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Braver/Wiser: Courage and Compassion for Life as It Is

Life is full of hard edges and complicated choices. Braver/Wiser gives you weekly message of courage and compassion for life as it is. Every Wednesday we deliver an original written reflection and brief prayer, grounded in Unitarian Universalism. Join the Braver/Wiser community and sign up today!

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14

  • In a dance studio, a woman in a red tank top dances ethusiastically while other dancers are visible in the background.
    Embodying all of me is the best way I know to love the world.
    Reflection | By Laura Solomon | October 11, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Body, Growth, Limitations, Self-Care, Worship
  • A close-up of a hand holding the hand of a patient lying in a hospital bed.
    Dying is scary, but we are brave, and we can talk about it together.
    Reflection | By Meg Barnhouse | October 5, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Death, Family, Limitations, Meaning, Worship
  • On a rocky outcrop in what appears to be inclement weather, one person strenuously pulls another person uphill.
    We don’t need to understand why someone sets a boundary to respect it.
    Reflection | By Shaya French | September 21, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Friendship, Interdependence, Limitations, Relationships, Stewardship, Worship
  • A photo, from above, of a Black mother with daughter lying down on cozy couch in living room, cuddling and napping together at home.
    If I want well-being to be my truth, I must reclaim and protect it.
    Reflection | By Atena O. Danner | January 26, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Body, Limitations, Self-Care, Worship
  • Bright red-orange kokanee salmon swim in the water of a shallow stream flanked by foliage
    We already have everything we need within us to meet the life that is before us.
    Reflection | By DanaLee Simon | November 10, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Animals, Character, Earth-Centered, Growth, Limitations, Nature, Purpose, Worship
  • A hand with red nail polish cups a compass, above the mossy floor of a forest, and the other hand points to moss or another object on the ground.
    My inner compass reminds me of the power we’ve been given to create a new future.
    Reflection | By Mariela Pérez-Simons | July 14, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Earth, Earth-Centered, Imagination, Limitations, Nature, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Worship
  • Two hands, of dark skin color, reach to each other. Each hand holds a jigsaw puzzle piece with half of a red heart on it, suggesting that the two pieces fit together perfectly.
    I learned that love and support can be expressed in many different ways by different people.
    Reflection | By Ndidi Achebe | July 7, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Community, Compassion, Direct Experience, Fear, Humanism, Limitations, Love, Relationships, Worship
  • Underneath a plaque, affixed to a wall, that says NO BICYCLES PLEASE, a bicycle is leaning on the wall.
    I feel disoriented when I’m in a new place or situation and can’t figure out whether the rules are real or imaginary.
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | October 7, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Community, Direct Experience, Interdependence, Limitations, Living Our Faith, Secular, Self-Respect, Worship
  • An array of glasses, bowls, and trinkets set on a table for a yard sale.
    Sometimes, I know I'm hanging onto a part of my life that I'll eventually need to let go of...but not just yet.
    Reflection | By Amanda Poppei | April 22, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Children, Direct Experience, Ending, Humanism, Letting Go, Limitations, Sacrifice, Secular
  • Two hands pull toilet paper from a wall-mounted dispenser.
    Sometimes people show up fully and be with me. And sometimes they cannot, even if they really care about me and want to help.
    Reflection | By Misha Sanders | April 10, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Caring, Limitations, Self-Care, Self-Respect
  • A toddler pouts in the background, while a plate of grapes with a corndog occupies the foreground.
    When I internalize cultural messages about the definitions of success or failure—or anything, really—I undermine my own sense of self-worth.
    Reflection | By HP Rivers | April 3, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Children, Compassion, Family, Food, Forgiveness, Grace, Letting Go, Limitations, Mothers, Self-Respect
  • A young child curled up on a couch, her head buried in her hands
    In real life, sometimes grief looms largest in December. Sometimes there's one too many dress-ups and the gold tulle makes your legs itch. “I just needed it to stop for a minute. Next time I will take calm breaths.”
    Reflection | By Misha Sanders | December 19, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Limitations, Self-Care, Self-Respect
  • In a dark room, a lighted mobile over a baby's crib throws colored stars of light onto the walls.
    This is a story of in-the-middle for those wondering how their story ends.
    Reflection | By Robin Tanner | August 29, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Choice, Direct Experience, Fear, Hope, Humanism, Illness, Limitations, Parents, Psychology, Searching, Secular, Solidarity, Worry
  • A man, mid-jump, suspended in the air smiling widely.
    I wanted so badly to break free and let loose—but I just couldn't. I was stuck in my own false ideas of the congregation's expectations of me. Luckily, there’s still time.
    Reflection | By DeReau K. Farrar | January 16, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Arts & Music, Body, Direct Experience, Empathy, Freedom, Joy, Limitations, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Self-Respect
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