UUHoulton Support PageMarch 12, 2022
This is the second week of Lent and we are continuing our series “Stories of Lent” which leads up to Easter Sunday in the middle of April. This week’s story is about a young philosopher’s back-packing trip to Japan and the unexpected difficulty of ordering a bowl of noodle soup. The title of today’s talk is “Knocked Off Balance.” The service will be available at 10AM on our YouTube Channel followed by Zoom check-in and coffee hour at 11AM. You’ll find the links listed below.
Have a good week-end everyone.
In Ministry,
Dave
HERE IS THE SERVICE LINK FOR THIS WEEK’S SERVICE(Please note it won’t be active until 10AM on Sunday morning)
https://youtu.be/TB4PpaoYm4Y
HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK FOR SUNDAY:
David Hutchinson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: UUcoffee hour and check-inTime: Mar 13, 2022 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/89696774681?pwd=ZEZ5MTFZRkxUTS9BOHpDdFo4b01Cdz09
Meeting ID: 896 9677 4681Passcode: 579750
Virtual Offering Plate
If you would like to send in your pledge or donation simply drop an envelope in the mail. The address is listed below. You can also send your donation electronically with our new payment system on the church website. Simply go to uuhoulton.org and click “Donate” on the menu and it will explain how the system works. You can set up a regular monthly payment plan or donate in single transactions. Thank you for your generous support!
UU Church of Houlton61 Military StreetHoulton, ME 04730
Calm Your Anxious Mind
Connect with your Breath
The breath is a powerful reminder of your anxiety-reducing connection with others, says Kamilah Majied.
Though we tremble before uncertain futures / may we meet illness, death and adversity with strength / may we dance in the face of our fears.
—Gloria E. Anzaldúa, in this bridge we call home
The second anniversary of the pandemic is a good time to reflect on the wisdom gleaned from this challenging experience. Notice the insights you’ve gained about how to be with yourself when you can’t be with others. We have been learning how to manage the anxious loneliness that often occurs and accrues as we limit our physical contact with people.
We often associate loneliness with sadness, but loneliness also has an anxious quality. The yearning to be social, to see smiles, hold hands, and hug one another can grip us in a field of angst. A breath practice can help us hold, release, and transform that anxiety.
As we grieve our deceased loved ones, our separations from living beloveds, and the absence of festivities that celebrate our connections, we may also experience anticipatory grief. We might worry about ourselves and loved ones getting sick in the future. We may worry that this pandemic will never end and find ourselves premourning future Covid-related losses. Grief and anticipatory grief can generate as much anxiety as they do sorrow. We can use the breath to release and learn from all aspects of grief.
The wonder of breathing is even more clear to us now. The threat and possibility of this, our shared air, reveals the threat and possibility of interdependence itself. Our exhalation is someone’s inhalation, and someone’s out-breath is our in-breath. Our breath is a reminder that we are connected no matter how lonely we feel.
May this breath practice help you transmute the anxiety of separation and loss. Repeat these words as you focus on your breath.
Breathing in, I notice that I miss you.
Breathing out, I embrace you with an intention for all beings to be well.
Breathing in, I notice worry that I will not endure.
Breathing out, I notice that I am enduring.
Breathing in, I grieve for my losses.
Breathing out, I thank impermanence for connecting me to all of life.
3 Steps to Self-Compassion
by Chris Germer
Psychologist Chris Germer’s three-step practice to soothe your anxiety with kindness.
This three-step practice taps into the three components of self-compassion: mindfulness, our common humanity, and self-kindness. You can do it whenever you feel anxiety in your daily life.
1. START BY PRACTICING MINDFULNESS
Begin by validating your feelings of anxiety. Say in a warm and understanding way, “I’m experiencing anxiety. I’m feeling anxiety,” as you might speak with a dear friend.
Then notice where in your body you feel anxiety the most. Do you feel tightness in your throat, a pounding heart, butterflies in your stomach, or dizziness in your head?
See if you can make a little room for that sensation, allowing it to be there, if only for a few moments.
2. CONTEMPLATE OUR COMMON HUMANITY
It may feel like you’re the only person experiencing anxiety, but rest assured that millions of people feel just as you do in this very moment.
Recognize that many others, if they were in the same situation as you, would feel just like you do.
Say to yourself, “Anxiety is part of the human condition. I am not alone.”
3. GIVE YOURSELF KINDNESS
Now see if you can give yourself kindness, simply because you’re feeling anxiety, not to make anxiety go away. Here are four ways to do that.
Soft Gaze: First, allow a living being to come to mind who has a lot of love in their eyes, such as a child, a pet, a loved one, or a friend. Visualize their eyes and allow yourself to bathe in their gaze for as long as you like.
Soothing Touch: Place one of your hands on the part of your body where you feel anxiety the most, feeling the sense of touch and warmth of your hand. If you like, imagine kindness flowing through your fingers into that part of your body, or gently stroke that part of your body as an expression of sympathy and kindness.
Gentle Words: Reflect for a moment on words you would like to hear most at a time like this. For example, “I love you,” ‘‘I’m here for you,” “You can do this.” What words would inspire you to say, “Thank you, I needed to hear that”? Then whisper those words into your own ear, as a silent blessing, over and over.
Take some time to practice self-kindness—through soft gaze, soothing touch, and gentle words—however it feels just right for you.
Joys & Concerns
When one of us is blessed we are all blessed.When one of us experiences sorrow we all feel the pain.
DON’T FORGET TO TURN BACK YOUR CLOCKS THIS WEEKEND
Prayer List
For those recovering from COVID-19 in the state of MaineLocal emergency personnel and hospital staffFor our state and national leaders as they respond to the current coronavirus crisisFor those working for social justice and societal change Pray for peaceful action and democratic process in our nationPrayers for refugees in Eastern Europe, Central America and for those along our southern borderConcerns regarding the new covid variant Omicron Prayers for all those struggling with discouragement, the winter blues or depression this time of year. Prayers for truckers, protesters and law enforcement involved in the stand-offs in Ottawa and other Canadian locations. We pray for peaceful and non-violent actions.Prayers for those in Ukraine as the war continuesPrayers for Jeff Carmichael as he recovers from a mild heart attackPray for peace
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.
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