Making A UU Home

Whether they grew up as Unitarian Universalists or found the church as adults, many UU parents sometimes struggle to create a religious home-life for their kids.  Faced with a great diversity of practice and theology, and often reluctant to "stamp our minds upon the young" (in the words of William Ellery Channing), parents must get creative to provide an environment in which their children can grow spiritually.

Reverend Phillip Lund, Lifespan Program Director of the Prairie Star District of the Unitarian Universalist Association, has written up some thoughts about this here: "What Does a Unitarian Universalist Home Look Like?"  One of the things Rev. Lund suggests is to take the opportunity to bring to life our connections to the six sources of Unitarian Universalism.  

One idea is to select a source (for example, the first source is: "Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life") and walk through your home with your kids looking for objects in your home that remind you all of that particular source.  Talk with your kids about what is meant by these words.  Have you had direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder?  Talk to your kids about it.  Ask them about their own experiences.  Help your kids find new language for this idea.  Was there a time in your life or theirs when the mystery or beauty of the world made a particular impression?  Spend some time with them remembering moments that made them or you especially joyful.  Create a bedtime ritual of remembering together the best part of the past day.  

Is there a way that you have found to bring Unitarian Universalism into your home?