T. S. Eliot wrote, “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” Endings are often perceived negatively but these words encourage us to reconsider that perspective. While grieving the inevitable end is often necessary, we can take comfort that the world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. Instead of seeing the sadness of an ending or the joy of a beginning can we view a continuum of events where each is responsible for the next, one building upon the other? Lay Leader, Shaun Lott. Speaker, Michael Bonilla. Accompanist, Laurel Holmes

Responsible foraging builds environmental awareness and is the most ecologically sustainable method of procuring food. But more than anything, harvesting wild food satisfies a deep desire to connect with our roots and participate in Nature. We gather to nourish body and spirit. This is our fourth service in a series on ethical eating. The final service in the series will be in September and will examine raising animals for food. You can find online materials, including an Ethical Eating Study Guide, at http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issuesprocess/currentissues/ethicaleating/. Lay Leader, Frida Shroyer, Speaker, Lisa Sporleder, Accompanist, Susan Johnson.

 

 Gathering: Berry Picking as a Spiritual Discipline - Sporleder [21:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources, one of which bespeaks a Native American ethos: “Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions…celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.” Native American spirituality is as diverse as its many tribes. There are common threads, however, woven throughout these spiritual perspectives: living in balance with nature and communicating beliefs, dreams, and reality using symbols. Penni Haskins will discuss how honoring Native American spirituality reflects a core UU principle — the respectful search for knowledge and personal meaning. Lay Leader – Mary Ann Borchert, Presenter – Penni Haskins, Music – Vera Alexander.

Bring your treasures to sell for hard cash or bring your hard cash to trade for treasures. Come one and all to the Super-Dooper Garage Sale and UUFF fundraiser for UUFF exteriors projects this Saturday the 8th & Sunday the 9th, from 10 AM to 4 PM each day. The sale will be held at Anna Plager’s house at the top of Dalton Trail, just north of UAF. You can drop off sale items to donate or you can donate a percentage of your items’ sale price. Please help with the sale if you can. All volunteers are welcome.

This week marks the sixty-fourth anniversary of the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How the bombings are remembered both in this country and in Japan is ostensibly based on a factual understanding of the events — but also reflects present-day political and social considerations. Similarly, any discussion of “peace” as a Unitarian Universalist principle depends on subjective interpretation. What we think, feel, and believe today might not last as the world changes around us. Ross Coen will discuss the historiography of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, especially how they are viewed today by new generations of Americans and Japanese, to show that history is about the present as much as the past. Speaker, Ross Coen. Music, Susan Grace.