March 4, 2026

“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other–not in pity or patronizingly,
but as human beings who have learnt how to turn
our common suffering into hope for the future.”
~Nelson Mandela

Beloveds,

One of the wise people in my life recently reflected to me that I am feeling anxious. They’re right, and there are a number of factors both close and very far away contributing to this week’s version of anxiety. And I’m accustomed to recognizing my anxiety and inviting it to step back and give me some breathing space. 

Recently, I’ve begun to feel that we (people alive right now) are most closely bound by our anxieties; there is certainly plenty in our world and the unfolding of our leaders’ actions to induce anxiety. It’s not hard to see how anxiety and fearful concern bind us together, AND I wonder what possibilities might arise if we choose to turn our attention to the human compassion and hope that Nelson Mandela suggests can be alchemized in the service of a better future. Perhaps we are (or could become) more connected by our hopes than by our fears.

Yours in noticing our humanity and our hope,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org