Guest Blog by Katy Ottaway I want to talk about treating addiction. I am going to use opioids as my example. I think of addiction as a loss of boundaries. The person has lost their boundaries against the drug – alcohol, methamphetamines, heroin, oxycontin, gambling, sex, gossip, cocaine, kratom, whatever. The boundary is no longer … Continue reading Treating Addiction

Guest Blog by Lou Manrique Five years ago I had a near death experience. I was in bed, recovering from a respiratory ailment and tried, without success, to clear my throat. I suddenly discovered I could not breath! Try as I might, I could not inhale. While making attempts to do so, I surprisingly found … Continue reading My Near-Death Experience

Guest Blog by Betty Oppenheimer Betty Oppenheimer has been a QUUF member for 25 years and has served in more capacities than we can count, including Board President, Youth Group Advisor, two Search Committees (for Bruce Bode and Nan Geer), Coming of Age Mentor, Welcoming Congregation, and just about every committee that has to do … Continue reading On Being Our Best Selves

Guest Blog by Rosemary Adang I joined QUUF for the same reason so many of us are here – a sense of community: spiritual community, community support, community action.  QUUF is, as Paula Jones spoke of in her sermon earlier this year, a community of communities. At QUUF, I’ve found communities within our larger community … Continue reading Our Community of Communities

Guest Blog by Christina Tweed We just celebrated our Homecoming Sunday service. I don’t think it was how any of us hoped it would be… together in the sanctuary, even if it was limited capacity. But I am grateful. I am grateful for those who have our safety in the forefront of their minds in … Continue reading Keeping Connected in These COVID Times

Guest Blog by Nan Toby Tyrrell For me, when the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah comes in September, it’s a time that I relish. It provides me a chance to look into the deepest parts of myself and examine what changes I can make to live a better life. How can I find ways to honor … Continue reading Sacred Times ~ Rosh Hashanah

Guest Blog by Diane Haas This latest UU General Assembly was the 4th that I have attended. I especially like the workshops. They are educational and often inspiring. One that interested me this year was on Discernment Circles. Sitting in a circle comes naturally – it has been done for millennia. A circle equalizes power … Continue reading Discernment Circles

Guest Blog by Jo Blair This was the third year I’ve attended UUA General Assembly – once in person and twice online – and the first time I was a delegate. The other two times I participated in GA, my goal was to learn from UUs involved in Native Social and Environmental Justice issues to … Continue reading The Rights of Nature: Who Speaks for the Earth?

Guest Blog by Joyce Francis Beware! My account of General Assembly might be a downer! I volunteered to be a delegate to this year’s GA out of concern with declining democracy within the UUA, as documented in the new book Used to Be UU (referencing change within the UUA, not the authors) by Jay Kiskel … Continue reading Bothered and Bewildered

Guest Blog by Shawn Risley Why did I attend GA this June? I’m a lifelong member, sure, with long-acquired historical facts, but my education had stopped there. This was a faith I cared about, yet felt this was a now-or-never opportunity for intense learning. I signed up online about a week before GA, glad that … Continue reading GA21: Inclusive Communication for the Road Ahead