you as a category.” How true that is. It’s part of human nature to find those categories that we can relate to (or not), and to put one another in…

“When is enough, enough?” This question ran through my mind when in a business meeting in my 30’s, when the president of the company complained that a competitor was charging more than we were. And yet we were quite profitable, we did good work helping people, and we were respected (they were not). I asked the question to the president, and he looked annoyed and never answered. One of the challenges with capitalism, as Eric N. recently reminded me, is…

Butterflies have always intrigued me. I mean, they start out as a caterpillar, a weird long bug with a bunch of stubby legs that eats leaves, and then transform into this winged creature with only six long legs that drinks nectar. In fact, caterpillars get put in a kind of blender that jumbles them all up and has them coming out differently. That can’t be painless or easy. It’s not hard to find the human equivalents, let’s be honest. Who…

In “Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith,” the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is elected and declares the emergence of the first Galactic Empire. Palpatine is elected by the galactic senate and given absolute power to deal with what people assume is a threat to the Republic, but don’t realize that Palpatine is actually a Sith Lord (bad guy) and created the threat. Senator Amidala, who is mourning the death of her beloved Republic, whispers horrified, “So this is how liberty…

Love can sometimes be really annoying. It’s often inconvenient; it’s often very difficult; it can ask us to change or do something that is terrifying; and it can be exhausting. But when we let it in – when we take a deep breath and let it fill our hearts – it can be energizing and exciting, giving us strength, purpose and hope. I’m thinking about all the love we’ve had for our Ukrainian guests as a good example. When we…

I love mysteries! Actually, I love solving mysteries. I even bought a mystery advent calendar. I love word puzzles and anything that makes me problem solve. But the biggest mysteries of all are people. I love it when people surprise me! We are all mysteries to one another. Part of our purpose in life (I think) is to try and solve each other’s mysteries: to get to know one another beyond our preconceived notions and ideas about one another. People…

Generosity, it is said, comes in many different forms. We say each Sunday that we are grateful for the time, treasure and talent of everyone – the generosity of everyone, really. But is it just time, treasure and talent? I heard recently from a colleague that she was so impressed with our generosity toward our new Music Director. She had been so impressed that after loving Beth for so long, that we have been so open and embracing of Jakob.…

Beth Syverson, our former Director of Music Ministries, left quite a heritage and legacy at this church from her 22 years with us. She started as our accompanist, growing into the Music Director, then Choir Director positions and then finally the Director of Music Ministries. She told me once that she didn’t “get” Unitarian Universalism until she went to her first yearly conference of UU Music Directors and Musicians. There her colleagues taught her to connect the music with the…

Delight is a word I often use in describing how I feel when someone does something wonderful for someone else. The word comes from the Latin, “delectare” meaning “to charm.” I feel delight when I see this congregation reaching out and helping one another. I feel delight when I find the perfect match for my foster puppies. I feel delight when someone takes the time to give kudos where they are due. I feel delight when I see our RE…