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 - 12 of 12
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This year, the Advent season seems particularly seized by a spirit of the expected, the longing.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 2, 2020 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: #COVID19, Advent, Children, Christianity, Hope, Living Our Faith, Parents, Purpose, Worship -
We are never numbers to be tallied for turnout. We are more than a sum. Together, we are the hope and courage.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | January 8, 2020 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Activism, Commitment, Community, Hope, Justice, Presence, Solidarity -
Advent is about expectation—radical expectations that undo the status quo—and anticipation: a skillful search for the places where liberation rises from the ashes.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 5, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Advent, Anti-Oppression, Christianity, Direct Experience, Patience, Power, Presence, Progress -
This is a story of in-the-middle for those wondering how their story ends.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | August 29, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Choice, Direct Experience, Fear, Hope, Humanism, Illness, Limitations, Parents, Psychology, Searching, Secular, Solidarity, Worry -
Being faithful doesn’t mean endless work. It also means attention to the movement of spirit that can appear as an hour of sleep, the truth of a toddler, or a donut in the middle of the day.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | February 28, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Children, Direct Experience, Faith, Living Our Faith, Parents, Spiritual Practice, Violence -
We have narratives that guide the way we experience and know one another—but the Rev. Dr. William Barber often reminds me that “you must always believe the redemption of your enemy is possible.”Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 26, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Beginnings, Direct Experience, Integrity, Redemption, Salvation, Transcendence -
We, the willing, follow the threads to one another; past rightness and quips and tweets. We will find one another and persist past sunrise.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | October 4, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Children, Despair, Direct Experience, Disaster, Disaster or Crisis, Hope, Humanism, Parents, Salvation, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Violence, Vision -
I long for progressive religious communities that are confessing communities—places where we admit our wrongdoings, are held accountable, and called back into covenant.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | May 3, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Character, Christianity, Community, Conscience, Direct Experience, Honesty, Humility -
“Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” —Alice Walker I had finally begun to relax—a bit. We were en route to Pennsylvania. My friend, a formal part of our “framily,” was visiting. We decided a visit to a crayon factory was the perfect winter outing for toddlers. The day was clear...Reflection | By Robin Tanner | March 1, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Atheism, Conflict, Contemplation, Direct Experience, Faith, Humanism, Humility, Personal Stories, Searching, Secular, Wisdom -
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ―Albert Einstein This was not my plan for January 1st, 2017: disheveled, wearing a pair of pajamas, and with unbrushed teeth at the pediatric urgent care in New...Reflection | By Robin Tanner | January 4, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser -
November 16, 2016 "Well, the only chains we can stand / Are the chains between hand and hand Keep your eyes on the prize / Hold on" —Adapted lyrics to “Gospel Plow,”* attributed to Alice Wine Holding on does not come easy to me. As a teenager who left home and bounced around, I am talented at...Reflection | By Robin Tanner | November 16, 2016 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: America, Anti-Oppression, Commitment, Democracy, Despair, Hope, Relationships, Secular -
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." —Rumi ...Reflection | By Robin Tanner | September 14, 2016 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 6th Principle (World Community), Community, Direct Experience, Diversity, Division, Humanism, Secular, Unity