Mindfulness- Not Stealing and Gratitude

Dear UU Parents and Guardians,

It would be lovely if you could join us for our weekly gatherings!

Here is what is currently being offered:

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! UU movie night!
 'UP', a Pixar film, for youngsters and oldsters and in-betweensters!  ZOOM showing starting at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.  Please share this with others.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2673381302940376/

*Sunday School *
Approximately: 30 minute program geared towards K-5 but open to all ages
Sundays at 11am
Please Email Me for the Link
Shelly is leading this Sunday the 21st and asks that you bring a toilet paper roll to do the activity! 
This summer you will find: Drag Queen Story Hour, Yoga with Maggie, and the
Pioneers Park Nature Center as well as guests from our very own UU
volunteer pool of caring adults. Each week is something different!

*Middle and HS Zoom *
*CHANGE!* We are now combining with Omaha youth groups and this will be
offered *Wednesday* nights 7-8:30pm
Come meet some other cool UUs!
Please Email Me for the Link

*Parent and Guardian Chat: *
The chance for parents and guardians to just get together and
Every other Thursday 8pm and every other Wednesday noon

Thursday the 25th at 8pm
      Link: https://zoom.us/j/866583131     Password: lovemykids
 Wednesday July 1st at noon
      Link: https://zoom.us/j/474526337     Password: lovemykids

*New Youtube links for this week!*

Music with Miss Molly:   https://youtu.be/rLVmAEp1JI4  
Story with Miss Heather:  https://youtu.be/JpuZPtoKo-4

*Chelsea's Meditation*: https://youtu.be/yTkUkn3DhJ0

The meditation lessons which I am doing are geared towards K-5th graders,
but everyone is welcome to them.

The theme for my lesson this week was: Not stealing, and gratitude
I read the book: Zen Shorts: 'Uncle Ry and the Moon' 

Reflection:
When I was about 14 years old, I was on a trip to a church conference with a few of my friends and my mom. I had been on a weird kick of stealing those little table signs from restaurants. You know - the ones that say: "Pancakes - All You Can Eat Mondays 6-7pm!" I went through a few weird phases. I kept them on my dresser. There was really no reason for stealing these and collecting them besides I thought it was funny. We had stopped at a Cracker Barrel. They didn't have one of the table signs, but they did have a small ceramic dish full of sugar. I put it in my purse. When we got to the van and were cruising along the highway again, I showed my friends. My mom overheard. "Okay - the next Cracker Barrel we find you are going to take that back and apologize!" I couldn't understand. "They probably cost 25 cents! No one will miss it!" However, my mom wanted to make the point that it really didn't matter the worth or value of something, it was that stealing is not right. We stopped at the next Cracker Barrel. I apologized. The host looked at me like I was crazy, "These probably cost like 25 cents", she said. However, I understood what my mom was trying to teach me. To this day, I will remember this story whenever seeing any of those little signs or sugar dishes at restaurants. I'm grateful for a mother, however much embarassing, who taught me the value of having morals. 
​
Thoughts from Sumi Loundon Kim:

Living together brings up fundamental questions about what is ours and what is shared, not only in terms of possessions, but also in terms of space and time. Of course, we parents are constantly reinforcing lessons around sharing with our children. For example, some families ask the birthday child to give a present to their siblings on that special day, even as they receive many presents themselves. Others may ask the kids to cut a dessert in half themselves and then give the larger piece to their sibling (This results in hairsplitting, precise techniques for cutting said dessert!)
We also look at our own behaviors around sharing and negotiating time and space as we model such behaviors for our children. 
We can also provide leadership in our family by regularly expressing gratitude for what we have in our lives, including our own family members. Verbalizing what we are grateful for helps the children appreciate all that they have. Expressing gratitude for simple things like access to clean water, food, and the local public library helps children become attuned to the abundance in their lives. In time, this will reduce the feeling of insufficiency that is constantly marketed to us through advertising....It is important however not to amplify any feelings of pity or superiority that might come from noticing the abundance in our lives in relation to others. Instead, reinforce the messages that with all that we have we are in a strong position to help others, and that real happiness doesn't come from what we own, but from what we share. 

*Discussion Questions for the Week*:
1. Have you ever taken something that wasn't yours? How did you feel about it then? And now?
2. How does the culture around you promote overconsumption? Do you think consuming more than is needed is a form of stealing or not?
3. What states of mind lead to the act of stealing?
4. What are you grateful for in your life? 
5. When you touch that gratitude, do you find you want more or do you feel satisfied with what you have?
6. What practices of sharing and ownling do you have in your family? How do you negotiate ownership?