The Courage to Search the Heart

The Courage to Search the Heart© Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 2, 2022     It was 25 years ago now:  one of the earliest school shootings that I remember hearing of, at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky. This was even before the...

To Transcend Ourselves

To Transcend Ourselves Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church September 18, 2022     She was an unsuccessful author, and was drinking more and more, and struggling to stay afloat. On weekends she would sometimes visit a flea market near her...

All of Life Depends on Water

All of Life Depends on Water © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church September 11, 2022   All of life depends on water.   This summer has been a challenging one for those of us who garden, and my heart goes out to all those who farm, who rely...

The Sound of Water on Stone

The Sound of Water on Stone © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church August 21, 2022   Last winter, in preparing to set forth on my recent sabbatical, I set a number of goals for myself. This can be risky: I wasn’t confident that I would succeed in achieving most...

Returning to the Well

Returning to the Well Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church August 14, 2022   It’s a steep climb, up the hill known as Dun I on the Isle of Iona in Scotland. To get to the base of the hill, you open a farmer’s gate, cross a pasture dotted...

Blessings from a Small Island

Blessings from a Small Island Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church August 7, 2022     It’s a tiny island, the Isle of Iona. To reach it, off the coast of Scotland, a pilgrim has to take a train, a bus, and two ferries. But pilgrimages are supposed to be...