Greeting!  Our Soul Matters groups kick off this month with the theme of courage.  For those of you who are not part of a group, you can find the materials for individual reflection posted here each month, along with some wisdom from the Soul Matters team.  If you want to engage with these materials in a group setting, join us for the open session on Wednesday October 26th and every 2nd and fourth Wednesday.  We meet in the UUSS zoom room at 6:30.   Find the link at UUSS.org/online. 

We weave the Soul Matters themes in to our Sunday services as well. This month I will preach on everyday courage, Sunday October 2nd and October 9, Rev Roger will preach on the courage to speak up.  then on October 23, Rev Roger will preach about moment of courage in UU history.

Have a great month.

Rev Lucy

From Soul Matter Headquarters: 
“Courage doesn’t always roar.”

– Mary Anne Radmacher

Courageous people change the world. So many examples of that this month. October’s celebration of LGBTQ+ history month reminds us of the many who bravely moved (and continue to move) our world toward greater acceptance and affirmation. The revolutionary prophet of peace, Mohandas Gandhi, was born on October 2. Our Christian friends celebrate Reformation Day and Martin Luther’s courage that changed how we all think about religious authority. We rightly honor such giants. The problem is most of us aren’t that tall.

Or are we?

Here’s what we have to help each other remember: In addition to the heroic acts that alter history, there are also the daily choices that prevent history from altering us!  Bending the arc of the universe toward justice deserves praise, but so does the ordinary work of integrity and not allowing yourself to be bent.

We need to make room on the path for these common acts of courage. The bravery of embracing your beauty even when it doesn’t fit the air-brushed images surrounding us. The courage of calling out microaggressions that occur daily for many of us. And what about resisting the persistent seduction of status and stuff? Simply put, the list is long: Turning down that drink one day at a time. Making yourself get out of bed when the depression tells you to stay there. Holding your partner’s hand in public. Make no mistake, there are dozens of ordinary acts of bravery we embody every day!

Or maybe we should say there are dozens of ordinary acts of bravery we help each other embody every day. This we need to remember as well. Courage is not only noble; it’s contagious. The bravery that makes it into the history books may save the world, but our ordinary courage keeps each other going. Watching someone else make it through another day helps us endure. Witnessing someone else confront bigotry allows us to bravely be more open about who we are. They say that courage is found by digging deep, but most often it is passed on.

So don’t worry so much if you haven’t changed the world yet. And certainly let’s stop comparing ourselves with those giants. Our work rests less in looking up to them and more in looking over at each other. And in remembering that others are looking over at and needing strength from us.

October Courage (PDF)