[Fuusm-l] Daily Meditation Offering - Friday Nov. 27, 2020

[revkat at suddenlinkmail.com]

FRIDAY  NOV. 27  	Buy Nothing Day - Black Friday
Song:  We Give Thanks	-Wendy Luella Perkins UU- Singing the Journey
*Video can be found on FUUSM FaceBook

Reading - Grace from Earth Prayers, ed. by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon  (p. 314).

O sacred season of Autumn, be my teacher, for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment.
As I gaze upon your full-colored beauty, I sense all about you 
an at-homeness with your amber riches.

You are the season of retirement, of full barns and harvested fields.
The cycle of growth has ceased, and the busy work of giving life is now completed.
I sense in you no regrets:  you’ve lived a full life.

I live in a society that is ever-restless, always eager for more mountains to climb,
seeking happiness through more and more possessions.
As a child of my culture,  I am seldom truly at peace with what I have.
Teach me to take stock of what I have given and received,
may I know that it’s enough, that my striving can cease in the abundance of Earth’s grace.
May I know the contentment that allows the totality of my energies to come to full flower.
May I know that like you I am rich beyond measure.

As you, O Autumn, take pleasure in your great bounty, let me also take delight
in the abundance of the simple things in life which are the true source of joy
With the golden glow of peaceful contentment may I truly appreciate this autumn day.
-Edward Hays








RECIPES
recommended by the UU Ministry for Earth -Plant-based Community Meal from  Minimalist Baker

Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Tip #1: Start with a sauce comprised of spices (such as shawarma spice blend* and harissa*), a little oil, maple syrup, and salt. The result is a flavor-packed marinade of sorts that’s perfect for lathering all over your cauliflower.
Tip #2: Flip your cauliflower upside down to let the sauce pour down the core, shake it around so it infuses the center, and then flip the cauliflower over and use a brush to rub the leftover sauce all over the exterior.
Tip #3: Add just a pinch more spice and salt to the exterior for even more flavor.
Tip #4: Place a pan with water on the bottom of your oven while baking (400 degrees) so the cauliflower steams and gets softer faster.  (35-50 minutes, depending on the size of the cauliflower.) It doesn’t make the cauliflower soggy as long as you don’t over-bake – just perfectly tender all the way to the core. (A tip we borrowed from NYT.)
Tip #5: Turn the oven to broil the last 2-4 minutes to get a browned outer edge.


Vegan Lentil Nut “Meatloaf”   
The base for this loaf is cooked sweet potatoes, mushrooms, lentils, nuts (we went for walnuts and pecans), and fresh thyme. Tomato paste adds moisture and hearty flavor, coconut aminos or Worcestershire add that “umami” effect, and salt & pepper help round everything out. All that’s left is to stir in some gluten-free bread crumbs for texture and transfer to a loaf pan!

MUSHROOMS
1 tsp coconut or avocado oil (if avoiding oil, sub water)
3 heaping cups thinly sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms
1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper
1 1/2 TBS coconut aminos or vegan Worcestershire sauce 
		(ensure vegan and gluten-free friendly)
SWEET POTATO
1 TBSp coconut or avocado oil
2 cups sliced and peeled sweet potato (1/4-inch rounds)
THE REST
2 cups raw nuts or seeds (we prefer a mix of walnuts and pecans // optional: toast in a 350 degree F / 176 C for 10-15 minutes until golden brown before adding to mixture for more flavor)
2 TBSp fresh thyme (or sub dried)
2 cups cooked brown or green lentils (rinsed & well drained / use canned to save time)
1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more to taste) 
4 TBSp tomato paste
2 TBSp coconut aminos or vegan Worcestershire sauce (vegan and gluten-free friendly as needed)
1/2 Cup gluten-free bread crumbs  (If not gluten-free, use regular breadcrumbs)
GLAZE optional:  1/2 cup ketchup.
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a standard loaf pan (or 8x8-inch baking pan) with parchment paper. Set aside.
Heat a large cast-iron or metal skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil and mushrooms and season with a pinch each salt and pepper and the coconut aminos or vegan Worcestershire. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 5-8 minutes or until caramelized. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat another large cast-iron or metal skillet (or use the same one as you cooked the mushrooms in) over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and arrange sweet potatoes in as even of a layer as possible. Then cover and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown on the underside. Flip, add 3 Tbsp (45 ml) water, and cover. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until tender and browned (but not mushy). Set aside uncovered to cool slightly.

To a large (at least 7-cup) food processor, add nuts and pulse a few times into a loose meal. Then add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and thyme, and pulse to combine. Lastly, add lentils, salt, and pepper and pulse to loosely combine but be careful not to purée.

Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and add tomato paste and coconut aminos or vegan Worcestershire and stir until a loose dough forms. Then add bread crumbs (a little at a time -we used all of the recommended amount) until a thick dough forms. If for some reason it’s crumbly (which may happen depending on the texture of your lentils), scoop half of the mixture back into the food processor and pulse until it’s more finely puréed and then return back to the bowl and stir with the remaining mixture. If for some reason it’s too wet, add more bread crumbs as needed.

Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more tomato paste for added moisture / tomato flavor, coconut aminos or vegan Worcestershire for depth of flavor, salt for saltiness, or thyme to taste.

Transfer the mixture to the parchment-lined loaf pan, spread, and press into an even layer (to avoid a crumbly loaf, tap pan on counter to settle the mixture and place parchment paper on top and press down firmly with a drinking glass or flat bottomed object to pack it well). Then add ketchup glaze (optional but adds plenty of flavor) and spread into an even layer. If not using the glaze, brush the top with a little oil to help the loaf retain moisture.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and slightly dry to the touch. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes in the pan. Then gently remove and carefully slice and serve.
Leftovers keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.



LESSONS
from The 8 Guidelines for Equity and Inclusion – Visions, Inc. 
“It's OK to disagree” assumes that disagreement is not only inevitable but can help individuals and groups produce better outcomes. By acknowledging what we have in common and by recognizing, understanding, and appreciating what is different between us, individuals and groups can shift the pressure to “be”, “think”, or “act” the same into permission to generate all possible ideas and strategies. This guideline assumes we can disagree and still stay connected and do great work. 

TRIBUTE
Rev. Hope Johnson is struggling for breath in a NY hospital.
She served as a Congregational Life Consultant for our UUA- Central East Region.
In an interview in 2018 she reflected on ministry, upon being honored as Minister Emerita.

What do you feel have been the important successes in your ministry? 
Introducing my congregation, our neighbors of all faiths including Unitarian Universalism and the larger community, to Juneteenth which commemorates the emancipation from slavery in Texas on June 19th, 1865. We’ve commemorated Juneteenth since my first year at UUCCN. It has grown from a small worship service (why are a bunch of white people commemorating Juneteenth?) to a big event with a special program, a robust and scrumptious catered meal—southern style—and an opportunity to tell a more honest rendition of history. This was a portal to my work in identifying and dismantling racism.

Partnering with others on important initiatives including engaging and supporting social justice initiatives—including the right to water for all—nationally and internationally.

Encouraging UUCCN to become a Welcoming Congregation, and a hospitable one.  


DARKNESS and LIGHT: Updated Personal Perspectives
Dark Light	By Hope Johnson	October 12, 2020
I’ve been thinking a lot about how tired I am of hearing words that include black, dark, and more, used in a negative way even as we proclaim that Black Lives Matter. How much time and effort do we give to contextualizing our use of those words that have the power to turn them into phrases that truly spread the words into only negative ones?
Let’s look at the word “Dark”
Meaning:  dark
Synonyms:  dark, night, dusk, gloom, dimness, shadows, shade
As I reflect on the negative definitions of darkness I am struck by how easy it is to internalize them in many different ways.
For example, as the season turns from autumn to winter, I find myself gearing up psychologically for a season of cold. I still hate to leave the warmth for the cold. I am not excited about leaving the joy of sheltering in place in the warmth of my comfortable home.

May I now invite you to join with me as I explore words penned by UU Educator, and so much more, Jacqui James—one of my mentors?

DARK and LIGHT, LIGHT and DARK
Blackmail, blacklist, black mark. Black Monday, black mood, black-hearted. Black plague, black mass, black market.
Good guys wear white, bad guys wear black. We fear black cats, and the Dark Continent. But it's okay to tell a white lie, lily-white hands are coveted, it's great to be pure as the driven snow. Angels and brides wear white. Devil's food cake is chocolate; angel's food cake is white!
We shape language and we are shaped by it. In our culture, white is esteemed. It is heavenly, sunlike, clean, pure, immaculate, innocent, and beautiful. At the same time, black is evil, wicked, gloomy, depressing, angry, sullen. Ascribing negative and positive values to black and white enhances the institutionalization of this culture's racism.
Let us acknowledge the negative connotations of whiteness. White things can be soft, vulnerable, pallid, and ashen. Light can be blinding, bleaching, enervating. Conversely, we must acknowledge that darkness has a redemptive character, that in darkness there is power and beauty. The dark nurtured and protected us before our birth.
Welcome darkness. Don't be afraid of it or deny it. Darkness brings relief from the blinding sun, from scorching heat, from exhausting labor. Night signals permission to rest, to be with our loved ones, to conceive new life, to search our hearts, to remember our dreams. The dark of winter is a time of hibernation. Seeds grow in the dark, fertile earth.
The words black and dark don't need to be destroyed or ignored, only balanced and reclaimed in their wholeness. The words white and light don't need to be destroyed or ignored, only balanced and reclaimed in their wholeness. Imagine a world that had only light -- or dark. We need both. Dark and light. Light and dark.

Source: Been in the Storm So Long: A Meditation Manual, ed. by Mark Morrison-Reed and Jacqui James, Boston: Skinner House Books, 1991