February 26th, 2021
Religious Exploration/Education
February's Theme is Beloved Community
Hello Families,

Building Beloved Community and journeying toward spiritual wholeness isn’t easy. The proposed 8th UU Principle invites us to “accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” Dismantling means taking apart something which has been built up. Racism has been built up for over 400 years. If we want to do it, we must commit to the long haul and the hard work. And when that hard work gets really hard, we will be tempted to quit or run away. So this week we discuss the importance of perseverance and dedication to this work. And we make sure to throw some fun in there along the way.

And for your convenience, all past newsletters can be found here on the UUCSC website
Gathering Together Video
Be a croissant, not a bagel
Hippo opens the wonder box today and what he finds gets us wondering about inclusion. How do we make sure we are open to new people and new ideas? We look over some of Unitarian Universalism's 7 Principles and introduce the proposed 8th Principle
Songs of Joy
Anti-Racism Song for Kids
from Little Crowns Storyhouse
It's time for a little muppet-type puppet sing-along! A beautiful video showing images of kids and families all around the world.
Stories for RE
Picture Books
Sulwe, by Lupita Nyong.
Read by the author, a beautiful book about skin color, beauty from the inside, and finding your brightness.
The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson is a sweet story about two girls, making friends despite the segregation in their town.
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, by Anastasia Higginbotham is an important book that shows one white girl's journey towards understanding racial inequality and racism. It includes references to police shootings and historical information about social justice movements.
Videos
An important conversation between Alicia Keys and Ibram X. Kendi for the Nick News special Kids, Race and Unity. Their conversation is directed at kids and very accessible as they talk about white privilege, racial profiling and what we can do about it.
Middle school aged students are shown the realities of white privilege by taking steps forward or backward, depending on their answers to questions. It's a very powerful, visual example of how we start off in unequal circumstances, giving some of us a huge head start in this "race" of life.
Mindful Moment
Laughter Medicine
From our friends at Soul Matters:
“So, keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it...”
~Molly Ivins
When times get hard, we don’t want to run away. Neither do we always need to be serious. Laughter allows us to persevere in the face of difficulties. Do you know why angels can fly? Because they take themselves lightly. Let’s take ourselves lightly and see what laughter adds to our work.

So let's laugh together! Try out these exercises and laugh like a baby, a chicken proudly laying eggs, a pet or favorite animal....laughter is sometimes the best medicine.
Soulful Connections
UUCSC February Flurry of Love
It's not too late to send Valentines!
I think love notes can arrive anytime! So even if you haven't sent any out yet, you still can! Our Multigen Project for the month of February encourages you to connect by sending a surprise valentine to someone from the congregation by snail mail. You may sign your name or be anonymous, and include the phrase UUCSC Flurry of Love somewhere on the card. See the DIRECTORY for addresses and choose one or more people to send to. This would be a good time to check and make sure your address in the directory is accurate! Folks are not expected to respond, so this will be a one-way flurry of love!
Sunday Zoom Time
We are expanding our offerings, so I hope you can make it to some of the following:

EVERY SUNDAY, 9am-9:30: Kid Circle Time. We have a lovely, simple time together, sharing Roses/Buds/Thorns, singing a song and this week we will play the Laughter Game described above :)

THIRD SUNDAYS, 9:30-10am: Adult Sharing Time. Last Sunday was wonderful with seven families joining in on a conversation about raising anti-racist kids. Join us next month on March 21st!

LAST SUNDAYS, 9:30-10:30: CartUUns! This coming Sunday! We will be watching this short film. Please respond to this email if you're interested and I'll send you a list of simple art supplies for our project together.
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