The Charlottesville UU’s have provided holiday gifts to Greer Elementary School families for several years, even before I arrived at Greer three years ago.  Each year, our Greer Family Support Team gathered information on 8-10 of our neediest families.  And each December, our team arrived at Cville UU with vans...

A contribution from Johanna Woodchild:   In celebration of the Winter Solstice, which occurs on Monday, December 21st, I share with you this poem, which appeared in the newsletter of the UU Church of the Larger Fellowship c. 1980.   FIRST CHRISTMAS A hundred thousand years ago A cave-man looked at ice...

Do you have go-to stories in your family that are told time and time again? I have several and here are some of the titles: Ducks can run really fast if they think you have food. We’re getting married tomorrow and the dogs have caught a skunk! Why did Mommy...

A poem by Irene Wellman. It Was Nothing Really A storm had passed. I stopped the car to walk up and down the country road, trees along the horizon, nearby new leaves, flowers, pools of water on the road. A few cars went by. and then the sun’s rays shone...

By Laura Wallace Like many UUs, I came from a religious background that one day no longer made sense for me. Disillusionment sent me searching, and finally to hovering nervously on a back pew nearly 40 years ago, scared but relieved to have blundered into a community that wouldn’t tell...

Did you ever wonder where our Sunday altars come from? They are created each month by our dedicated altar team. In this post, Maggie Ober explains their creative process. The altar team, Cindy Mick, Michelle Goodrich, Patty Wallens and Maggie Ober, with liberal support from Leia Durland-Jones and Nik Skaggs,...

By Stephanie Lowenhaupt UU-Charlottesville Member   Wondering about Christmas Holiday plans and not being able to travel? Here is an opportunity to connect with other UU’s around the country.   Are you interested in connecting with a diverse group of friendly and fascinating folks.? SWIM (Southeast Winter Institute Unitarian Universalist...

By Pam McIntire Sometimes in these hard times I struggle among despair, rage, and just feeling befuddled. I find that I am expending large amounts of energy trying to stay calm and centered. Sometimes I feel very alone. And, then comes the TJMC Wednesday email, the Friday email and the Sunday...

By Sara Gondwe, Chair, Racial Justice Steering Committee HaHa  Probably you have.  Perhaps you are aware that I have sons whom society identifies as African American.   Did it occur to you that they also have a White identity so it would make just as much sense to label them as...

By Barbara Kres Beach   Karola Torok is the daughter of Istvan and Melinda Torok of our partner church in Romania. She just finished her first year master studies in business information management.  Her father, Reverend Torok,  modestly tells us, “The results were very good.”   To recoup her strength...