BY CHRISTY A. CLAPPERUPDATED JULY 25, 2021 09:35 AM When our daughter was little she used to ask from the back seat of the car if we were, “closer to the front or the back” when making long trips. It meant, were we closer to our destination or closer to […]

Moving ‘Closer to the Front’ with Each Passing Second

BY MARY BOUTSELISJULY 04, 2021 07:00 AM My mother was a sturdy soul. She was of German descent, born and raised in a farming community in Michigan. Her motto was, “If anyone is still working, you don’t sit down.” When she came to visit us later in her life, she […]

Long Journey Presented New Opportunity to Meet Change and Loss

BY RHONDA STERNMAY 23, 2021 07:00 AM Experiencing a loss can leave us feeling lost — fragmented until we find ways to recreate our lives and to feel whole again. Creating through the arts can help us to find a source of energy within ourselves to help us be present […]

Learning to Live: How Creating Through the Arts Can Help ...

BY THE REV. CAROL THOMAS CISSELMAY 02, 2021 07:00 AM Tuesday, April 13 was an important anniversary. It marked one year and one month since my congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County (UUFCC) “left the building.” On March 13, 2020, my board of trustees, acting with strength, an […]

Learning to Live: After a Year of Change, Pandemic Continues ...

BY LEARNING TO LIVE STORYTELLERSFEBRUARY 28, 2021 07:00 AM The stage is empty. Typically, people would be gathering this month to hear a group of local individuals share stories from their lives at “The State of the Story: Learning to Live” event. For the past five years, the month of […]

Storytellers Reflect on Sharing Tales of Love, Loss and Transformation

BY RABBI DAVID E. OSTRICHJANUARY 24, 2021 07:00 AM There is a line in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Ernest” that presents one of the most frustrating aspects of reality. The governess, Miss Prism, is talking about a three-volume novel she once wrote. Her student, Cecily, is delighted. “How […]

Making Sense of Bad Things Happening to Good People

BY EVELYN WALDDECEMBER 27, 2020 07:00 AM I love winter! When I proclaim that to others they often respond, “really? I despise winter!” They point out how cold and dark and dreary it is in winter. My love for winter goes back to my childhood. When snow would appear, I’d […]

How ‘Wintering’ Can Help You Reflect and Explore

BY CHRISTIAN BRADYNOVEMBER 22, 2020 08:00 AM Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt adapted from the book “Beautiful and Terrible Things: A Christian Struggle with Suffering, Grief, and Hope” by Christian Brady published in September. Visit ChristianBrady.com for more information. Hope is the very substance of the means of our […]

A Christian Struggle with Suffering, Grief and Hope

BY LUCAS WOLFENOVEMBER 01, 2020 06:00 AM I used to tell people I lived a perfect life. I grew up in a warm home with a loving family. I went to good schools and earned decent grades. I played a bunch of sports and had some talent at all of […]

Community is the Cure to Depression