On this International Women’s Day, we tend to the sources of wisdom that come to us through informal channels.

Ysaye Barnwell wrote one of our treasured hymns “We Are” In it she describes humans as, among other things, our grandmother’s prayers, grandfather’s dreamings, and the wisdom of ages. Could it be that wisdom then, is the practice of remembering?

At its core religion, at least in the Judeo-Christian tradition, has been about freedom. For Christians, freedom meant salvation. For Jews, it was emerging as a people from oppression. How does resilience factor in?

Resilience doesn’t ask to make lemonade out of lemons. It asks us not to stiffen and break when we encounter the hard. It asks us to stay engaged, It asks to learn to bounce. How?

We are not our biographies, accomplishments or injuries. Yet, all those things become part of us. In this way, resilience is part and parcel of integrity.

Aldo Leopold wrote “A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than a mob of onlookers.” What does integrity mean when no one sees what you’re doing, and how might the traditions of the field sports remind us of how and why ethics matter in an era that suggests simply doing what we can get away with?

Being whole doesn’t necessarily mean simple. How do we maintain integrity admidst complexity?

German American writer Charles Bukowski asked, “Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?” It is a worthy question as we enter a New Year setting hopes and intentions.Choosing Generosity: Tina Yoder

We begin this month’s theme of integrity, as a community of all ages. Together we will here the same story entitled “Say Something,” in which we are reminded of the power of an individual voice. Integrity invites us to have congruence between our inner and outer lives. Sometimes that means showing up in ways that can be uncomfortable.