Edit Header for Braver/Wiser Search
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!

Changing a filter will refresh results (and remaining options) immediately. Searching by keyword or changing the number of items per page requires use of the "Search" button.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 10

  • A light-skinned Black person's arms cradle a tiny infant whose bare foot soles face the camera.
    Fear not, the angels would text me. Hallelujah, I’d write back.
    Reflection | By Marcus Liefert | December 20, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Awe, Children, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Family, Hope, Parents, Wonder, Worship
  • A tiny chickweed seedling still has the cap of its seed pod, while the tiny seedling next to it is unfurling its tiny green leaves.
    Remind me that life is magical and mysterious.
    Reflection | By JD Stillwater | April 19, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Awe, Beauty, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Nature, Stewardship, Wonder, Worship
  • A starry night sky and and an atmospheric glow blanket the well-lit southeastern African coast as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above.
    I need to celebrate our human family, whose power and potential shimmer against the backdrop of deep time, because we aren’t at our best right now.
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | October 13, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Awe, Humanism, Science, Wonder, Worship
  • The corner of a gravestone, which is bedecked with toys and flowers and a fake butterfly stuck in the grass.
    In my small-town congregation, our beloved dead seem to linger with us for a little while.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | October 31, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), All Souls Day, Awe, Death, Día de los Muertos, Direct Experience, Generations, Grief, Love, Memorial Services, Mystery, Remembrance Day, Sorrow
  • A crowd of concert-goers, in silhouette, against the bright colors and band on a stage.
    God is not a distant force, far away. God is in the beating of our hearts and the backbeat of a funky baseline. God is in a four-on-the-floor drum fill, and in the achy joints and sore muscles the day after.
    Reflection | By Alex Haider-Winnett | October 24, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Arts & Music, Awe, Body, Culture, Direct Experience, God, Immanence, Joy, Letting Go, Spiritual Practice, Young Adults
  • The open back of a yellow moving truck, pakced with cartons and boxes.
    People move places for jobs, relations, opportunities, escape, hindering our ability to put down new roots. And yet, we carry a constancy: the still, quiet voice within.
    Reflection | By Teresa Honey Youngblood | June 6, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Awe, Change, Choice, Connections, Contemplation, Direct Experience, Home, Humanism, Nature, Personal Stories, Searching, Secular, Wonder
  • A string of lit Christmas lights, with small white bulbs, tangled around a person's arms.
    It’s been said that it’s easier to untangle a string of lights if you plug them in; it’s no different for people. Humans, just like strings of lights, are wired for connection.
    Reflection | By Erin Powers | December 13, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Awe, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Connections, Direct Experience, Humanism, Mystery, Relationships, Secular, Trust, Vulnerability, Wholeness
  • A young child eats a cookied, wearing a Santa hat, while peering at someone off-camera.
    “If I ask you a question, do you promise to tell me the truth?" For future reference, if a child asks you this question at Christmas time, EVADE.
    Reflection | By Becky Brooks | October 18, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Awe, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Doubt, Faith, Humanism, Relationships, Searching, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder
  • Against red hills, the shadow of a hot air balloon and its basket
    Life is full of seesaws: it offers us moments of extreme wonder and moments of fear. Sometimes you have to live through the fear for the wonder to arrive.
    Reflection | By Elizabeth Harding | September 27, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Awe, Death, Direct Experience, Fear, Humanism, Joy, Secular, Wonder
  • From the back of an open vehicle, a man hands a swaddled infant into a woman's waiting arms. Photo taken post Hurricane Harvey.
    Pray, if you pray. Send love and money, too. We will be rolled and covered, but we will rise and carry others with us. Watch for the opportunities to rise and carry. Watch for the holy moments where some people see God.
    Reflection | By Teresa Honey Youngblood | August 30, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Awe, Brokenness, Caring, Community, Disaster, Healing, Nature, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism
Edit Sidebar for Braver/Wiser Search

Writing for Braver/Wiser

If you're interested in writing for Braver/Wiser, please refer to Writing for Braver/Wiser (PDF) to learn more!

Ready to Submit?

If you've reviewed our "Writing for Braver/Wiser" guidelines, visit our submission page!