A MOTHER’S DAY MEDITATION James Ishmael Ford 11 May 2014 First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island While preparing for this homily, for those of us not up on preacher lingo, a homily is a short sermon, I ran across a poem by Rhona McAdam, The Boston School of Cooking Cookbook. Here’s how it goes: “This is my mother’s cookbook, its spine loose/with age, the fabric bare of colour at the seams/and weak, so it must be held tenderly, the way/my... Read more

FOR ALL Ah to be alive on a mid-September morn fording a stream barefoot, pants rolled up, holding boots, pack on, sunshine, ice in the shallows, northern rockies. Rustle and shimmer of icy creek waters stones turn underfoot, small and hard as toes cold nose dripping singing inside creek music, heart music, smell of sun on gravel. I pledge allegiance I pledge allegiance to the soil of Turtle Island, and to the beings who thereon dwell one ecosystem in diversity... Read more

It was on this day in 1824 that the maestro Michael Umlauf conducted the world premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. At the end Beethoven had to be turned around to see the standing and wild ovation for his creation, one of those moments that have justified the very existence of humanity… Read more

It was on this day in 1536 that Henry VIII ordered an English language Bible be made available in every church in his realm. The vernacular Bible was, of course, a central feature of the reformation sweeping across so much of Europe. Today I’m in the midst of a clergy “retreat” (Please forgive the quotes, it is hard for me to consider anything that does not involve nine or ten hours of meditation in a day a retreat). The theme... Read more

There’s a t-shirt that is popular in Rhode Island. It displays an outline of Texas, inside is an outline of Rhode Island looking very small. The caption reads “Don’t Mess With Rhode Island, Either.” Tired of the wrangling going on with the continental congress, it was on on this day in 1776 that Rhode Island declared itself independent of the United Kingdom. Two months later the united colonies followed Rhode Island’s lead. Later it would be the last state in... Read more

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On the 28th day of the fourth lunar month in 1253 by our common reckoning the Japanese Buddhist monk Nichiren had his realization that the Lotus Sutra was the epitome of all Buddhist teachings and that calling upon the title of the Sutra alone can bring about liberation. A major school of Japanese Buddhism today with numerous sub schools, thanks to the ministrations of the particularly aggressive evangelism of the lay Soka Gakkai in the 1970s this would be the... Read more

THE SCHOOL OF LOVE A Meditation by Gwendolyn Howard and James Ishmael Ford 27 April 2014 First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame Song of Solomon Gwendolyn A few days ago, a friend of mine and I got together for coffee. My friend (let’s call him... Read more

Ah! It was on this day in 1792 that Claude Joseph Rougel de Lisle composed La Marseillaise. Which I find sufficient reason to post one of the great scenes of movie history… Read more

It was today in 1800 that President John Adams signed legislation authorizing $5,000 to create a library for the Congress. Much of this would be lost in the War of 1812 and restarted with the 1815 purchase of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library. Today the Library of Congress is one of America’s treasures, with over twenty-three million catalogued volumes, some thirteen million monographs and other printed materials, and another hundred and twenty thousand items in special collections. It is second in... Read more