Love is the Golden Rule

Twice a month during this past church year, the elementary children's religious education program has focused on allowing Love to guide us through life, just as stars in the night sky guide travelers along a journey.  As Unitarian Universalists we develop our belief systems, in part, from a wide variety of Sources that we think have important things to teach us.  By listening with an open mind and heart, we integrate the teachings that ring true to us into our own personal theology that can change and grow over our lifetime.

During the year we have explored stories from a vast array of different religions, beliefs, and cultures that have held important teachings about this central message of allowing Love to guide us.  In today's lesson, the final one is this series, children heard a story about the nearly universal message of the Golden Rule as the wisdom of ancient cultures and religions have all emphasized variations of the message "Love your neighbor as yourself."  We decided that if we had only one rule to follow, this would be a very important one.  We concluded that the world would be a nicer, kinder place if everyone let Love guide them.

As a culminating activity, children each made their own Night Sky poster using the UU "constellations" that symbolized each of our six Sources of Belief:

• The sense of wonder we all share;
• Women and men of long ago and today whose lives remind us to be kind and fair;
• The ethical and spiritual wisdom of the world's religions;
• Jewish and Christian teachings that tell us to love all others as we love ourselves;
• The use of reason and the discoveries of science; and
• The harmony of nature and the sacred circle of life.

Next Sunday the children will celebrate with the adults in the opening portions of the worship service for the formal robing, ordination and installation of Dr. David Newell as UUCR's new minister.  Children will then be sung out of the service to their own year-end celebration of games and a special treat.

As a reminder, there is no Religious Education or Childcare during the summer months as we transition from Sunday morning worship services to less formal discussion groups.  RE and Childcare will resume in September.

Coming of Age/Flower Communion/PEAK

Children participated in several special celebrations in today's worship service.  We celebrated a "Coming of Age" for our oldest middle school student, Margaret. The congregation pledged to walk with her as she enters young adulthood as a high school student, continuing a spiritual journey that will last her lifetime. 

We also celebrated a unique Unitarian Universalist tradition, the Flower Communion.  As everyone entered church this morning they brought a flower and added it to a communal bouquet, signifying that we come as unique individuals with a diversity of beliefs and talents, and form a beautiful bouquet when we share together in community.  As the service ended, each person took a flower different than the one they brought, signifying their acceptance of the gifts that others bring to our community.

We also enjoyed the wonderful sounds of our church choir joined by the choir from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Easton.  Looking at the children's faces, it was easy to see the awe and wonder they felt experiencing the power of song and harmony.

After the elementary children were sung out to their RE program, we wrapped up our year's PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) program, reviewing the principles that we’ve discussed during the year.  We talked about all of the ‘life’ that is in and on the ground where we walk, hike, pitch tents, etc., ; how all life is sacred, in all of its forms, but that in order to live we must sometimes take the lives of plants and animals.  But by being respectful and not wasteful, we can minimize the damage that we do, especially when we are outdoors.  It led to a nice discussion about hunting, how it is ok as long as you eat what is killed, and don’t waste any of it – not ok to do just for sport.

Then we went outside, broke into two groups (younger and older), and stretched out a piece of string in a circle about 2 feet in diameter, and explored and identified all of the life forms that we found within the circle(s).  Identified were ginko trees, poison ivy, dandelions, rotting ginko fruit, spiders, gnats, mosquito larvae, algae, several types of lichens, grasses, as well as some ‘non-living’ items like litter, trash, dead leaves, etc.  It was wonderful to have a lovely warm and sunny day to do this activity, and the children enjoyed being able to ‘run off some steam’!

Love Builds Trust

Love is the strongest force the world possesses,
and yet it is the humblest imaginable.
     - Mahatma Gandhi

Today's elementary group learned about UU minister Rev. Margaret Barr, and how a casual trip to India in the 1930's to see Mahatma Gandhi turned into her life's passion to break down the religious and caste barriers between children there.  Barr's work to provide a non-denominational school for children in India exemplifies the words and actions that shape our UU heritage.  We discussed that while it is important to understand UU beliefs, what is even more important is being willing to take action based on one's beliefs, in order to make the world a better place.

We explored diversity by saying Hello in many different languages.  The children heard the story of Rev. Margaret Barr and her shock and horror upon witnessing the animosity and attrocities of children toward one another based upon beliefs taught in the different parochial schools they attended (Hindu, Muslim, or Christian) about who was superior and who was inferior, and how they should treat one another based upon those beliefs.  We discussed how Rev. Barr's UU beliefs guided her toward taking action to create a school where all children could learn together regardless of their religions, and where education was not only about academics but also learning to put Mahatma Gandhi's principles of loving kindness into the forefront of all their relationships.  We learned how Barr's school not only transformed the children of that village, but the adults as well.  The children were amazed to hear that Barr's school, founded in the late 1930's in the Khasi Hills region of northeast India, is still providing education and lifeskill opportunities for children and orphans today, and enjoys an active partnership with several UU congregations in the United States and Great Britain.  We ended the session by playing Pachisi, a classic game of strategy that children and adults have played in India for centuries.

Native American Art

Native American creativity is boundless and sacred.   Artistic expression has been a way to worship the gods.   Art for art's sake is not part of the Indian psyche.  Their artistic designs have beauty and care motivated by their love for nature.
       - www.nativeamerican-art.com
 
Today's elementary religious education session, led by Laura Mitchell, focused on Native American art.   Native Americans historically created art from materials taken directly (and reverently) from the earth, and  their artwork has lasted for thousands of years.  There was animated discussion about how so many contemporary items are made with little regard for the earth, and become broken or destroyed within a very short period of time.

Children used existing black and white native American symbols as inspiration to make their own symbols on little medallions.  They ground sandstone to make their own paint, coloring the symbols in subtle, earthy colors. As an added authentic touch, children were able to mix the paint in shells before applying it.

The middle school group put their finishing touches on their end of year "Marty's Party" plans as well as Margaret's Coming of Age recognition.  The group is eager to celebrate this momentous event with her, and are looking forward to their own celebrations in another year or two.

Love in Action

I had reasoned this out in my mind -
There was one of two things I had a right to, 
Liberty or death.  
If I could not have one, 
I would have the other.
     - Harriet Tubman, conductor of the Underground Railroad


Today's session of children's elementary RE lifted up Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who returned again and again to the South to lead more than 300 slaves to freedom.  Although she was certainly not a Unitarian Universalist, Tubman exemplified our second UU Source of Beliefs, "the women and men of long ago and today whose lives remind us to be kind and fair."

The children learned that love calls us to be courageous and to take action in the face of injustice, and Harriet Tubman was seen as a remarkable example of how one person put love into action in addressing the injustice of slavery.  They discussed Tubman's role as a leader, and thought about what being a leader means.  They pondered the implications of using good judgement as both a leader and a follower, and talked about differentiating between choosing to follow a leader showing good judgement, and choosing to follow a leader showing poor judgement. 

After hearing the story about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, children delved into the issue of injustices.  They discussed whether they had ever witnessed injustice or experienced injustice, and whether they had taken action or if someone else had taken action on their behalf as an ally.  They thought about reasons why people would or would not take action when confronted with injustice.

Children learned about the role that Freedom Quilts played in the Underground Railroad, acting as symbolic messages to escaping slaves about the relative safety or dangers along the route, where the next safe house was, and who to look for at the next Underground station.  Quilters created hidden messages in these special quilts using common quilt patterns which escaping slaves learned to "read" to guide them to safety.  Because quilts were so commonplace, one could be casually tossed upon a clothesline or draped across a picket fence without attracting attention.  The children then created their own quilt blocks using construction paper, and pieced together their own symbolic Freedom Quilt.

The lesson ended with another look at our UU Sources Night Sky display, reminding us that our UU Sources of Belief act like guiding stars in the night sky, guiding us toward making decisions based on Love.

TAKING IT HOME:
Talk with your children about rules and what you can do when they are unfair.  Emphasize that the majority of rules are created in order to ensure fairness and safety; however, some rules are created that are not fair.  Share your own examples of times when you thought rules were unfair and how you responded.  Talk about ways to change unfair rules, such as writing a letter, signing a petition, or meeting with the appropriate leaders to discuss it.  Be willing to reconsider family rules!  Look for an opportunity to engage everyone in creating family rules that everyone agrees are fair, while also establishing emotional and physical safety and well-being.

Here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, we have a rich abundance of history about the Underground Railroad; and in fact, Harriet Tubman was born and lived in Dorchester County.  The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park is slated to open in 2013 near Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, along with a 125 mile driving tour of places of historic importance in Caroline and Dorchester Counties.

Crestview Pond Water Monitoring Project

Today's elementary group took advantage of a gloriously warm and sunny morning to visit our Crestview neighborhood pond.  The RE group has been periodically sampling the water quality at the pond this year to determine the relative stability and overall health of the pond environment.

We first made observations about the greater ecosystem, noting that the pond lies in a small valley between the Crestview neighborhood on one side, and farm fields on the other.  We discussed the fact that this pond was man-made, as evidenced by the dam and earthen berm we walked across to access the far side of the pond.  The children were very curious about the bales of barley straw partially submerged along the shorelines, and were fascinated to learn that they are a natural algaecide, releasing algae-inhibiting compounds as they decompose.

We startled a blue heron as we approached the pond; marveled at the presence of numerous dragonflies; slapped a couple of pesky mosquitoes; and were amused by the sight of several dozen turtles sticking their heads out of the water every few minutes.  Were they taking their own version of field notes observing us?

For some of the children the water sampling was a familiar process.  For others it was a fascinating new experience.  They seriously noted air temperature, water temperature, turbidity, pH, and dissolved oxygen content.  Then we compared today's results with our records of samples taken at the end of September and the end of November.  What we discovered was that our results were impressively consistent from season to season, leading the children to reach the conclusion that the Crestview pond is a relatively healthy and stable ecosystem that supports a variety of life.

During this past year the children have been engaged in curricula that support our Unitarian Universalist sources of belief, including the WOW we experience when we learn from sources as diverse as science and reason as well as inner transcendental experiences.  They have participated in activities from the PEAK Leave No Trace program that have bolstered their sense of environmental stewardship, honoring our seventh Unitarian Universalist principal "the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."  And they have learned to appreciate the similarities and differences between themselves, growing and thriving within their own community.  Within this stimulating and nurturing environment, our children are incorporating knowledge and direct experience into a spiritual framework that will become the foundation for them to engage the world with a free and open mind, and cherish all its amazing inhabitants.

Love of Learning

Today's lesson for elementary children allowed them to encounter our fifth Unitarian Universalist Source of Beliefs, which "...counsels us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science..."

Cecilia Payne was the first woman to be awarded a PhD in physics and astronomy, and the first person to be given the title "astronomer".  Her story formed the basis of today's lesson, not only of the awe and wonder we experience in the discoveries of science, but in human perseverance to overcome injustice as well.  An extraordinarily gifted and talented academic whose love of learning continued throughout her lifetime, Payne (a British Unitarian) completed a rigorous field of study in both physics and astronomy at Cambridge University in London.  When it came time for her to graduate, however, she was refused a degree because she was a woman.  Harvard University in the United States had just begun a graduate program in astronomy, and Payne came to the department's attention.  So enamoured were they with her intellect and passion for the field that they awarded her a fellowship and paid for her to come to the United States.  During her studies at Harvard, Payne wrote one of the most extraordinary theses in the field (the discovery that stars are composed primarily of hydrogen), and it still stands as one of the most-cited pieces of research and investigation ever conducted in physics and astronomy. 

Children explored some basic concepts of science such as gravity, and pondered the reaction of primitive people to "magical" experiences such as a spinning disk.  They heard the story of astronomer Cecilia Payne and her love for the stars, and they crafted their own "telescopes" through which they viewed constellations they made.  Finally, they were charged with developing an intense love of learning, such as Cecilia Payne carried with her throughout her life.

Children learned that scientific investigation of falling objects or the colors of sunsets or the twinkling mystery of stars so far away does not reduce their beauty or mystery, but rather helps us to understand our world.  And in that understanding comes an even greater sense of awe and wonder of the universe we are a part of.

A Questing Year

The middle school group wrapped up its QUESTING YEAR program, engaging in Inner Quest, Mystery Quest, Action Quest and UU Quest activities.  They held a culminating activity with their avatars, who gave them final words of encouragement about continuing their quests throughout their life; and they reflected upon what they had learned about themselves and their beliefs during this year of introspection and development.

The group also eagerly began planning with Margaret her Coming of Age ceremony, which will include a formal recognition and welcoming of her as a young adult by the entire congregation.  They also began planning for a fun end-of-year party for the entire group.

Each of these youth are remarkable as individuals, but watching them grow together as a community during this past year has been even more awesome.  They are a very talented group of young people who have so many gifts to share with the world. 

From Anger to Kindness

As a mirror reflects an object,
As a still lake reflects the sky,
Take care that what you speak or act is for good.
For goodness will always cast back goodness,
And harm will always cast back harm.
       - The Buddha

Today's children's elementary lesson drew from a Buddhist story about how to handle the very strong emotion of anger.  In the story, the Buddha responds to someone's anger in an unconventional way that teaches the power of love, both in disarming the anger of another, and in refusing to take on the anger that another person attempts to inflict.  Children discussed various ways to rely on love and faith to move themselves - and thereby others - from anger to love.

Anger was affirmed as a normal, healthy feeling.  It is our body's way of alerting us to problems.  "Righteous anger" can even give us the energy we need to right wrongs in the world.  However, anger can also be misdirected or expressed in hurtful ways.

In exploring anger and ways to defuse it, the children experimented with non-verbal communication to express anger and empathy.  In a mirroring activity, they paired up and practiced mirroring their partners arm and hand movements.  This exercise was designed to cultivate awareness of another person, and to be present with them.  This simple practice can go a long way to defusing anger both in another person, and within oneself.

The children heard a story about the Buddha and his unexpected reply to a surly young man who began angrily ranting at him.  Instead of taking in the insults and anger, the Buddha calmly told the man that he did not accept his "gift" of curses and anger; therefore, the "gift" stayed with the owner.  The children then explored the cryptic lesson of the Buddha about actions being mirrored back to the one who acts - and his gentle admonition to make sure that what you speak or act is always for good, for just as right action reflects back kindness to the owner, if anger and hatred is what comes forth that is what will be returned.

The activity concluded with children creating their own sets of calming beads, or "counting your blessings" beads which they could run through their fingers to help defuse their own feelings of anger and bring about a sense of calmness and control.

Responding with Love

The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with a love like that.
It lights up the whole sky!
         - Hafiz, Sufi poet

Today's elementary lesson from the LOVE WILL GUIDE US curriculum focused on the third Source of Unitarian Universalist beliefs:  "wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life."  A story from Sufism, a mystical facet of Islam, demonstrates responding to negativity with gentleness and love.

We learned a little bit about the ancient religious practice of Sufism, and the whirling meditative dance of Sufi devotees.  A story from Sufism, "The Dervish in the Ditch", prompted the children to explore how they would respond to meanness, and challenged them to think of ways they could respond with kindness and understanding rather than retaliation.  Children were also guided into distinguishing between situations that could safely be responded to with gentleness, and situations that require adult intervention.

AS A FAMILY ..... you are encouraged to engage your child frequently in role playing scenarios that could come up in their everyday life.  Can they step into someone else's shoes to understand behavior that might at first be interpreted as "mean", and then respond with kindness?  An example might be one student bumping into another in the school hallway.  Were they being intentionally mean?  Or might they have been so preoccupied with their own problems and worries that they simply didn't notice?  One way to respond would be to retaliate - to push or shove back, or plot to "get even".  A Sufi approach would be to mentally wish them a better day, and then calmly set the incident aside.  Can they differentiate when a situation might be unsafe for them, and the best response would be to seek out adult intervention?  An example could be bullying.

Encourage your child to try to live a life full of goodness and love because that is how we will become the best people we can be.

Love for All Creatures

In today's session the elementary children learned about the third Unitarian Universalist Source, expressed in children's language as "the ethical and spiritual wisdom of the world's religions."  We learned what Hinduism teaches us about reverence for life and living without harming animals.  We heard a Hindu story about the god, Ganesha, whose mother takes the form of a cat without his knowledge.  Ganesha chases and torments the cat without thinking, believing he is "playing", only to learn upon returning home that he actually had been tormenting his own mother.  We also thought about ways that animals communicate without words.

Explore the topic together as a family:  Talk about animals your family has contact with and how they communicate.  Encourage your child to be a scientific observer, watching animals and noting their behaviors in various situations.  Seek out opportunities to observe many different creatures, preferably uncaged animals in their natural settings.  Always be careful and respectful of an animal's territory!  Visit a 4-H show or a farm to observe domesticated animals  Visit an animal shelter or wildlife rehabilitation center.  You might want to explore the idea of serving as a foster family for a homeless dog or cat.

Create a family ritual:  As a family, create a blessing or prayer for animals.  List your hopes and wishes for the animals of your acquaintance, as well as the animals of the world.  This can be a nice alternative to a mealtime grace, or bedtime prayers.

Love and Gratitude

Today's elementary level from the curriculum LOVE WILL GUIDE US focused on our sixth Unitarian Universalist Source of beliefs, expressed in children's language as "the harmony of nature and the sacred circle of life."  We heard a winter solstice story in which the sun has grown tired and rises for shorter and shorter times each day.   The children of earth re-energize it by expressing their gratitude for all the sun gives.  In return, the sun regains its energy and vigor and begins to shine ever more brightly, longer and longer each day. 

The children also brainstormed things they didn't like, and things they were grateful for.  And finally, together we created an acrostic for the word THANKS that expressed things we are grateful for.

Gratitude is a spiritual orientation connected to the experience of joy and the practice of generosity.  How can you expand upon today's teachings at home?  One way is to set aside a time every day or every week for sharing gratitude.  Light a candle and give each person an opportunity to name what they are thankful for.  Or set a shallow dish of water on a table and give each person a pebble or glass gem.  As they share what they are grateful for, they can place the pebble in the water.  Or place a large twig in a vase, give each person a paper cutout leaf or flower and have them write something they are grateful for, then hang it on the branches.  This could also be created on a piece of posterboard and displayed on the wall.

Explore with your child how the rhythms of nature support our life, and how the lessons we learn can be a guiding star pointing the way to love.

Love is Accepting AND Dreaming of Change Quest

Today's elementary level children continued their exploration of our 4th UU Source:  "Jewish and Christian teachings which tell us to love all others as we love ourselves."  The children recalled that the last time we considered that source, we heard a story from the Christian Bible (New Testament) about how Jesus compared God's love to a mustard seed.  In today's session we heard a story by Rabbi Marc Gellman from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) based on Jacob and Rachel, highlighting the importance of questioning gender stereotypes and accepting people for who they are.

While we may wish to believe that the damage of gender bias belongs to the past, there is still much to be learned about gender identity.  We talked about gender as a feature of identity we find on a continuum, rather than a rigid male/female dichotomy.  The children arranged a wide variety of pictures of toys, sports equipment and clothing along a continuum of BOYS and GIRLS.  A thoughtful discussion emerged of their own personal preferences regardless of societal bias. We also talked about how gender stereotyping can hurt everyone - the person whose behavior does not fit it, as well as people whose behavior does seem to fit.  And finally, we talked about how stereotyping and gender bias can prevent people from giving and receiving the love and acceptance we all deserve.

The middle school youth were challenged with a Quest based on the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream for a better world.  In today's session participants explored the specific dreams of outstanding UUs; and expressed personal dreams for change.

Through a series of stories focusing on outstanding UUs, we discovered the lives and dreams of UUs such as Tim Berners-Lee (creator of the World Wide Web); Susan B. Anthony (women's rights activist); Pete Seager (folk singer and social justice activist); Albert Schweitzer (world humanitarian); Paul Newman (philanthropist); James Reeb (civil rights activist) and others.

To focus on personal dreams, participants listened to a guided meditation and added symbols of their personal dreams to their mirrorboards. 

PEAK: Know Before You Go

Today's environmental session for the elementary level was from the PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) program from the Leave No Trace organization. Diane came in dressed as if she had just returned from a hike in the woods.  She removed her outer garments (including orange hat and vest for hunting season, gloves, down coat, etc.) to illustrate the "Know Before You Go" principle, showing that she had checked the weather forecast and hunting season calendar to prepare before leaving home.  She had on rubber bottom boots so that she could stay on the trail, even through low wet spots, rather than go off trail and trample the tender grass/flowers - "Choose the Right Path" principle.  Then we went through all of the items that were in her backpack to illustrate the other principles, and discussed why they were important.  (The children got a special chuckle about the reason for the toilet paper and hand trowel.)  We talked about what it means to "Be Kind to Other Visitors" as well.  The children then spent the remaining time drawing things or scenes we might have seen on our hike.

The Sacred Circle of Life AND All the World Together

Because of the holidays falling on Sundays, January being a 5 Sunday month, and our college childcare/teacher student on winter break, our schedule this month is a bit off kilter.  However, we were delighted to welcome quite a crowd of children and youth to our programs today, typically a time we enter the winter doldrums!  And thanks to our incredible teaching and childcare staff we have the month covered without missing a beat.

Today's elementary level children discussed a very adult topic:  death and dying.  Using our sixth Unitarian Universalist Source of beliefs "Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature" - expressed in children's language as "the harmony of nature and the Sacred Circle of Life" - we explored a topic that can be very confusing and scarey for children.  We learned of the reassurance that our Sources bring to us as Guiding Stars in helping us deal with those "big questions" about life such as Why do people and pets we love die?  and What happens to us after we die?

We read a Madagascar creation tale called "Why Death is Like the Banana Tree."  All of the children were familiar with a close personal connection with death and dying, and were able to express their relative comfort or discomfort with the subject.  We talked about how we experience many strong feelings when someone or something we know dies - sadness, grief, anger, guilt, and fear - and those feelings were affirmed.  We talked about how important it is to talk about our strong feelings within our families or our church congregation where we are in a safe and loving environment.  And we also talked about how we can show our love for one another by listening carefully, and giving hugs or words of kindness, when someone talks about their strong feelings associated with the death of one they have loved.

The children also shared various ways they could memorialize one they have loved, such as creating a special burial rite for a beloved pet, or decorating a special memory box, or making a scrapbook.  We talked about how our church has a special service called a Memorial Service, a Service of Remembrance, or a Celebration of Life for people who have died.  And the children were showed the UUCR Memorial Garden and invited to explore it and imagine it as a beautiful woodland sanctuary of memories when the trees and shrubs mature.

As a creative expression, the children traced their hands and made "memory flowers" out of them to memorialize a loved one or pet.  The session ended with placing a special UU constellation - We Learn From Nature - in our Night Sky display.

While our elementary children were exploring the Sacred Circle of Life, our middle school youth were exploring issues about diversity through their Questing Year session "All the World Together."  We brainstormed social problems surrounding intolerance, and engaged our Avatars in probing questions such as being popular in school.

They discussed the very serious ramifications that can occur as a consequence of intolerance, bigotry and hatred in the world, and what we as UUs can do on a local and global level.  They were also challenged with the seeming conundrum of how can we as a religion embrace a wide variety of individual beliefs while simultaneously creating parameters of intolerance when it comes to those very issues. 

As always, our youth rose to the challenges posed to them and displayed a remarkable maturity and a refreshing outlook in their responses.