I was inspired by our last community circle held after service last month. I was grateful for the heartfelt sharing that afternoon. We discussed how congregants are
processing the recent chaos in the news. It was uplifting to hear about trusted news resources to turn to, websites and podcasts that offer hope, strategies for coping, just honest sharing, which we UU’s can be so good at.

I also wanted to share an article from a post called “Hold My Chalice”. It offered some practical advice for dealing with the anger and confusion some of us are feeling. This was inspired by an article by the sociologist Jennifer Walter. She wrote:
1) Set boundaries: Pick two-three key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can’t track everything -that’s by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.

2) Step down media intake – watching news too much? Listen. Listening too much?Read. Direct reports too much? Rely on the aggregators and experts. Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.

3) Practice going slow: Wait 48 hours before reacting. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context.

4) Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.

5) Attend to, as possible, spiritual practice. And allow a lot of grace for when that doesn’t work.

6) Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon. It’s not easy these days. But please hang on. We need you.
(Jennifer Walter, 2025)

I am grateful we have each other. I learn so much from each and every one of you. It is so comforting to know we have our strong bonds of friendship and community as we navigate the unknown in the days to come.

–Rev. Diane (She, Her)

May we be present in this time of darkness and light. May we hold one another in the quiet, may we do what we can to make sure everyone we love is warm and full of sustenance and hope and love.