Each year on February 2, people congregate outside of the holes of groundhogs kept in various zoos to participate in the modern reenactment of ancient rituals that said that these furry rodents could predict the weather. Whatever one does or does not believe about the forecasting power of the groundhog, the ritual itself is a reminder that winter will end and spring is on the way.

When have you participated in a ritual whose form filled your spirit (if not its content)?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

At the end of staff meetings in a job I used to have, we used to list things we liked and didn’t about our day, as well as what we called “signs of the spirit,” moments when things just felt right, when things fell into place unexpectedly, or when it felt like we were experiencing grace.

How have you experienced “signs of the spirit?”

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Vital to the balance of a stone arch is the keystone, the wedge-shaped stone against which the two sides of the arch push in equal measure. In architecture, this is a vital and important role; in life, this is not a healthy situation in which to find ourselves.

When have you experienced balance brought about by things pushing you in opposite directions? How did you interrupt this?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

If one wants to carry a large load, balance becomes even more important. We must learn to balance the things we are carrying with skill and precision.

How do you balance the components of your life in order to carry them all?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

How I start the day often stays with me throughout it. When I start my morning in balance–by attending to my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs–the rest of my day is often more balanced.

How do you start your day right?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Sometimes, balance seems far away, like a remote destination that requires hours of travel to get to.

What are your sources of strength for those times when balance seems too far away to get to?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

The concept of justice is often presented as a figure holding balanced scales. And yet, our society puts a weight on one of those scales that makes true justice impossible.

How have you challenged injustice to bring our society closer to balance?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Sometimes, things are balanced precisely despite unlikely circumstances. Sometimes, that balance is the product of slow and steady forces over long periods of time.

When have you experienced an unlikely balance?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Stress in our lives pulls us out of balance. Things that trigger a stress response interfere with our ability to function properly. Being mindful of where stress is coming from can help us rebalance our lives.

What are your sources of stress? How can you reduce the stress in your life?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Some people summon incredible physical strength to balance themselves, but strength comes in many forms. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, psychological strengths can all be used to balance our lives.

What are your sources of strength? How do you use them to balance your life?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Many people create altars in their homes to help them focus and balance their energy and invite the holy into their lives.

What items would you place on an altar to help remind you of the possibility of balance?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Clear boundaries help us create balance by delineating what is and is not acceptable for us, and what is and is not appropriate in our relationships.

How have boundaries helped you find balance?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

In the silence of a clear night, we can see the stars, each pinpoint a ray of light emitted countless hours ago from celestial bodies many light-years away. As we look to the stars, we are reminded of our place in the universe.

What reminds you of your connection to the immensity of the universe?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

We are called to resist things that pull us away from our values. We are called to resist power that seeks to perpetrate injustice. We are called to resist the evils of oppression, violence, and hate.

How do you find the strength and courage to resist?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Life is a series of liminal moments–we always stand at a threshold between the past and the future. Sometimes, the present moment brings those things into balance. Sometimes, what we hope and ache for is so great that balance is hard to achieve.

What are you looking at through the threshold of this moment?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Sometimes, things are so out of balance that they tip over and must be righted again.

How have you righted yourself to balance after tipping over?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

The life and ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is too often boiled down to feel-good sound bites. In reality, he presented a fierce critique of power, capitalism, and materialism. His dream of unity required a revolution of values to make real.

How have you grappled with the challenges presented by Dr. King? How are you participating in the revolution of values he called for?

The Daily Compass offers words and images to inspire spiritual reflection and encourage the creation of a more loving, inclusive and just world. Produced by The Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation with no geographical boundary. Please support the publishing of The Daily Compass by making a $10 or $25 contribution (more if you can, less if you can't)! Thank you for your support!

Rev. Meg Preaching, May 26 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/jPvLxqjj 

Rev. Meg Preaching, May 5 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/jGanJBUw 

We are so glad that CLF board member Charles DuMond traveled to the first ever General Assembly of The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines. We send our hearty congratulations to them as they celebrate this big event! Thanks Charles for the photo! pic.twitter.com/EjVLeGLNUA

Rev. Meg Preaching, Apr 21 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/hiaZJKmE 

Rev. Meg Preaching, Apr 7 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/HSNdRDoT 

Rev. Meg Preaching, Mar 17 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/nUMdapi7 

Rev. Meg Preaching, Mar 3 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/WnitYG4d 

Rev. Meg Preaching, Feb 10 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/JaB7reGp 

Rev. Meg Preaching, Feb 3 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/sC9K7HuB 

Rev. Meg Preaching, Jan 20 2019 @ Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, https://s.time.ly/8ZcnS8zE 

Margalie is Preaching in Springfield, MA, Dec 26 2018 @ The Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, https://s.time.ly/KvSYypHn 

There is a lack of dedication and devotion to true inclusion of black and trans folk in Unitarian Universalist congregations. It requires an adjustment of culture - to change everything. ~Jaelynn Scott, LIVE on #TheVUU