Boots and Blessings

To become a Unitarian Universalist fellowshipped minister requires doing at least one unit of CPE - Clinical Pastoral Education. During that time, you're learning and working as a chaplain.  We had regular chapel services that included the communion ritual of bread and grape juice. Not being a Christian, I did not partake, but I appreciated the ritual, especially one part that is not the norm, unless you are in a hospital setting. There would be two chaplains in their priestly role. They would say the traditional words, serve each other communion, then invite those who wished to come forward.  But right before that, the two of them would pause at the communion table for the hand sanitizer. They made it part of the ritual, so that patients could see them cleaning their hands for the safety of the patients.  And I was just entranced by that. Something so ordinary, becoming a visual symbolic act of love and care. Before the words for the breaking of bread, "this is my (Jesus...

There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature. --Henry David Thoreau Go outside. Weather-permitting, every day. It's good for your mental and emotional health. Add in even a little bit of movement, and it's good for your physical health. It is a magic elixir to get an instant boost of well-being.  In The Willpower Instinct ,   Kelly  McGonigal,  Ph.D. writes:  Just five minutes of what scientists call “green exercise” decreases stress, improves mood, enhances focus, and boosts self-control. Green exercise is any physical activity that gets you outdoors and in the presence of Mama Nature. The best news is that when it comes to green exercise, a quick fix really is enough. Shorter bursts have a more powerful effect on your mood than longer workouts. You also don’t have to break a sweat or push yourself to exhaustion. Lower-intensity exercise, like walking, has stronger immediate effects ...

In most churches, you have a pastoral care committee, and Live Oak is no different. And though we have a formal team, we remind all of our members that they are on the team, too. It takes all of us to help all of us. And now, the needs have increased exponentially, but so has the committee. There is an entire world needing pastoral care. Luckily for us, there is also an entire world ready to provide it. We care for each other now not with casseroles and home visits, but by sharing the gifts that are unique to each of us. I know of one family, where their son is creating works of art, and sending them to those who need a pick me up. Every weekday morning, I have been receiving care from UU musician Sarah Dan Jones, who lights a chalice and plays beautiful UU music. Live Oak members are spontaneously, or planned in advance, hosting online coffee breaks and happy hours, where they ask people to check in with how they're doing. Members are calling and checking on each other. One...

I guess you heard the news, huh? That April Fools Day has been canceled ? That sounds like a prank in and of itself, like when you tell someone that "gullible" is not in the dictionary. I understand, I do. We've all been at a serious gathering, like a funeral or an announcement of layoffs, when some person to alleviate their own anxiety, cracked a joke that fell like a lead balloon. But I will argue in favor of light, silly pranks. Especially for those with young children. Have a moment of levity, of normalcy. A well-timed joke, that is delivered not out of one's anxiety, but as a way to gently say, Yes, you're allowed to laugh, is a gift. After 9-11, when comedians slowly ventured out, we met their appearance with relief. We were given permission to relax, to laugh, even if just for a moment. Here are some sweet ideas. Note: if you do #9, do have some actual brownies stashed somewhere or mutiny will ensue. And right now is not a good time to walk the pla...

I live in the Austin area, and I love this town. As a college student, I spent many a weekend evening down on 6th street, and when someone first posted a picture of all the bars and clubs boarded up, my heart sank, even as I understood it's for all our own good. I wasn't the only one who felt that way. And some people did something about it. The creative community came together, bringing the need for beauty together with the talent of artists. They created a "Hope Gallery" with murals encouraging Austinites to have courage, have hope, know that we are neighbors, and will overcome. While doctors and nurses are hard at work, it is artists of all types who are tending to our hearts and spirits. Galleries have -- virtually -- thrown open their doors, musicians are having free concerts online, actors are presenting plays or short pieces. Soak up the art. Feed your soul. (And if you see a tip jar out, toss a few bucks in. This industry has ground to a halt.) Art...

Hey, fam. How ya doing? Someone asked me that this week, and I responded by saying I was mostly fine, with occasional bursts of abject terror or grief. Part of this is having to live with such huge uncertainty about how transmission of covid-19 might swell, what it will do to the economy, and to life as we know it. Phew! Big thoughts. Back in 2015 (you probably can't remember that far back, the world was very different in many ways), The Atlantic ran an article, How Uncertainty Fuels Anxiety . Good article. In a nutshell, humans are unique because we can think about the future. But because the future is unknown, that can make us anxious. Especially now, amirite? We can't entirely take things one day at a time. We've got to order our groceries (sometimes weeks in advance), think through some "what-ifs" that have a decent probability of happening. But then, we have to let it go. We cannot prepare for every eventuality. And most significantly, we cannot as...