Ponderings of our Spiritual Life Director 10-19-22

This past Sunday, I was at the UU Church in St. Petersburg, FL. I really enjoyed my visit! I had the pleasure and privilege of sitting in the children’s RE class (this was for an assignment for my Faith Formation class). They were talking about courage and doing hard things.

It got me asking myself, what is something that is hard to do? One thing that came to mind is: apologizing! Apologizing, and being accountable for my actions, is certainly something I’ve worked hard at in my adult life. Certainly, it’s a mark of emotional maturity. But it’s not easy. It takes courage and vulnerability. And often, it means having to change ourselves, too. Change is hard. Change takes courage and vulnerability. I think it’s important, though, that we support each other on a journey through getting better at apologizing and being accountable and vulnerable. I think it’s important that we offer forgiveness and even gentleness. That takes courage, too, because trust is hard. But all of this hard stuff lays the foundation for cultural change that can start to shift the way the world works. It’s hard, but it’s important if we are to truly work towards peace and justice for all.

Here’s some resources that I’d like to share with you all that were included in this month’s Soul Matters worship packets:

Book – Why Won’t You Apologize?: Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts, Harriet Lerner Related article: https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/1150/the-power-of-apologizing

Podcast Interview – I’m Sorry: How to Apologize and Why It Matters, with Dr. Harriet Lerner Part 1: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/harriet-lerner-and-brene-im-sorry-how-to-apologize-why-it-matters-part-1-of-2/

Part 2: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/im-sorry-how-to-apologize-why-it-matters-part-2-of-2/

Quote – Unknown Author

Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong, and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.

As always, I’d love to chat about this with you.

Take care and don’t forget to be gentle with yourself and your loved ones!