We are sad today. Lady died this morning. She came to live with us from the Shelter in September 2008. We never did know how old she was, but we think that she was older than either of us, or at least 13 years old. She had a certain dignity about her, like she had seen the world. But she rarely pushed herself on us.

We know that she was not feeling well. Helen was giving her extra attention in a way that showed that she was concerned. Helen even told us that Lady was quite sick and that she would not be coming back from the doctor's this morning. We gave Helen extra attention when she came home without Lady. It is hard on people, too.

Lady, we will miss you. Glad that you were part of our lives. We cannot imitate your dignity - it is just not part of our nature. But it was nice to see. Thanks.

Mahler (golden retriever, 10yrs.), Donovan (retriever/shepherd, 11 yrs.)

A time for reflection, a time for projection.
A time to remember, as the year changes, that today is the time that is truly ours, molded by the past and molding the future.
Have a good New Years.
(And please see the Dawg Notes updates. They get impatient when I do not get their notes up!)

On November 3, 2009, Maine voters overturned the law allowing Same Sex Marriage in Maine. The law had been passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. Then came the People's Referendum, or the provision that with the signatures of enough voters, legislation that had been passed could be brought to voters in a referendum. A majority of voters voted "Yes" to overturn the new law, leaving marriage as a heterosexual institution, and denying the privilege, rights and responsibilities of marriage all others.

The Unitarian Universalists in Maine were very active in the development of the legislation and equally involved in the vote "No on One" campaign to overturn the new law. We want to honor and acknowledge individual and congregational work on behalf of Same Sex Marriage, especially in this campaign. Following is a compilation of responses to the invitation to share individual and congregational action around the Referendum. I look forward to receiving additional notations (hzmre@hzmre.com) Rev. Helen Zidowecki, Compiler

Please see:
*MAINE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS AND THE SAME SEX MARRIAGE REFERENDUM, November 2009

We have been working on updating things on this site. There are three major sections that have been updated:

Small Group Ministry, with the addition of session plans, including a directory with search capacity by topic and target audience.
Welcoming Congregation, with revised material that will be moving to the Northern New England District (Unitarian Universalist Association) website.
Resources: Catalog, with update of UU Religious Education resources from 1930 to present, with older materials being on the UU Religious Education History site (www.uurehistory.org) These catalogs have sort capability.

Hope that you find the changes to be more accessible. Your comments are welcome. Helen Zidowecki (hzmre@hzmre.com).

"The universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn or Human or Centauri or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust. It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us and the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. The small, still voice that says: 'We are one. No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the world, no matter the star. .. We are one. No matter the pain, no matter the darkness, no matter the loss, no matter the fear. .. We are one.' Here, gathered together in common cause, we begin to realize this singular truth and this singular rule that we must be kind to one another. Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light our way to a better future. We are one." - G'Kar: "The Paragon of Animals

"If I take a lamp and shine it towards the wall, a bright spot will appear on the wall. The lamp is our search for truth, for understanding. To often we assume the light on the wall is God. But the light is not the goal of the search, it is the result of the search. The more intense the search, the brighter the light on the wall. The brighter the light on the wall, the greater the revelation upon seeing it. Similarly, someone who does not search, who does not bring a lantern with him, sees nothing. What we perceive as God is the by-product of our search for God. It may simply be an appreciation of the light, pure and unblemished, not understanding that it comes from us. Sometimes, we stand in front of the light and assume we are the center of the universe: God looks astonishingly like we do. Or we turn to look at our shadow and assume all is darkness. If we allow ourselves to get in the way, we defeat the purpose, which is to use the light of our search to illuminate the wall in all its beauty and all it flaws. And in so doing better understand the world around us." - G'Kar: Meditations on the Abyss