February 2022 - Melinda Wood Allen

February 1, 2022

“Black history isn’t a separate history. This is all of our history, this is American history, and we need to understand that. It has such an impact on kids and their values and how they view black people.”

– Karyn Parsons

February 7, 2022

“Won’t it be wonderful when black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history.” – Maya Angelou

“Darkness can not drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

February 9, 2022

The degree to which I love myself—

Is the degree to which I can love the world.

The ways in which I limit love for myself

Are the ways I limit my ability to fully love the world.

~ MW Allen

February 10, 2022

“Won’t it be wonderful when black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history.” – Maya Angelou

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.”

– Ijoema Oluo

February 12, 2022

Engrave this upon your heart: there isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you’ve heard their story.

— Mary Lou Kownacki : Monasteries Of The Heart

February 14, 2022

Hurt people hurt people. That’s how pain patterns get passed on,

generation after generation after generation.

Break that chain today.

Meet anger with sympathy, contempt with compassion, cruelty with kindness.

Greet grimaces with smiles. Forgive and forget about finding fault.

Love is the weapon of the future.

— Rabbi Yehuda Berg

February 16, 2022

“Won’t it be wonderful when black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history.”

– Maya Angelou

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

– Nelson Mandela

February 20, 2022

February 28, 2022

Love Will Show the Way

Russia has waged War on Ukraine, and violated the peace, the will and the and sovereignty of the people of both countries.

As a spiritual leader, my first reaction to this terrible news of is pretty much like everyone’s: Shock, followed by terrible grief, then a mix of fear, anger, deep sadness, and even a moment (or an hour, or a day) of despair and hopelessness. But hopelessness easily becomes a reason not to do anything; we can’t stay there–hope is necessary.

So what then? We pray. What? Just like in any other circumstance: we pray love. We send love, breathe love, embody love, and act in love. Love is an intention and an energy. It’s a real thing—a noun…it’s also a verb.

How do we pray love? One way is to spend time and attention in silence, in grief, in solidarity with the Ukrainian as well as the Russian people. Just at a time when our strongest instinct might be to distract or avoid, we instead focus our love, our compassion, our awareness that at depth we are One.

We refuse to give anyone our hatred, or give in to fear. We pray in absolute faith that when enough of us relinquish hate and fear, and remain ONLY in love, there will no longer be war. We know war is impossible in the face of love.

In this time of war, we focus on love, cultivate it within ourselves, speak it to one another, and will that power and energy to infiltrate the minds of all people…

Then, and only then, we ask ourselves what else can I DO? We sit with the question andlisten to the answers, look to our resources and abilities. We don’t accept “nothing” as an answer. We take a step, small or large. None of us alone can solve all war, but as we cultivate love in Oneness, make no mistake, we do increase the peace. As we take every opportunity to practice kindness, we all grow in love.

This is my prayer and my fervent hope for ALL of us in every country…. that we each do what we can, now… in love.

~Rev. Melinda Wood Allen