Resources from Sunday's service that you might find useful.
Afterword...
November 1, 2016
This past Sunday, at the UU, we learned about and honored the Mexican celebration of Dia De Los Muertos. We learned about "calaveras" and built a beautiful altar to our ancestors.

Below are some pictures of the altar, created by Sarah Forbes, which we filled with special items representing departed loved ones and friends at each service.




Also, the Meeting House was adorned with very special gravestone rubbings made by our own Judy Brook. You can read about Judy's rubbings below.

At our 11am service, we hosted special guests from Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante.

Also, as we celebrated a holiday tied to the traditions of indigenous peoples of what is now Latin America, we acknowledged and held in our hearts the Native American community at Standing Rock, who is peacefully defending their tribal lands and water supply. 

You can read more about how UU's are being called to be in solidarity with Standing Rock here (a message from our congregation in Bismark, ND): http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/ourstories/we-need-you-in-standing-rock.

"The gravestone rubbings in the sanctuary were made by me in the 1970s when I spent many summers on Cape Cod, MA as part of the Woods Hole marine biological community.  At the time I was grieving my mother's death.  I found comfort in the old graveyards, the stories written on the stones, and the commonness of death.  Today, making rubbings is forbidden in many of the old graveyards.
 
The earliest stones (1600s-early 1700s) show the Puritans' emphasis on mortality and preparing for death.  These stones feature skulls, bones, skeletons, and scythes.  By the mid 1700s the emphasis had shifted to resurrection and life everlasting.  Winged faces or soul effigies are abundant.  The return to classical architecture in the 1800's carried over into gravestones  featuring pillars, urns, and willows (often with a stump of a broken off branch).
 
I have never displayed any of these rubbings.  I loved doing each one but, when done, rolled it up and tucked it away.  It is thrilling to see the whole collection in one place.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]."
 
Judy Brook