- October 16, 2021
Dear UUCPA folks,
For many of us, singing together is one of the great pleasures of Sunday services. If you’re one of those folks, this Sunday is the day you’ve been waiting for. Thanks to a rising vaccination rate, a dropping infection rate, and my growing comfort with creating outdoor services, the Hybrid Services Task Force ...
- October 9, 2021
Like many Unitarian Universalists who grew up outside the tradition, I found our seven principles to be a powerful attractor. When I read them, I nodded along: here were the principles by which I actually tried to live, articulated by an actual religious community! I had never known such a close match between my own ...
- April 18, 2021
I have been talking to advocates for housing and the homeless in preparation for the service on April 25. And in the middle of my researches comes this wonderful news: that the California legislature is considering the Ballot DISCLOSE Act, and our Action Council has taken swift action to endorse it.
My question to the housing ...
- February 19, 2021
Dear UUCPA folks,
Today is an infamous anniversary, reminding us that the impulse to scapegoat the momentarily vulnerable is not new. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 imprisoning Americans of Japanese descent. There was no more logic in the idea that Japanese-Americans were agents of the Japanese army than that ...
- December 19, 2020
Clearly, the giving spirit is underway at UUCPA. Our annual Undie Sunday moved successfully online. Thanks to your making over $1700 in donations, we were able to give 20 sleeping bags and a couple of large boxes of underwear, socks, hats, and other essential items to the folks being helped at the Opportunity Center, as well ...
- November 14, 2020
In-person visits at UUCPA are now possible within these careful health guidelines
- November 7, 2020
How are you doing?
Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash
This period of waiting is reminding me of a couple of times that I was waiting very impatiently for something that I cared about passionately and that was completely beyond my control. At moments, I literally paced my apartment, gritting my teeth and muttering, “Waiting is a ...
- July 10, 2020
One of the biggest challenges about online church, for me, is the loss of casual contact. I am used to seeing about 200 of our folks each Sunday. It’s a chance to see how people are doing: using a cane for the first time? looking sad? sitting with a new friend? If someone brings something ...
- June 27, 2020
“How can black people write about flowers at a time like this?” So whispered a woman (white) at a poetry reading, where a poet (black) was reading poems about flowers. The query inspired this poem by Hanif Abdurraqib, who also writes, on the same webpage, about the experience of overhearing it.
Artists must follow their calling, ...
- June 26, 2020
Today’s meditation makes another reference to poetry, sent by Brian Weller:
Black earth turned into yellow crocus in undiluted hocus-pocus. --Piet Hein
We don’t have a lot of crocus around here, but the magic is the same. Plants turn earth into flowers. This delicate blossom that Geoff Ivison sent was made out of sunshine, water, ...
- June 25, 2020
My friend’s grandparents, all four of them, came to Boston from County Cork, Ireland. They started their families there, raised their children and saw grandchildren born, and grew old in this country. They were homesick at times, of course, and one grandfather talked about how seeing his toddler grandson play reminded him of his own ...
- June 24, 2020
Confession: I am not a fan of hydrangeas. I first encountered them by my grandmother’s front door, where there were a couple of pretty scraggly specimens, an inauspicious start. The big snowballs of flowers seem more comical than lovely. The foliage doesn’t add much . . . Oh, I don’t really know my reasons, and ...
- June 23, 2020
The poem “The Orchid Flower,” by Sam Hamill, is longer than these three lines, but on their own they are a haiku, and, in my view, a poem unto themselves.
Just as I wonderwhether it's going to die,the orchid blossoms
You can read the entire poem here.
The beautiful photo is by Jo English, of an ...
- June 22, 2020
My system for collecting flower photos via e-mail had one little hole in it, through which several people’s beautiful offerings fell. I apologize most profusely. It must have been so upsetting to attend the service and not see your flowers.
I hope I can make something worthwhile out of this error by posting a brief meditation ...
- June 12, 2020
Here are a few things that happened at UUCPA in the week leading up to the June 7 service.
Naturally, I changed the topic to address the surge of protests and demands for racial justice taking place around the country. (The originally-planned service, on creating community at a distance, will take place in July, if the ...
- March 27, 2020
Pat LandmanHerriot, a member of our choir, shared this offering from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra this morning, and I’m passing it along to you in hopes that it will mean as much to you as it does to me.
Ode to Joy
It’s not just the music that moves me. It’s seeing each person playing, ...
- March 21, 2020
Dear UUCPA folks,
I am loving Jimmy Fallon for his “home edition” of The Tonight Show, proving that the production values that really matter are presence, humor, honesty, and integrity. Our production tomorrow won’t be extremely polished (though more polished than his!), but I can guarantee you it will have:
beautiful music from Veronika, Bruce, and your ...
- December 29, 2019
I’m so excited. A small and mighty group of UUCPA members – Kristi Iverson, Anne Frahn, and Elsa Schafer – has put together a January packed full of voter empowerment events. This project is nonpartisan, as our political actions should be, and it’s an initiative that everyone can support, wherever they are on the political ...
- October 11, 2019
Midweek meditation: from fear to fulfillment
Thanks to the creativity and drive of UUCPA member Randy Helmonds, we will be hosting the Blood Donation Olympics on Saturday, October 26. I want to share my story with you.
In my family, donating blood has always been one of those no-brainer acts of
mercy, like giving clothes we didn’t ...
- August 10, 2019
— Rev Amy Zucker Morgenstern
Near the end of June, a year into the new “zero tolerance” policy of deterring immigration by separating families and locking up children, I learned that July 12 would be a day of nationwide protest (“Lights for Liberty”): against the camps in particular and for humane immigration and asylum policies in ...
- June 16, 2019
We start a lot of new groups at UUCPA, which, ideally, means a flurry of publicity and how-to-get-involved information. And sometimes groups end, and we should mark that as well.
Decades ago, several (as it was then called) Palo Alto Unitarian Church members who loved music and drama organized an arts-in- worship group. They created dramas ...
- May 18, 2019
More beauty and more layers of meaning are coming our way in the form of a permanent projection screen that will be installed in the Main Hall, near the ceiling above the piano. The AV Committee has been hard at work exploring all the options and issues, and has made a first-round proposal to the ...
- May 2, 2019
In last Sunday’s sermon, “Lima Bean Respect Day and Other Neglected Celebrations,” I asked about something you value and wish to honor with your attention that doesn’t show up in the civic or religious calendar. Animated conversations followed, as people paired up and talked about what is important to them
Two of the things that are ...
- February 23, 2019
Attendance is up, and there’s lots going on at UUCPA on Sundays! This has created a parking challenge: we have had several Sundays recently when there were few parking spots left during the second service. And a chair challenge: while the Main Hall is not actually full, the empty chairs can be scattered in ones and twos that make ...
- February 9, 2019
I’ve been pondering the relationship between trust and faith. Remember last year when the oleanders along the UUCPA entrance driveway were cut way back? Nothing remained but bare stubs. Our gardeners, paid (James Nelson) and volunteer (Nancy Neff, Glenda Jones), assured us that this was the way to make them healthier. ...
- January 27, 2019
Our service on December 16 originated with the question, Since people with a typical Unitarian Universalist profile – those who respond to polls about religious affiliation with “spiritual but not religious” or “none of the above” – are increasing in number, why doesn’t our church grow? There are many answers to why churches do or ...
- January 15, 2019
I wrote about our then-new benediction on my blog about a month after we adopted it. This past Sunday, I alluded to the line about beauty, and promised to fill you in on the background. Here it is.
We began ending our services with a benediction in the fall of 2012. To be precise, we already ...
- November 4, 2018
As we all go to the polls this Tuesday, we know how high the stakes are. (If you’ve only realized that recently and aren’t registered, you can register right up to and including Election Day — please do!) UUCPA is also a democracy and we vote at least once a year at our annual meeting ...
- October 6, 2018
Further reflections inspired by the most recent Town Hall meeting I was able to attend (“Shall We Change Our Name?” on September 2). Last month I wrote about the challenges of being a Christian at UUCPA. Something else I realized as I listened to the open-hearted sharing is that something I take for granted, something ...
- September 9, 2018
The Town Hall meeting on Sunday, September 2 (“Shall We Change Our Name?”), was a high point of my 15 years at UUCPA. I have witnessed some deep conversations here, but never such tender sharing in such a large group. I hope everyone felt that their vulnerability was welcomed and supported. If not, please do ...
- June 16, 2018
This spring has brought many losses to our congregation. In fact, going back to last summer, there have been ten deaths of members or others closely associated with UUCPA. It’s a lot. One of our leaders, showing wisdom as well as kindness, asked how I deal with it. It’s a really good question because ministers ...
- May 31, 2018
As some of you heard me say at Fred Buelow’s memorial service two weeks ago, one of the many memorable things Fred said to me in our 15 years working together was “I see my job”–he was president or treasurer at the time–“as helping you be the best minister you can be.” Or maybe he ...
- April 23, 2018
The squares that Kathy Swartz is stitching into a quilt are painted with people holding hands, trees that bend gently to shelter us, words like “loving community” and “peace.” We put the words and pictures there in February as we envisioned the future we hope to create together. A quilt is like a crowd fund: ...
- February 8, 2018
I want to share a poem I love, by Francisco X. Alarcon:
Dreaming together
a dream
we dream
alone
reality
we dream
together
Sonando juntos
un sueno
lo sonamos
solos
la realidad
la sonamos
juntos
We each have dreams, things we hope for in the hearts of our hearts–and sometimes barely dare to ...
- February 1, 2018
You might be hearing a lot of Ursula K. Le Guin from me in the months to come. I never go long without reading something she wrote, but I’ve read an unusual amount since last Monday, when she died at the age of 88. There is so much in her books that has shaped who ...
- January 27, 2018
For the past several years, I’ve had a three-part practice each Lent: give to a charitable or social-change organization, give something up, and add something creative or positive. My contribution this year will go to Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. (Later this year we’ll have a second Promise and the Practice service – our first ...
- December 30, 2017
The season of light is behind us as the light itself grows longer and stronger. It’s beautiful the way so many festivals of light converge upon November and December: Diwali, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and Solstice. People have responded to the turning of the year in so many forms, calling forth light to balance the dark.
I ...
- December 21, 2017
Every year a bunch of friends of mine all over the country and beyond play the “Little Drummer Boy” challenge: who can go the longest, maybe even get to Christmas, without hearing that song? With stores, streets, and the radio a minefield, at least one person posts daily, “I’m out.” I’m still in. I did ...
- December 3, 2017
For anyone who’s seen the inside of my house and office, it is not a surprise to hear that I love books. And I’m in good company here at UUCPA. I’ve written before about how our church is bursting with book-lovers and books. We have Brown Bag Books discus- sion group as well as other ...
- November 18, 2017
—Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern
For anyone who’s seen the inside of my house and office, it is not a surprise to hear that I love books. And I’m in good company here at UUCPA. I’ve written before about how our church is bursting with book-lovers and books. We have Brown Bag Books discussion group as well ...
- November 10, 2017
I can’t wait to see the new Murder on the Orient Express. Some might find that surprising. I’ve seen the Sidney Lumet version with Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot at least once or twice, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read the book. The twists hold no surprises for me, nor for ...
- October 14, 2017
Dear ones, it’s overwhelming, isn’t it? It seems like every time we tune in to news, we receive another blow. The risk of burning out, shutting down or stressing out is real. Like Dorothy Day, one of my heroes, I keep thinking of this verse from Ezekiel: “A new heart I will give you, and ...
- September 28, 2017
Several months ago I was rehearsing with the choir, which generously welcomes sporadic participants like me, when we turned to a piece I knew I’d sung before. It turned out that the choir had sung it at my installation here, 13 years earlier, and then it came back to me: I had been a choir ...
- September 24, 2017
It’s really exciting to be getting ready for the arrival of our Sabbatical Religious Educator, Mr. Barb Greve. Barb and I have not worked together, but we’ve met frequently: not surprising, since Barb has seemingly been everywhere and done everything in Unitarian Universalism. I’ve enjoyed every interaction. He has such knowledge, expertise, and love for ...
- September 21, 2017
Midweek Meditation
- September 13, 2017
There are lots of hymns that express my religion. And there are lots of popular-genre songs that express my thoughts on various and sundry secular matters. But what’s rare is a song that sings like a pop song while also getting right to the heart of religious questions. Jessica Martin, with what she calls “an ...
- September 1, 2017
The eclipse, which made an appearance in last week’s midweek meditation and Sunday service, made me think of one other thing that’s particularly relevant to this week’s service. It had to do with giving.
I came prepared with a pinhole viewer, which is to say that I didn’t come all that prepared. I’ve made them before, ...
- August 25, 2017
Dear UUCPA folks,
There was such a nice neighborly feeling on Monday. I left my dance class in a rush the moment it ended, 15 minutes before the eclipse’s peak, having stretched to “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” (We all cracked up when it came on. “I couldn’t resist,” the teacher said.) A cluster of people ...
- August 10, 2017
I was in New Orleans for the annual General Assembly (GA) of the Unitarian Universalist Association, where the Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray became our first elected female president (not the first to serve–keep reading for details). All three candidates were women, and they created a covenant of behavior among them when the race began. It made ...
- June 10, 2017
You know those situations when someone says something that insults or stereotypes a group, and you don’t figure out what you should say about it until hours later? That’s so often how it goes for me – more often than not. In fact, sometimes I’m not even fully cognizant that they’ve said something problematic until ...
