First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis

As 2025 comes to a close, America finds itself struggling to remember essential core values which helped it get past the drumbeats of fascism, racism, homophobia and other horrible systems of belief. With all that’s coming at us, how can we keep faith, stay the course? There’s only one way: a commitment to hope, tightly wrapped with compassion. Despite today’s political and social challenges, Ellie Krug will share how most people have good empathetic hearts. Along with inspiring you, she will offer ideas on how to move forward to realize a just and verdant society. In 2009, when she was a...

Can hope be cultivated? Is it just hanging around waiting for us to choose it? Or maybe there are certain conditions under which it thrives. Today we'll wonder if hope might grow in uncertainty or hide in the shadows.

Gratitude is not just a “bigger” grateful. So says the research on gratitude. But what is it, and why is it worth our consideration? Guest speaker Rev. Arif Mamdani joins us for an exploration of gratitude - what it is (or at least could be), why it matters, and (riffing on Ross Gay a bit), how we might incite gratitude in ourselves and in each other.

It's been just over a year since 'the' election. It feels like the earth is burning, like democracy is dying, and as if kindness is a vanishing value. What on earth do we have to be grateful for? Are there any gifts to be found in grief, in despair? Our Theme for November is 'Nurturing Gratitude'.

It is said that the grateful person is the generous person, or is it the other way around? This morning we take a lesson from the serviceberry, and its gifts of both abundance and reciprocity. Living in gratitude, perhaps we can release our grip on toxic forms of capitalism and live into a gift economy.

At this time of year, many traditions honor their ancestors. We will do that. And, we will take a look at how it is that we know who our people are, and what it means to choose our people. What qualities do we look for? (Hint: Compassion is a very good quality!)

Covenant is more than a beautiful place to visit; it's a place where we live. When we know what binds us in community, what is expected of us, and what our responsibilities are to others, our relationships can blossom with understanding and love.

Building a home requires many steps...dreaming, planning, measuring, hard work, polishing, a certificate of occupancy. As we launch the program year for our younger generations, let's consider how to best build (and continually maintain) a home where all can belong...in safety and in love.

Fall Equinox is about balance in the duality of life: light and dark, growth and release, joy and sorrow. Celebrate the season with a fun original play, "Humdrum and the Last Apple Tree."

As we adjust to the arrival of fall and all the changes it brings, we take intentional time to appreciate the many gifts we receive from one another in community (aka volunteer appreciation!) Connection and belonging doesn't just happen; everything we offer in service to one another matters deeply.

It's September, and today we renew our commitment to gathering in beloved community in common dedication to love and justice. A reflection from Rev. Jullan Stoneberg.

Pamela Zeller, director of WISE — which works to self-empower immigrant and refugee women and girls — will talk about the life lessons she has learned from her 38 years of working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. These lessons reinforce the strength, resilience, and creativity of survivors.

Almost every person will tell you that they are good drivers, have a great sense of humor, and that they’re excellent listeners. Many of us have been taught the basic skills of how to be a good communicator. It can be a lot of work. Join us this Sunday as we play with a new way to listen that is easier and more effective than what you were probably taught. It is a simple and enjoyable way to connect deeply with others. Listen up! A talke from Rev. Shelley Dugan.

Boycotts are more than withdrawals—they are declarations. In this talk, Nekima Levy Armstrong reflects on how we, as conscious consumers and community members, can reclaim our power by refusing to fund injustice. Together, we’ll explore how discernment, protest, and hope can shape a more just and accountable world.

Martin Luther King said, “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.” Unitarian Universalists recently affirmed a new covenant among congregations which puts love at the center of our values. How do we ensure that our love is not sentimental and anemic, in a time when love with power is so urgently needed? What are some daily practices to help us center love? A reflection from Rev. Meg Riley. Short bio: Rev. Meg Riley began her 38 years as a religious professional buying graham crackers and setting up rooms at First Unitarian Society as the...

Each of us is cradled in an invisible web of stories we tell, or are told, about ourselves, our world, and the cosmos. Finding ourselves in these larger narratives can help craft our individual and communal identities, reinforce the meaning we see in our lives, and provide a broader context in which to see our daily struggles and successes. By why think about this at Lammas, an event marking the early harvest?

Join us to reflect on the profound power of memory—specifically, the memories of the safe spaces we've encountered throughout our lives. Memory is not just a mental exercise; it is deeply embedded in our biology. Our muscles, our nervous system, even our heartbeats are attuned to our experiences, and they carry the imprint of the safe spaces we've known. We will explore the cellular connections between memory and the vast mycelial or fungal networks populating the earth, how both individual and collective memory are constructed from an ancient biological history, and how in valuing memories of safe spaces, we br...

The world needs to be reminded of humanism more than ever, as the anti-human policies of the current administration assault our dignity and intelligence. What will it take for us to engage the historical aspirations of classical American Humanism with the emerging movements that have similar goals for beloved communities? What will it take to cross the generational divides that have caused us to silo ourselves and dismiss others? We have work to do. Come and join us as we take a little ride together. A reflection from Rev. Karen Hutt Bio: Rev. Karen Hutt has been a UU minister...

Love’s rumbling, pulsing, thumping nature powers justice. Our actions speak, but how can we meet the moment by answering love’s call even more loudly? A talk from Rev. Terri Burnor. Rev. Terri (she/her) is Executive Director of MUUSJA (the Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance). She also serves the St. Croix Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Wisconsin as their minister. Terri is a life-long Minnesotan who lives in St. Paul with her spouse, Brian, and their two dogs, Marvin & Betty.

"What's in a Name?" Names have power—they can enchant or disillusion, claim unwanted ownership or open the door to freedom. In this service, we’ll reflect on how the names we give to the sacred—whether shifting from “God” to “Cosmos,” or “prayer” to “contemplation” or “meditation”—reshape our experiences of meaning and mystery. How do name and pronoun changes transform our understanding of ourselves and each other? Together, we’ll explore how language shapes belief, identity, and the humanist enchantment that lives within and beyond the words we choose.

As we celebrate Father's Day, let's consider what it means to 'live in this house'. One of our Unitarian Universalist values is Pluralism which encourages us to embrace both our differences and our commonalities with love, curiosity, and respect. Yet, we cannot be free when we experience difference as oppressive. Can diversity actually be liberating?

It's Pride Month, and Juneteenth is just around the corner. At this time when so many corporations and institutions are back-tracking on their DEIB commitments (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging), we have a role to play in more boldly keeping ours. Responding to tyranny calls on us to stand out and shine a light!

We have entered a time in US history when the meaning of freedom is being debated even as its presence quietly fades into the background. How is this happening? Are we paying attention? We'll look at this through the lens of Timothy Snyder's book, "On Tyranny."

As beloveds in our communities are scapegoated and attacked by the current administration, what does UUism call us to embrace and respond? As we turn toward Pride month, we will learn more about the UU commitment to pledge our collective faithful efforts to affirm and celebrate trans, nonbinary, intersex, and gender diverse people within and beyond out congregations. Rev. Laura Smidzik is currently a part-time Pastoral Care Minister at First Universalist Church. She served Merging Waters Unitarian Universalist Congregation (previously Michael Servetus Unitarian Society) from 2016 until this past June. Prior to ministry, Laura served as executive director of Project 515 and Rainbow Fa...

Poet John O'Donohue suggested that "if our style of looking becomes beautiful, then beauty will become visible and shine forth for us." A talk from Rev. Jullan Stoneberg.

Author and activist adrienne maree brown believes that all organizing is science fiction. "Trying to create a world that we’ve never experienced and never seen is a science-fictional activity." On this morning, we gather to practice some collective imagining.

Let’s get real about how our joy can change the world, even as it co-exists with our pain, brokenness and curmudgeon-ness. How we can commit to inciting joy and making it more robust? Our theme for April is Living Love through the Practice of Joy

Some might question if there is any joy to be found in these times. How do we live holding the dual realities of despair and joy? How are these two things connected? As Shirley Ceasar's song says, "This joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me...the world can't take it away.

Trust is built at the speed of relationship, so it takes two (or more) to build trust! The ability to trust is a muscle of the heart that is exercised through the practice of covenant. It's not always easy, and it doesn't necessarily come naturally, but we can do it!

Science writer Ed Yong refers to the ways in which our screen-focused, fear-based society is impacting our scope of concern. He says we are currently being “crunched ever inward” and that it behooves us to get out and connect with others. Being in community is a beautiful way to uncrunch ourselves and stretch!

When things feel precarious and unpredictable, it's crucial to know what there is that is trustworthy and dependable. What is it that reliably supports us and holds us up?

Holding us now - to hope, to courage, to clarity and to each other - is the radical love at the very center of Unitarian Universalism. It shows up as wonder (and grief) for our achingly beautiful world; it shows up as relentless respect and care for one another, resplendent in all our vulnerability and power; it shows up as gratitude for the reliable rhythms of nature and community, calling us gently to rest and urgently to rise. We are held by and we comprise a mighty love no tyrant can diminish or demean. How, in these darkening days, shall...

There is internal tension in living our shared values. Can we live into pluralism while holding firm to equity and justice? When is belonging more important than individuality? And how do we get along with each other when our values differ?

“The most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” - Kurt Vonnegut How can the practice of humanism act as an antidote to America's crisis of loneliness and purposelessness? And how can the humanist movement catalyze Vonnegut's dream of "stable communities" for the tens of millions of secular Americans who need it now more than ever? From theory to neuroscience to practice, from Abraham Maslow and John Dewey to Quinta Brunson and Kurt Vonnegut, American Humanist Association Executive Director Fish Stark presents an expansive vision for framing humanism as the oppo...

Widening the circle of inclusion is always limited by a group's identity, so that the push to be inclusive gets tugged at by resistance to changing who we are. Who belongs at FUS, and what are the costs, and the benefits, of exclusion?

Albert Camus famously wrote that “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” For many, this year Imbolc -- the midpoint of astrological winter -- simultaneously brings a sense of growing light and of growing darkness. Today, our Seasonal Celebrations Team will present a candlelight program that will honor both the returning light as well as "the fires of commitment" we carry, or seek to kindle, within us.

Here We Are, a new administration is about to take office. What Now? We are facing 4 years of national political leadership hostility to the idea of addressing climate change while witnessing the effects of inaction. Where does this leave us? And what can we do about it now? Please join the FUS Climate Action Team, E2 youth, and guest speakers Carolyn Ham of Third Act Minnesota, and Kathryn Ringham of Elders Climate Action, to consider our options. The Sunday Assembly will feature a discussion of values-based actions.

This is a great week to bring a friend with you to FUS! Here on the cusp of a presidential inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr Day, events that hold disparate visions, we are called to name the stories and the values that we insist upon claiming.

Three women in their 20s discuss their perspectives on hope and grief as we usher in the changes of 2025, moderated by Minnesota Women’s Press editor (and FUS member) Mikki Morrissette. Melissa Vasquez of LatinoLEAD organizes and celebrates the Minnesota Latine Community. Cheyenne Wilson is author of a comprehensive guide for fellow survivors of sexual assault — part of the healing process after her own assault. Priscilla Trinh is part of a movement to grow community economies that are more sustainable than our extractive systems.

The human species operates by stories. They can guide or misdirect us, inspire or limit us, while providing both meaning and perspective. So as we enter 2025, let's ask... Which stories ring true for us, and what are the stories we choose to live by?

Spiritual congregations have a lengthy tradition of offering critiques of what they believe to be societal ills, and UUs and Humanists are no different. Theodore Parker, John Dietrich, Carl Storm, and Kendyl Gibbons — the last three were settled ministers here at First Unitarian Society — all witnessed deeply challenging times, and offered words of wisdom in response. As we prepare for the new year and all that it brings, we will share some of their thoughts and invite congregants to reflect and discuss their application to our current world.

Stillness. Quiet. The presence of winter. Twinkle Lights. Glittery snow. Crisp starry nights. The gifts of the natural world surround us.

In his essay on Sisyphus, Albert Camus ends with these haunting words: “one must imagine Sisyphus happy.” Camus invites us to wrestle with the appropriate response to absurdity. Is it suicide? That is to say, is the killing of oneself in light of the human condition, the existential angst and ontological trauma we face, a proper resolution to our dilemma? Is there something—despite the absurdity involved—that humans may grab hold of and anchor themselves to, as that which constitutes the reason life should continue? Camus answers, “yes.” While some wallow in nihilistic thought and tendencies, Camus—without God—pushes for someth...

Call it mindfulness, call it intentionality, call it witness...there is a way of being in relationship whereby we fully show up for one another. How might we offer our simple presence as a gift to the world?

"All That Is" is a lot of stuff, and between this time of year and this time in our world, there is so much that demands our presence. What would it mean to call ourselves into the presence of all of this? Or, maybe the call is asking us to get in touch with what it is that matters.

Ours is an unapologetic world. Seldom does anyone take responsibility for damage done. While we might not like the words, let's look at how remorse and repentance can play a role in our personal and societal transformation.

Whatever the results of the election, our purpose remains the same....to heal ourselves and our world. And we're in it for the long haul. So let's assess the situation and then lay out the task before us. We've got some stuff to do.

The election is just days away. We have worked hard to ensure that democracy will prevail. And yet, many are experiencing this as a very dark time in our nation. Let's spend time reconnecting to all that we can trust to get us through.

Description: We've come to that time of the year when many cultures believe the veil between the living and the dead is thin. If we listen deeply to the past...particularly to those who have built, sustained, and transformed this congregation...what do we hear?

Marlene Johnson, Minnesota’s first woman lieutenant governor, serving from 1983-1991, will be with us to discuss these poignant themes through the lens of her new memoir: "Rise to the Challenge: A Memoir of Politics, Leadership & Love".

Those of us who come from immigrant histories cannot claim being indigenous to this land. But we can become naturalized to it. Robin Wall Kimmerer says that "Being naturalized to place means to live as if this is the land that feeds you, as if these are the streams from which you drink, that build your body and fill your spirit." Let's explore this as we honor Indigenous Peoples' Day.

If only every day had only one pain! Noise, fear, and pain-avoidance seem to conspire to plug up our ears and our eyes. And yet, we cannot, should not, turn away from all the hurt and suffering in the world. As we look ahead to the coming election, how can we better tune our ears to hear...that we may respond? A reflection from Rev. Jullan Stoneberg.

You've likely been exposed to all kinds of advice about how to be a gracious host and about how to create space that allows everyone to bring their full selves. And still, not many of us are good at the practice of intentional and generous hosting. Let's explore the gap between our intentions and our realities.

In the same way that many have come to rely on air conditioning to keep us comfortable, it’s easy to get used to having our human environment organized to please us and our ways of being. Just as there are benefits to sitting on the front porch to cool off on a summer night, there are benefits to learning to adapt to the diversity around us.

It's time to Gather! Like the merging of many streams, we come together to join forces and voices in love, learning, growing and singing, putting our beautiful heads and hearts to the task of building beloved community.

We are, each one, always suspended between two moments. Between sleeping and waking. Between summer and fall. Between connection and isolation. Still, we rarely pause in that liminal space to reflect. So on this first Sunday together...congregation and new Interim Minister...let's explore the gifts of being suspended between two known realities, because this interim period is a time given to naming what 'was' and to envision what 'will be.'

In Charles Darwin’s fifth edition of “On the Origin of Species”, he writes about the importance of “survival of the fitted.” This simple and yet, famous phrase explains that organisms that best adapt to their environment are more likely to survive and produce. However, what if we, FUS reimagined our organizational adaptability and observe our existence within the surrounding area as “natural selection” where all people find a community, belonging, and becoming? A talk from Rev. Dr. Jé Exodus Hooper.

The wheel of the year turns, and brings us again to the threshold of the harvest time. Lammas is one milepost in the cycle of the seasons, which embraces both constant change as well as predictable rhythms. Are we open to the beauty that the unfolding of evolution can bring?

Join Rev. Je and FUS member Dara Strickland at Assembly for a kitchen table discussion about how the rituals of hospitality transform the utilitarian into the affirmingly humanist. We will be updating the Society on the evolving work at the Second Sunday meal at Plymouth Congregational Church and exploring additional ways FUS members can connect to the neighbors we host for dinner there.

We live in a time when the everyday stresses of work, school, and maintaining relationships have been compounded by climate change, political and social upheaval, and a global pandemic. Knowing that it’s not so easy to simply “reduce your stress,” what can we do to take care of ourselves that falls outside the typical “diet and exercise” box? Join the Mental Health Team for some fresh ideas about taking care of your mental health.

This series of stories by member Mikki Morrissette is about mental health, house repair, vulnerability, talking to strangers, collaboration, and how blues music might be the key to the universe. She will be sharing recent lessons she has learned from people featured in the Minnesota Women's Press magazine she edits, as well as a musician and a carpenter.

There is an emboldened posture of Christian Nationalism infiltrating our classrooms in this country. As two states set the educational trend that compromises our religious freedom, what does our humanism call us to do? What is our response to Biblical violence? Join Rev. Dr. Jé for a critical talk to embolden our moral compass with moral courageousness in order to protect our children, and hold our religious neighbors accountable to uphold the worth of all people.

We’ve had our farewells and shared innumerable hugs. The past decade has been marked with an unforgettable impact from these two ministers, and now that they move on to new chapters, where does that leave us at First Unitarian Society? Join us this first Sunday after, as we consider the road ahead and take first steps into our congregation’s next chapter.

David_Farewell_Address_2024-06-23Download

How does renewal help us navigate transition? Rev. Kelli looks backward over her past nine years at FUS and forward to your next chapter. Talk_09-06-2024_Kelli_celebrationDownload

Times are greatly changing and congregational practice is declining as generations are evolving. What is the church called to do? What is the mission and focus of this social and spiritual beacon? Together we will unpack some congregational considerations to engage transformation that may enhance the life force of our communities, and helps us build toward a better future.

The old melting pot metaphor for the US still has some “resistance is futile” power to it. We all must, however, resist. A talk from Rev. Dr. David Breeden.

Does the way we practice Humanism help or hurt us in cultivating pluralism? A talk from Rev. Kelli Clement

The nature of US society tends naturally toward pluralism. However, our stand on pluralism must go way beyond tolerance of "the other." In US law, individuals have rights. Group rights, however, have proven problematic. A talk from Rev. Dr. David Breeden. 2024-05-05_Talk_Ethical_Imerative_PluralismDownload

This year we saw our UUA Religious Education program evolve into Ethical Explorers (aka E²) under the facilitation of Rev. Jé, our Minister of Lifelong Education and Community. This program has sought to elevate the First Unitarian Society Humanist's values and congregational momentum  by ushering a new approach to aiding our youth in forming their moral compass and courageous.

What if we think of self-creation as co-creation?

How do we turn the inevitable into the Good? A talk from Rev. Dr. David Breeden. 2024-03-31_Talk_Change_InevitableDownload

So many of the changes we experience are not of our own choosing. How do we find gifts in the struggle for transformation? A talk from Rev. Kellli Clement.

What might imagination and free thinking do to trans-form our society? Talk_Trans_Form_Part2_2024-03-10Download

Form is solid. Until it is transformed. That takes imagination.

Revs. Jé and David will consider the Civil Rights Era thought of A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, asking the question of both of them asked: How might we integrate public spaces? The challenge remains.

Did you know that Loveworks Academy, the charter school housed at FUS, is one of only five black-led and black-taught school in Minnesota? For Black History Month, let's celebrate this treasure and look to how Loveworks Academy is shaping the future in Minnesota.

A Conversation with Lena K. Gardner of Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. When we expand our thinking about who is in our movement, we see what was there all along. Ms. Gardner and Rev. Kelli will explore BLUU and why it matters to all of us.

February 2 is well-known in our culture as Groundhog's Day, but the significance of that date goes back considerably further than a tradition involving wildlife in Pennsylvania. The midpoint of astrological winter, this time has been referred to as Imbolc, Candlemas, and more. It is often a time of looking ahead to what is on, or maybe even just beyond, the horizon. Members of the Seasonal Celebrations Team invite you to consider: what are YOU looking forward to? A talk from FUS member Phil Duran.

For our Intergenerational Assembly Rev. Dr. David Breeden discusses the ethical considerations of what we owe future generations in terms of a livable planet. Challenging the Western-centric narratives in climate action and embracing indigenous knowledge. Symmachus once said, "To think highly of one's ancestors is good, to think highly of one's descendants even better."

Rev. Kelli shares reflections on the Leadership Seminar she participated in during her time away and how love leads FUS toward shared purpose.

Join Revs. Kelli, Jé, and David plus special guests for an MLK Weekend roundtable on our theme for January: Liberation. Where are we? Are we fulfilling our obligations to future generations?

According to a Pew Research Center study, 49% of Americans report having at least one mystical experience. What does having one mean? Do personal mystical experiences positively affect society? A talk from Rev. Dr. David Breeden. 2023-12-03_Talk_MysteryDownload

A joint talk from Rev. Dr. Jé Exodus Hooper, and Rev. Dr. David Breeden.

Throughout recorded history humans have sought hope and inspiration amidst the inscrutable forces beyond their control - especially at this time of the year. Where do Humanists look to find hope in dark times? A talk from Ministerial Intern David Buckley.

Our theme for the month of December is mystery. From shadowy characters in drama to ambiguous shapes in art, the human mind loves mystery. And solving it. 2023-12-03_Talk_Mystery-1Download

Delve into the ethereal aspects of sharing and giving, where intention, compassion, and love intertwine. Give without expectation; love without boundaries, serve because it's the right thing to do.

Human history can be read as a series of experiments in managing our resources. These experiments can lead to cultures characterized by selfishness or generosity. Which will we choose? With Ministerial Intern David Buckley.

Our theme for November is Generosity. Yes, generosity is an emotion, yet how we experience generosity is culturally defined. 2023-11-05_Talk_Humanist_Philosophy_of GenerosityDownload

Long before the term "humanist" became part of the FUS story, the congregation had pledged itself to being humane. Our theme for October is heritage, and I will give a three-part talk on the past and future of FUS. According to the Articles of Incorporation (1881), the purpose of FUS is: to form an Association where people without regard to theological differences may unite for mutual helpfulness in intellectual, moral, and religious culture, and humane work. A talk from Rev. Drs. David Breeden and Jé Exodus Hooper. 2023-10-22_Talk_Humane_WorkDownload

You know about individual mindfulness but what about a mindful community? Bring your smartphone. (Yes, it can help us be mindful if used intentionally!) A talk from Ministerial Intern David Buckley.

From the beginning, FUS has been about congregating. What will that mean for the next generation? Our theme for October is heritage, and I will give a three-part talk on the past and future of FUS. According to the Articles of Incorporation (1881), the purpose of FUS is: to form an Association where people without regard to theological differences may unite for mutual helpfulness in intellectual, moral, and religious culture, and humane work.

There is more than one way to disregard theological differences. Which ways offer possibility and potential rather than restriction? Our theme for October is heritage, and Rev. David will give a three-part talk on the past and future of FUS. According to the Articles of Incorporation (1881), the purpose of FUS is: to form an Association where people without regard to theological differences may unite for mutual helpfulness in intellectual, moral, and religious culture, and humane work. 2023-10-08_Talk_Herigage_Theological_DifferencesDownload

While the adage "character is destiny" has long been a staple of philosophical discourse, the idea that zip codes can determine fate is now supported by empirical evidence. A talk from Rev. Dr. David Breeden 2023-10-01_Talk_Reality_Unzipped_Zip_CodesDownload

This is our first program year since the pandemic that feels like back to “normal.” What will the lessons of the past few years teach us about who we are now, and what will we learn about ourselves and our congregation? A talk from Rev. Kelli Clement.

Fall Equinox and this season of change reminds us that change is the only constant. While our nature is to seek control, there's beauty and strength in accepting—even cherishing—the mysteries of the unknown. 2023-09-17_TalkDownload

Yes, we mean all. And, yes, we mean FUS. A talk from Rev. Dr. David Breeden 2023-09-10_Talk_Where_All_of_you_BelongsDownload

The distinction between knowledge (knowing what) and technique (knowing how ) has long been a tension. The solution sounds simple, but in practice it is not. A talk from Rev. Dr. David Breeden. 2023-09-03_Talk_Knowledge_Know-How_WisdomDownload

“Everything is held together by stories. That’s all that’s holding us together--stories and compassion.” ~ Lopez Take a walk off the beaten path and into the woods of some FUS members' lived experience, in a unique Assembly that brings you the fellowship, comfort and awe felt by our writing group these past three years.

Even as we contemplate the dog days of summer, Lammas reminds us that the wheel of the year inexorably turns toward harvest. Metaphors abound!