Do All the Good You Can

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
        --John Wesley, 1703 – 1791

This quote so makes me think of my church.  I am a Unitarian Universalist and I can't begin to tell you how much my church community has been a solace and inspiration to me.  Sunday mornings ground me after a crazy week and in preparation for a crazy week.  My friends there (and let's be honest--so many of my good friends are from there) are real friends--authentic, caring and they really see me.  The experiences I've had there are transformational.  And I've grown so much there--taking on new responsibilities and trying new things. 

I also love how I can expect certain things when I meet someone who is Unitarian.  I expect them to be conscious of what they eat, how they live and the earth they tread upon; they'll know the difference between couscous and quinoa.  I expect them to be well-versed in what is going on in the world somewhat.  I expect them to be filled with love for those who are otherwise beaten down in this world--the poor, the immigrants, the cast-off, the marginalized.  I know that they not only have "friends who are gay," but they have best friends who are gay, lesbian, transgender or bi-sexual.

But mostly, I know they will be full of love.  They'll treat waiters nicely.  They'll hug.  They'll care how you are--genuinely.  They'll be fascinated by how you live your life according to your values.  And they'll be authentic when they talk with you.  But all that is done with lots and lots and lots of love.   
There is a line in the song we used to sing to the children each week that says "Service is our prayer."  That is what this quote means to me.  Let your prayer be the love that you send out into the world via your actions each and every day.  Thank goddess for the Unitarian Universalists.