The month of January is typically a time to move forward into a new calendar year of challenges, adjustments and if you happen to live in northern New England, just try to keep warm.

If you’ve attempted to make personal changes in 2021 (if you’re like most of us) you’ve probably already run into difficulties. Why is it so difficult to do something differently from how we usually do it? This is a truly baffling yet practical question as we find ourselves in a recurring feedback loop of repeating behavior.

This week we take a look at how to get off the wheel and try something new. The title of the Sunday talk is “Get Off the Wheel” and our music selection is by the CKS Band (former members of The Gregg Allman Band) from one of our sanctuary concerts a few years back. We hope you can join us.  And with the Presidential Inauguration occurring this past week we’ve included a few of the highlights in today’s UU Support Page as well as a teaching on anger by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Have a great week-end!

One of our group members suggested a UU study topic that we could possibly explore this winter. After discussion about it two weeks ago during our Zoom coffee hour we decided to use part of our time each week during Zoom coffee hour to share our thoughts on the topic. (We watched the trailer and started an initial discussion last week.) Netflix has a recent documentary on the dangers and concerns regarding social media sites titled “The Social Dilemma” directed and written by Jeff Orlowski. Here is a brief description of the film found on Wikipedia:

The film features interviews with many former employees, executives, and other professionals from top tech companies and social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Apple. These interviewees provide their first-hand experiences of working in and around the tech industry. They state that social media platforms and big tech companies have been instrumental in providing positive change for society; they also note that such platforms have also caused problematic social, political, and cultural consequences.

These interviews are presented alongside scripted dramatizations of a teenager’s social media addiction and a primer on how a social media algorithm powered by artificial intelligence may wo

If you would like to view a trailer of the film on YouTube a link is listed below. And if you don’t have a Netflix account there is also a great interview with Katie Couric and a panel of participants from the film on YouTube. That link is also included. We’ll chat more about it during Zoom on Sunday at 11AM.
Trailer for the Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0

Interview with Katie Couric on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGi2YKZZNFg

The recorded service will be available to view at 10AM on Sunday morning and archived so it can be watched later at your convenience.  I will send out the service link to YouTube later today and the link will be live on Sunday morning at 9:45AM (in case you want to come to the service early).  

If you subscribe to our YouTube channel you can locate it automatically on your YouTube home page under subscriptions. The 10AM service will be followed by a Zoom coffee hour and check-in at 11AM for those who are interested in discussing the service or just want to check in. I’ll send the Zoom links out today.

Have a great week-end everyone!
Practice patience and kindness.

In Ministry,

Dave

Virtual Offering Plate

If you would like to send in your pledge or donation (we still have to pay the bills) simply drop an envelope in the mail. The address is listed below.  Thank you for your support!
UU Church of Houlton61 Military StreetHoulton, ME  04730

“The Hill We Climb”
  Amanda Gorman
 Named the nation’s first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017 she followed in the footsteps of such famous names as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou as Inaugural Poet 2021.

When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.

We braved the belly of the beast.

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.

And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.

Somehow we do it.

Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.

We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.

And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.

We are striving to forge our union with purpose.

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.

And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.

We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.

We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.

We seek harm to none and harmony for all.

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.

That even as we grieved, we grew.

That even as we hurt, we hoped.

That even as we tired, we tried.

That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.

Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.

Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.

If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.

That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.

It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.

It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.

And this effort very nearly succeeded.

But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.

In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.

This is the era of just redemption.

We feared at its inception.

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.

But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.

So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.

We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation, become the future.

Our blunders become their burdens.

But one thing is certain.

If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.

So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.

Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.

We will rise from the golden hills of the West.

We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.

We will rise from the sun-baked South.

We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.

And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.

When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.

The new dawn balloons as we free it.

For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.

If only we’re brave enough to be it.

Inauguration Speech delivered by President Joseph Biden Jr. January 20, 2021   (excerpt)

This is democracy’s day.A day of history and hope.Of renewal and resolve.Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.

Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy.

The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.

We look ahead in our uniquely American way — restless, bold, optimistic — and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.

Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go.

We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility.

Much to repair.

Much to restore.

Much to heal.

Much to build.

And much to gain.

Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now.

A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country.

It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II.

Millions of jobs have been lost.

Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed.

A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer

A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear.

And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.

To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words.It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy:Unity.Unit

Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this:Bringing America together.

Uniting our people.And uniting our nation.I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the common foes we face:Anger, resentment, hatred.Extremism, lawlessness, violence.Disease, joblessness, hopelessness.

With unity we can do great things. Important things.We can right wrongs.We can put people to work in good jobs.We can teach our children in safe schools.We can overcome this deadly virus.We can reward work, rebuild the middle class, and make health caresecure for all.We can deliver racial justice.We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.

I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy.I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real.But I also know they are not new.Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart.The battle is perennial.Victory is never assured.

Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our “better angels” have always prevailed.In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward.And, we can do so now.

History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity.We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors.We can treat each other with dignity and respect.We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature.

For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury.This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.And, we must meet this moment as the United States of America.If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail.We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together.

And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh.All of us.Let us listen to one another.Hear one another.See one another.Show respect to one another.

Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path.Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war.And, we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.

My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this.America has to be better than this.And, I believe America is better than this.

To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us.

To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart.And if you still disagree, so be it.That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength.

Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.And I pledge this to you: I will be a President for all Americans.I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson.There is truth and there are lies.Lies told for power and for profit.And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies

.I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation.I understand they worry about their jobs, about taking care of their families, about what comes next.I get it.But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do.We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal

We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.If we show a little tolerance and humility.If we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes just for a moment.Because here is the thing about life: There is no accounting for what fate will deal you.There are some days when we need a hand.There are other days when we’re called on to lend one.That is how we must be with one another.And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we will need each other.We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter.We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation.I promise you this: as the Bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.We will get through this, together.

I will give my all in your service thinking not of power, but of possibilities.Not of personal interest, but of the public good.And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear.Of unity, not division.Of light, not darkness.An American story of decency and dignity.Of love and of healing.Of greatness and of goodness.

May this be the story that guides us.The story that inspires us.The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history.We met the moment.

So, with purpose and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time.Sustained by faith.Driven by conviction.And, devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts.

May God bless America and may God protect our troops.Thank you, America.

Transforming Anger into Love

BY THICH NHAT HANH

Thich Nhat Hanh offers advice on using mindfulness to take care of your anger, and ultimately transform it into love and understanding.

When you are angry, close your eyes and ears and return to yourself in order to quell the flames. Smile, even if it takes effort. Smiling relaxes hundreds of tiny muscles, making your face more attractive. Sit wherever you are, and look deeply. If your concentration is not yet strong, you can go outside and practice walking meditation. Most essential is to water the seed of mindfulness and allow it to arise in your mind consciousness.

Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something, just as anger is always anger at something. When you drink a glass of water and are aware that you are drinking a glass of water, that is mindfulness of drinking water. In this case, we produce mindfulness of anger. “Breathing in, I know I am angry. Breathing out, I know that anger is in me.” First the energy of anger arises, and second the energy of mindfulness arises. The second energy embraces the first in order to soothe it and allow it to subside.

We do not produce mindfulness to chase away or fight our anger but to take good care of it. This method is non-dualistic and nonviolent. It is non-dualistic because it recognizes that mindfulness and anger are both parts of ourselves. One energy embraces the other. Don’t be angry at your anger. Don’t try to chase it away or suppress it. Acknowledge that it has arisen and take care of it. When your stomach hurts, you don’t get angry at it. You take care of it. When a mother hears her baby crying, she puts down what she is doing, picks the baby up, and comforts her. Then she tries to understand why the baby is crying, whether it is because of some physical or emotional discomfort.

We do not produce mindfulness to chase away or fight our anger but to take good care of it.

Look deeply at your anger as you would at your own child. Do not reject it or hate it. Meditation is not to turn yourself into a battlefield, one side opposing the other. Conscious breathing soothes and calms the anger, and mindfulness penetrates it. Within fifteen minutes of lighting the heater, the warm air pervades the cold room, and a transformation occurs. You don’t need to discard or repress anything, not even your anger. Anger is just an energy, and all energies can be transformed. Meditation is the art of using one kind of energy to transform another. The instant the mother holds her child, the child feels the energy of love and comfort and begins to feel relief. Even if the cause of discomfort is still present, being held in mindfulness is enough to provide some relief.

In the Anapanasati Sutta (“Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing”), the Buddha teaches, “Breathing in, I calm the activities of the mind in me.” “Activities of the mind” refers to any emotional or psychological state, such as anger, sadness, jealousy, or fear. As you breathe in and out mindfully, you embrace and calm that mental state. As soon as you are aware that anger has arisen, produce mindfulness to embrace the anger. After ten minutes, the intensity of the anger will lessen, and mindfulness will reveal many things. After holding her baby for a few minutes, perhaps humming a lullaby, the mother will search for the cause of the discomfort. Perhaps the baby has a fever or a chill, perhaps her diaper is too tight, or she is thirsty. As soon as the mother discovers the cause, she can transform the situation right away. It is important to get at the root of the problem. This is the practice of looking deeply.

“Breathing in, I know I am angry. Breathing out, I know that the anger is in me.” First, you practice recognition. “Hello, anger, my old friend.” Then you look deeply to see its source. “Why am I angry?” The first thing you will discover is that your suffering has its roots in your store consciousness, in seeds that are already there, seeds of anger, delusion, pride, suspicion, or greed. The other person is only a secondary cause.

The next thing you will see is that the other person is also suffering. You may have thought you were the only one suffering, but that is not correct. When someone spills that kind of suffering onto you, you know that he is suffering. When you understand this, love will well up in you, and you will want to help. Understanding is the key.

Thanks to the practice of mindfulness, your anger will return to your store consciousness. The next time it arises, practice the same way, and eventually that seed of anger in you will weaken. This is the practice of facing your anger, and, thanks to mindfulness, transforming it into the energies of love and understanding.

ABOUT THICH NHAT HANH

Thich Nhat Hanh is a renowned Zen Master and poet, the founder of the Engaged Buddhist movement, and the founder of nine monastic communities, including Plum Village Monastery in France. He’s also the author of At Home in the World, The Other Shore, and more than a hundred other books that have sold millions of copies worldwide. Thich Nhat Hanh currently lives in Vietnam.

Joys & Concerns
When one of us is blessed we are all blessed.When one of us experiences sorrow we all feel the pain.

Bernie sure does get around…

Please pray for Deb Ball as her mother Doloris Jackins passed away this week.We love you Deb!

If you haven’t already checked out MaryAlice Mowry’s writer’s blog it’s a delight.https://maryalice-musings.blogspot.com
I am feeling the preciousness of life, the strength and necessity of community and the grounding of very simple things in life.posted on her blog January 14, 2021

The UUHoulton annual pledge drive is currently under way. Your pledge card or donation for 2021 can be mailed to 61 Military Street. Your support is greatly appreciated!

The UUChurch of Houlton is looking for a new treasurer in the new year. If you are interested in finding out more about the position please contact our good moderator, Leigh Griffith at griffith@mfx.net  We’d like to express our thanks and appreciation to our outgoing co-treasurers Mary Blocher and Barbara Erickson for their excellent years of service to the organization.
THANK YOU!

The National Mall lined with lights in remembrance of Covid-19 deaths.

Each one of the 400 lights represent 1,000 lives lost to the coronavirus. Photo taken January 19, 2021
During the Pre-Inaugurational Remembrance Ceremony at the Reflection Pool Mr. Biden said, “To heal, we must remember. We must shine a light in the darkness for those we’ve lost.”

Please continue to send in joys and concerns during the week to revdav@mfx.net and I will post them on the Support Page.

The joy or the sorrow of one is shared by all. May our hearts be as one on this day.  Let us carry each thought or concern expressed in our heart and may the light of our love and compassion transform suffering into non suffering and ease the difficulties of life.  We radiate love and the light that we are.  Blessed are we all.

Prayer List distributed via personal email.

The Four Limitless Ones Prayer
May all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.May we be free from suffering and the root of suffering.May we not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering.May we dwell in the great equanimity free from anger, aggression and exclusion.

*