When we welcomed two new members into our UUCL community on Sunday, we were reminded that: “Ours is a free fellowship; we have no creeds and you are free to bring your ideas and beliefs to this fellowship to share with others.”

This is a beautiful statement of our non-dogmatic religion that reminds us to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity in each of us; it reminds us that through our sharing, we are stronger and more creative; it reminds us that we are together not because we all think alike (or share theologies), but because we have shared VALUES.

Connection. Love. Transformation. These are the discerned shared values of UUCL.

Now, more than ever, I hold these values close to my heart, my spirit, and my mind. Throughout the day, I try to remember to ask myself if my thoughts, words, and actions speak to these values. Am I strengthening relationships? Sometimes that requires humbling myself and asking more questions in order to understand another person. Do I understand what the mutual purpose of the conversation I’m engaged in really is? The purpose of our conversations should not be- “I’m right”. We need to ask ourselves- out loud- what is our goal in having this conversation? Our purposes should be rooted in love and our goals should include to understand a different perspective, which ultimately requires some sort of transformation of our own thoughts.

But listen, I get it. It’s really easy to be grumpy right now. Social distancing fatigue is a thing. Screen fatigue is a thing. Anxiety about the unknown, grief due to the extensive losses the world is experiencing, and perhaps even personal loss, are all happening to an extreme right now. And in this fatigue, anxiety, depression, and downright grumpiness, it seems too hard to work towards a shared purpose and hold our thoughts, words, and actions close to our values. And that’s why self-care is so important right now. We do no one, and nothing, any good- our relationships, impoverished humans, the Earth- if we can’t take care of ourselves and get back in line with our values.

What sorts of things do you do to take care of yourself and refresh your body, mind, and spirit? Meditation, art, dance, exercise, journaling, bird-watching- those are just a few. Make a list that you can refer to when you need a break. Think about the virtual worship services we’ve done since this started. I’ve tried to include some sort of spiritual practice in each one. Was there one in particular that you enjoyed? Can you recreate it?

How about this: have you written your letter from Gaia? A couple of you have. And you’ve sent them to me. They are beautiful. I’d love to have a worship service soon in which these reflections are shared. (If you didn’t make that worship service, or forgot the details, email me and I’ll fill you in.)

In this non-creedal, free fellowship, we can create our own spiritual practices and draw from the many different spiritual traditions around the world. We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves because also in this “free fellowship”, we have a responsibility to our values, our principles, and to one another.

Take care of ourselves. Take care of one another. And we will grow and strengthen so we can be a part of the movement towards taking care of the world.