Our little old lady came for an early cuddle this morning, and is now fast asleep. I haven’t the heart to move her, so no making the bed this morning, then 🥹😻

#Caturday
#UULent
#care

“I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief … For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” ~ #WendellBerry

#UULent
#grace
#Pilanesberg
#SouthAfrica
#AfricanSunset
#giraffe

“It is impossible to struggle for civil rights, equal rights for blacks, without including whites. Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like the air: we all have it, or none of us has it. That is the truth of it.” ~ #MayaAngelou

#UULent
#justice
#ConstitutionalCourt
#SouthAfrica

“For resistance to succeed … people must find themselves in places that are not their homes, and among groups who were not previously their friends. Protest can be organized through social media, but nothing is real that does not end on the streets.”~ Timothy Snyder
#UULent
#protest
#Detroit

“The revolutionary sees his task as liberation not only of the oppressed but also of the oppressor. Happiness can never truly exist in a state of tension.” ~ #SteveBiko
#UULent
#liberation

“The weather is nature's disruptor of human plans and busybodies. Of all the things on earth, nature's disruption is what we know we can depend on, as it is essentially uncontrolled by men.”
~ Criss Jami

#UULent
#disruption
#GatheringStorm
#BeardedVulture
#Clarens
#SouthAfrica

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
~ #NelsonMandela

#UULent
#courage

“Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us more effectively.”~Louisa May Alcott

There was definitely a “before” and “after” the catalyst in my life. This was “during” when morning sun on pansies felt like calm.

#UULent
#catalyst

“Grief and resilience live together.” ~ Michelle Obama

#TheTrailOfTears
#UULent
#resilience

“Probably we never fully credit the interdependence of wild creatures, and their cognizance of the affairs of their own kind.” ~ Mary Hunter Austin

#UULent
#interdependence
#SouthAfrica
#pilanesberg
#rhino

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” ~ Rick Warren
#UULent #humility

“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion.” ~ #BrenéBrown
#UULent
#connection

One of my favourite photographs. The buttressed root structures of many trees enable them to grow together and support each other. These two Northern Red Oaks in the Ludington State Park in Michigan look as though they are holding hands.
#UULent #MutualAid

“I try to find hope in struggle and resistance in small places as much as I can” ~ Danny Glover
This was from my daughter’s first protest at 10 - she stood outside the zoo in the hot African sun all day. The elephant was freed and she learnt so much about the power of protest 🩶
#UULent #resistance

“Because isn’t that the point of every relationship: to be known by someone else, to be understood? He gets me. She gets me. Isn’t that the simple magic phrase?” ~ Gillian Flynn
#UULent #relationship

“Equity isn't a belief, it's the foundation of a civilized society.” ~ Abhijit Naskar
#UULent #Equity

“Cats don’t like change without their consent.” ~ Roger Caras
Concur. Here is our wee beastie utterly spurning the brand new fluffy bed we bought her (and into which she actually fits) in favour of a tiny pop-up travel bed she has now decided she will live in 😻
#UULent #consent #Caturday

“What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an ideal - that all of us are created equal, and all of us have the chance to make of our lives what we will.” ~ Barack Obama
#UULent #commitment

“Silence is not always golden. Sometimes, silence is a contempt for goodness; silence is a consent for atrocities; silence is a scorn for humanity. Often, it is better to scream” Rev. David O. Rankin

#uulent
#consent

My baby turned 18 today. Being her Mom has been the greatest joy and privilege of my life; and has also taught me that parenting is its own spiritual practice, deepened through challenges and guided by love.
#UULent #challenge

“It’s hard to know when to respond to the seductiveness of the world and when to respond to its challenge…I arise in the morning torn between the desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” E.B. White

#uulent

“Yes means Yes and No means No.” It made me reflect on Integrity, the idea that actions speak louder than words, and that establishing, honoring, and respecting boundaries is essential for a healthy, peaceful life in many domains of your life. #UU #Lent #UULent #Word #Integrity #Insight #LifeLessons

“There's a very fundamental basic value system that I think America was built upon, and that's mutual respect, honor, integrity and concern for our environment and the right to clean water.” ~ #ErinBrockovich #UULent #integrity #BelleIsle #Michigan

“Today's tears water tomorrow's gardens” ~ Matshona Dhliwayo
#UULent #tomorrow #WalterSisulu #BotanicalGarden #SouthAfrica

Today’s word for reflection for #UULent is #faith. This was the end of our school run this morning - black ice, and a car behind us going too fast to stop. I’m grateful that no-one was hurt, and will keep faith in my teen’s meaning-making that it was a sign that she should stay home today 🤔😏😣

Winter-colored grasses stick out of a basket on the left while large leaves rise like plumage from a large black vase with handles like shoulders. Boxes, stones, and earthy spheres of various sizes and materials are arranged in a well-balanced but casual configuration, all tucked into a corner, resting on brown carpet

Another simple thoughtful display in the sanctuary of the Manhattan Mennonite Meetinghouse, a building the congregation will always #love, despite its many idiosyncracies and inconveniences, even as their new meetinghouse gets a roof. I'm grateful for this patch of peace to feel my emotions. #UUlent

At the Nashville airport, I found a patch of sunshine to help me reflect. Oh, to love so many people and so many places and yet live in the reality that I can only be in one place at a time. I have come to believe that #desire is sacred, even if it can never be fully satisfied. #UUlent

The only thing more powerful than hate is love.
#UULent #love

“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.”
~ Jalal al-Din Rumi
#UULent #desire #Rumi

#Desire can distract or it can serve. Today I gave in to a small indulgence. It brings me joy. In the coming days I’ll be working on deeper desires, to serve in community.
#UULent