Those of us who call ourselves Unitarians came to Unitarianism by various channels. Not many of us were born and raised Unitarians. My Lutheran-raised wife Marion learned of it from Max Otto, a University of Wisconsin philosophy professor, and in 1950 she told me about it. Fairly soon I became an atheist Jewish Unitarian. When … Continued
Last month I celebrated my seventy-second birthday. If you had been there, you might not have seen all of me. In my lifetime I have had multiple selves, including many of the familial ones: daughter, sister, aunt, niece, wife, and mother. Then there were the vocational ones, such as waitress, public school teacher, small business … Continued
In my 65 years on this Earth I soon discovered the truth in the old saying, “When I was a child, I spoke and acted as a self- centered child.” But, my adult age has taught me to put such childish self-centered actions forever behind me. As I matured, I discovered that my greatest personal happiness comes from helping … Continued
I was born many moons ago in Camden, NJ, but spent my childhood in CT, in a historic town, Simsbury, where my parents built our house in a former cow pasture. Definitely a Beaver Cleaver childhood. I was into art, crafts, raising chickens for egg money, 4H, and cheerleading. Went to U of Conn for BS in Physical Therapy, where I was photo editor … Continued
Being asked to put down my thoughts is a difficult task for a basically lazy person. At the beginning of life there’s a rush to get on with things. We race at high speed (making adults wish they could harness or even bottle that energy to draw on later). Then life kind of happens, and we deal with it as best … Continued
Thomas Malthus, the British demographer (1778) was one of my gurus early in college. It should be noted that a timeframe of his population projections was ambiguous. None-the-less, many years later, I personally felt noble and pragmatic as we adopted two kids; and then biological son Ben came along. What Judy and I never imagined: … Continued
“I need somebody.” Our three-year-old son David’s words barely penetrated the chatter of our beach party. “I neeeed somebody,” he cried again, much louder this time so that we all looked over in alarm to see what had happened. Sobbing, David pointed at the bonfire, where I saw his trousers lying, one pant leg already … Continued
A Senior Moment with Winky Sweet I don’t feel like a senior. I was caught flat at a Friendship Circle one time when I illustrated a point by saying, “remember ….” One person remembered, from childhood. The rest knew of it but with no memories. So maybe I am a senior, but I don’t feel … Continued
Everyone needs to know how to get along with each other. Conversations bring opportunities to listen and learn. So listen and try to understand. Enjoy life, your family, and associates. Recognize the beauty all around. Don’t fear death. It happens to us all, eventually. More and more of the people I know and love are … Continued
Looking for God in the Wrong Place Sharleenne Farley I was about ten years old when I concluded that God wasn’t going to answer my prayers. My parents divorced when I was seven. My sister, nine years older, figured out quicker than I, that our father wasn’t coming back home. No one seemed able to … Continued
