Music: Sun Sep 13

 

Solo Piano Music for Ingathering Service of 9/13/20

 

Shining Waters of Joy & Happiness: Adam Kent, piano
“La marchande d’eau fraîche ” From Histoires (The Fresh-Water Seller Lady)

            Jacques Ibert

 

The French Impressionist composer Jacques Ibert included this invigorating, playful work in collection of piano works called Histoires, or “Stories,” popular among piano students for generations.

 

Stormy Waters of Grief & Sadness:

“De Profundis” from Sea Pieces, Op. 55

            Edward MacDowell

 

Edward MacDowell, one of the leading composers of the so-called Second New England School, was one of the U.S.’s first great composers of classical music.

 

Rushing Waters of Change & Transition:

“At Sea” from Poems of the Sea

            Ernst Bloch

In this breathless piece, the waters never seem to cease their roiling tumult, as their submerge snatches of a barely discernible melody.

 

Still Waters of Rest & Renewal:
“Au lac de Wallenstadt” from Années de Pèlerinage, Première Année “Suisse”

            Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt (played with debonaire charm by our own Chris Force at a Music at CUUC concert last season) memorialized his travels in a collection of piano pieces he called “Years of Pilgrimage.” His gentle homage to Wallenstadt Lake is included in his so-called “Swiss Year.”

 

Postlude:
Deep River

            Traditional African-American Spiritual arr. by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

 

 

 

Minister's Post, Sun Sep 6

My dear companions on our faith path,

These are our times.

Covid-19 deaths continue.
Worldwide: During the week Aug 28 - Sep 3, an average of 5,367 people died of the disease per day. That's down from the mid-April peak of 7,051 per day (7-day average). The death rate fell until early June, then rose again reaching 5,891 per day (7-day average) on Aug 13. So it's slowly coming back down. The total deaths so far? We know of 874,442. At the current rate, we will pass 1 million deaths by Sep 28. But the reporting is incomplete. In actuality, we have almost certainly already surpassed 1 million deaths.

US: This week, an average of 898 per day people died of Covid-19. The peak was mid-April when we were losing 2,256 lives a day (7-day average). The death rate dropped steadily until the week ending July 5, when 519 people died a day (average for the week). The death rate then climbed to 1,177 deaths per day for the week ending Aug 4. Since then, it's been slowly coming down. At the current rate, the US will pass 200,000 total deaths from Covid-19 about Sep 14.

The US numbers also underestimate. In fact, the US probably was already at 219,000 Coronavirus deaths by Jul 25. From Mar 1 to Jul 25 (21 weeks), total US deaths from all causes were 219,000 above the CDC's expected deaths for that period. This number of above-expected deaths represents an almost 20% increase in deaths. In other words, for every five people that we would normally have expected to lose in the US from Mar 1 to Jul 25, there was a sixth death due to the pandemic.

If we use the reported numbers as of this writing -- 191,151 US deaths and 874,442 worldwide deaths -- then the US, which accounts for 4% of the world's population, accounts for over 21% of the world's Covid-19 deaths.

Depression. A new report out this week corroborates evidence of the pandemic's effect on depression rates. The survey, conducted between Mar 31 and Apr 13, found that 28% of respondants reported depressive symptoms -- compared to 9% who reported depressive symptoms in surveys before the pandemic. Another study looked at the last week of June and also found that reports of depression and anxiety were three times higher than the same time a year before. The increase in depression appears to come from three factors: Covid itself, fear and anxiety about Covid, and the stresses of the dramatic economic consequences from the pandemic.

These are tough times. Be of good cheer, dear ones. Call me if you'd like to talk. I'm here.

Yours,
Meredith



Practice of the Week: Observe, Even If It Costs You Everything

Religious Education: September 3-10, 2020

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Religious Education & Faith Development Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains September 3, 2020   We edited our newsletter lists for new classes this year and will soon resume sending individual newsletters for each class. Family/grade lists will advance automatically next year. Past RE volunteers are welcome join class lists even if you aren't leading RE this fall. Weekly newsletters are also posted on the CUUC blog, online here. Click HERE for the Fall 2020 RE Schedule   The 2020-2021 theme for Religious Education (RE) is JUSTICE & EQUITY, to support our young people in understanding justice issues, finding their voice, and engaging in faith in action. And we are deepening our partnership with CUUC Social Justice teams!  September-December the K-4th grade RE class is collaborating with the Hunger & Homelessness team, the 5th-7th grade RE class is collaborating with our UU the Vote team, and the 8th-12th grade RE class is collaborating with the Racial Justice/In The Spirit of Truth team. Teams have been busy planning! Fall RE classes meet online after Sunday worship, the K-4th and 8th-12th grade classes meeting 7 times, and the 5th-7th grade class now meeting 9 times so they can get a jump on their faith in action project and share it before the November election. Click HERE for the updated schedule.  NEW!  Support for adults having conversations with young people about our three fall justice topics. We will share ideas for discussing democratic participation, hunger and homelessness, and racism and racial justice as faith and justice issues. These will be held Sundays during the 1:30pm Adult RE hour; dates will be posted on the Fall schedule.  Plans for Spring 2021 RE are not yet set. We hope to be able to meet in person so we can offer Our Whole Lives (OWL) for 5th-6th grade, 7th-9th grade, and the Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators curriculum, as well as other Sunday RE classes. We hold the safety of our community as our highest priority and will review conditions later this fall in collaboration with our Reopening Planning Committee. Click HERE for the Fall 2020 Schedule! NURTURING COMMUNITY Tonight / Thursday Children's Story Time  Barbara Mair resumed hosting Thursday evening children's story time, alternating reading with children would would like a turn. This week, Barbara will continue reading "The Saturdays" by Elizabeth Enright. Click HERE for a description of the story and coloring sheets.  Next week, September 10th, Jonathan will read "A Dog's Porpoise" by M.C. Ross.    Join Us Thursdays, 7:15pm Room 4635 | Zoom Mtg ID 602 164 635 & Pswd 468468 CUUC Fun Day Join us for CUUC Fun Day Saturday September 12th, 12:00-3:00pm, conditions permitting. Our rain date is Sunday, September 13th, time tba. We will be outside, wearing masks and spreading out for tie-dyeing, rock painting, frisbee and catch, scavenger hunt, trail tours, bird watching and more! Bring your picnic lunch and lawn chairs or a blanket. Watch the newsletters closer to the date for confirmation that it is safe for us to hold this event.  Do you have an outdoor canopy we can borrow for the event? Contact Tracy (cuucwpTracy@gmail.com)   FAITH IN ACTION UU 7th Principle Citizen Science Project PlaceKeeping Practice Community Service Project We are looking for individuals, teams, or families to adopt sections of the pathways around CUUC to observe and tend as we honor our interdependent web of existence. This is a great service and learning opportunity for children and youth! Contact Bice Wilson for details (bicewilson@gmail.com).  Supporting Local Families Experiencing Food Insecurity The CUUC Hunger and Homelessness team and the Brunch Committee continue partnering with the HOPE Community Services soup kitchen to provide support for local families experiencing food insecurity. The need is great! Our CUUC team has been making weekly deliveries of dinner trays and lunch items that are prepared by our volunteers. You can help by making a financial donation for ingredients and supplies. With just $100 we can feed 200 people! Any donation is helpful. You can contribute by clicking the Donate button on our website, selecting "Other" and typing "Meals for HOPE" or by sending a check to CUUC with “Meals for HOPE” in the memo line. Contact Nicole Turygin (nturygin@gmail.com) and Steve Miller (obitsman@gmail.com) for more information.  Religious Education & Social Justice The 2020-2021 RE theme is Justice & Equity. Our 8th-12th grade youth will partner with the In The Spirit of Truth/Racial Justice team all fall for learning and faith in action. To understand current movements for racial justice, we need to understand our country's history. Summer is a great time to read the 1619 Project materials! Links to the individual essays on The New York Times website can be found at the bottom of their article "Why We Published the 1619 Project." Find a link to The New York Times Magazine: The 1619 Project HERE. Read about CUUC's approach HERE. Join us Sunday, September 13th at 4:00 pm via Zoom for discussion about Linda Villarosa's essay, "Medical Inequality." We will also discuss an essay that the same author (click here) published in April 2020 on Covid-19 and the toll it has taken in the African American community. Zoom information will be available a few days before the session. STAY CONNECTED & INFORMED Click HERE for activity resources. 2020 Journey Groups begin meeting this month and are open to new members. Visit our website for information. Visit our Event Calendar for information about groups meeting online. Check the Online Programming Schedule and CUUC calendar for Zoom room information. Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains   468 Rosedale Ave · White Plains, NY 10605-5419

Observe, Even If It Costs You Everything

Practice of the Week
Observe, Even If It Costs You Everything

Category: Slogans to Live By: Carry these reminders at all times. These practices don't require setting aside a separate substantial chunk of time -- but they will slow you down a bit (and that's a good thing.) Resolve to get stronger at living by these slogans, day by day. Sometimes make one of them the focus of your daily journaling.

from Training in Compassion
Norman Fischer, adapted

“Observe, even if it costs you everything.” Traditionally, this refers to observing your religious commitments no matter what the cost – keeping the faith-related vows you have taken.

In Buddhism, the two primary commitments are “The Three Refuges” (taking refuge in Buddha as your teacher, Dharma as your teaching, and Sangha as your community), and "The Four Bodhisattva Vows" (the necessarily impossible tasks of saving all beings, overcoming all delusions, mastering all positive practices, and becoming the practice, through and through). In a wider sense, the Three Refuges mean committing yourself to the possibility of spiritual awakening, to the path of awakening, and to the community of all beings within which your awakening unfolds. The Bodhisattva vows -- all very lofty and idealistic commitments, indeed -- define the horizon of what we may aspire to, in the most noble and uplifting version of our lives.

Whatever your vows, this slogan is a reminder to observe them – stick to them – no matter what.

We may also think of the word “observe” in a more open sense as simply to pay attention. All vows are included in this one commitment: to be committed to paying attention to our lives, to being honest about what is going on and unflinchingly realistic about how we are behaving and thinking. The heart of mind training is here: don’t go to sleep, don’t deny, don’t make excuses, don’t blame anyone, done wish for something else. Live your life with your eyes and heart wide-open. No matter what.

"Observe These Two, Even at the Risk of Your Life"
Judith Lief, adapted

The two primary commitments one makes on the spiritual path are to work on oneself and to help other beings. These two vows provide fundamental guidelines for how to approach your practice and your daily life.

You can take religious vows in a formal, cermonial setting, but the main commitment takes place in your heart. If there's a formal ceremony, it is only an acknowledgment of the pledge you have already made.

For Buddhists, the "Three Refuges" vow is a promise to honor and respect the Buddha, to study and to practice the teachings of Buddhism, and to work with the sangha, or community of practitioners. On an inner level, you make a commitment to awakening, to cultivating knowledge, and to connecting with fellow seekers of wisdom and knowledge. The Bodhisattva Vows are a dedication of one's life to the welfare of all beings. It's a commitment to develop the wisdom, compassion, and skillful means to be of real benefit to the world.

We don’t take many vows, but when we do, we need to take them seriously. They need to be woven into the fabric of your life. And you do not just take such vows once, but you do so repeatedly. In that way, you place everything you do in the context of these two simple but profound underpinnings: working on oneself and helping others.

Practice: What would change if you took seriously the two principles of working on yourself and helping others as the measure of your actions? How committed are you to yourself or to others?

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PRACTICES INDEX