Hello Friends,

Last Sunday in Chapel/Faith Development, we explored November’s theme of “Healing.”

We talked and shared our ideas about what “healing” means and also recalled that our UU faith teaches us that healing can take work.

After a fight with someone, we can sometimes feel so upset or angry in the moment that we might feel like we never want to see that person again. It can feel like we’d rather ignore or run away from the mess. This is true whether we are the ones who did the harm or got harmed. It takes courage, commitment and skill to successfully travel the path of healing. One of the ways our UU faith guides us into becoming whole and healthy people is by teaching us, “Don’t run away from the hard work of healing!”

Everybody gets into fights, arguments and disagreements. Last Sunday in Chapel, I had a piece of rope with a knot in it. Do you remember that? Knots can be helpful when they are used in sailing, rock climbing, camping, and all kinds of other situations. Knots can also be way of describing the tangled fights between people and the ways each of us feel after we get in a fight. Some people say, “It feels like there is a knot in my stomach.” Have you ever felt that way?

Just like it’s hard to untangle a knot, it can also be hard to fix a relationship when we hurt someone or when we’ve been hurt. Untying a knot helps us remember some important things about how to fix a mistake we’ve made or a mess that has arisen between us and others.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM A KNOT THAT COULD HELP US WITH HEALING?

Admit that there’s a knot.
Ignoring the knot only makes the knot tighter and harder to untangle.
It takes effort to untie a knot. We can’t give up after only one try.
Sometimes we have to ask others for help and advice about how to untie complicated knots.
Be ready for more knots to develop as you’re trying to untangle the first one.
Tying and untying knots requires practice and skill.

As we think about healing from arguments or fights it can be important to remember that we can do hard things—like untangling difficult knots—whether they are in a rope or in a relationship or friendship.

Explore or revisit these parts of last week’s Chapel/Faith Development:

Opening Hymn “Come Go with me to That Land”

Our Story: I Can Do Hard Things

Meditation Hymn “You Can Do This Hard Thing” by Carrie Newcomer

Closing Hymn “One More Step”

Question to ponder and act on:

What helps you remember that you can do hard things?

What is a place in your life where you need to do some healing? What would help you do that?

Join your friends for Chapel/Faith Development tomorrow November 15 at 10AM Here’s the link: https://zoom.us/j/97602267248

This Sunday, we will explore healthy ways to comfort ourselves.

Please note, there will NOT be Chapel/Faith Development on Nov. 22 or 29.

We hope everyone will join in Multi-bread Communion Service

at 11AM on Nov. 22 and a service of Gratitude at 11AM on November 29

In faith and with love,

Rev. Leia