Sad way start to the day here. Krista's cat Morgan (at 11yrs, the youngest cat in the family), had a stroke yesterday and died at 6am this morning. We have pondered that in our family, we have more control over the health and death of our dogs. The cats do things on their time and in their way, very cat-ily independent. In the last 4 months, we have lost a dog (Tess) and 2 cats (Patches and Morgan. In the last couple of years we have gained new canine friends: Millie, Parsifal and Miracle. I hope to add our family history of pets to this website shortly.
Every day is precious, every day with a living being is a gift.

I have added two more sections to Ministry with Dogs (see menu on left): The Length and Breadth of Life and Opening Souls. They are my thoughts and insights that I have while interacting daily with these wonderful animals.

I have added a few sections to Ministry with Dogs and hope that you will read them (see menu on left): That's It and Being Displaced in February, and Thanks to Tess and A Matter of Approach today.

Life has so much to present each new day. And each day we implement the lessons of the past while gathering our own wisdom for living tomorrow. - Helen Zidowecki

I appreciate the gap in my writing. I have started using Facebook, but will continue to write longer items here. For example, after a wonderful, fun, relaxing Thanksgiving, I began writing notes of gratitude to people I don't see that often. But I also want to thank the animals in my life.

Tess (12yr. old pit bull): You have had to make so many adjustments, from living with us to going home and back to us again, loss of your dog buddies Donovan and Mahler, and then the arrival of Parsi. But your biggest challenge was probably the arrival of Millie. I was so happy that you were able to relax yesterday. Now we can include you in more of our activities. Thanks, nap-mate.

Parsi (10+yr. old golden): We are so glad that you came to live with us in January. We don't know about your life before getting to the shelter, but you obviously had to adjust to stairs and cats. I know that the cats really drive you crazy. That is a characteristic of cats - either ignore or torment dogs. And we get so much stretching from picking up the tennis balls that you have scattered all over the house. Sorry that Tess doesn't really let you play fetch, but you seem more interested in carrying them around than in chasing them so maybe her being possessive of the game itself is not a problem for you.

Millie (5yr. old pit bull, lives with Erik): You have come so far, Baby! When I met you at the shelter over a year ago, you were shy, and walked between my legs! It was so much fun yesterday to see you at the dog park and on the beach. You were a very good hostess. Am glad that you like the other dogs, and that you are so low-key with Tess. Thanks.

Kira (apx. 15+ yr. old cockatiel): Thanks for keeping all of us straight. We love whistling and talking with you. And we like listening to your bird sounds and music. Love your interacting with Dick - I think he really likes this.

And now the cats (Bear, Maggie, Morgan in Litchfield; and Patches and Shadow in Ocean Park): We have had so many various interactions, changes of locations and health ups and downs. And think of how many dogs you have had to control over the years. Keep purring!

I cannot recount all the things I have learned from all of you. Thanks for your gifts and being an active part of our lives.

As we had previously noted, we lost Lady in February, and are sad to say that we lost Mahler, the golden retriever and the spirit behind Dawg Notes, in May. Therefore, Donovan and Tess, the remaining Dawgs, decided to discontinue Dawg Notes. Please see their last notation. The 9 years of Notes will remain on the site.

A new addition will be Ministry With Dawgs. - starting soon.

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