"How to Spot a Mom" -- UUSE Virtual Worship, May 10, 2026

Gathering Music

Jean Gabriel-Marie: La Cinquantaine

Robert Schumann: Traumerei

W. A. Mozart: Rondo from Sonata in A major, K. 331

Dorothy Bognar, piano

Welcome

Centering

Prelude

Benjamin Godard: Berceuse from Jocelyn

Dorothy Bognar, piano

Chalice Lighting & Opening Words

We Kindle This Flame

by Selena Fox

We kindle this flame with love for mothers and foremothers past, present, and future;

We kindle this flame in celebration of community and its generations.

We kindle this flame with respect and support for the greater circle of life of which we are all part.

Opening Hymn

STLT #368, Now Let Us Sing

Words and music: Anonymous

Dorothy Bognar, piano

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Lift up your voice, be not afraid;

sing to the power of the faith within.

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Lift up your voice, be not afraid;

sing to the power of the hope within.

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Lift up your voice, be not afraid;

sing to the power of the love within.

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Now let us sing, sing, sing

Lift up your voice, be not afraid;

sing to the power of the joy within.

Time for All Ages

How to Spot a Mom

Written by Donna Amey Bhatt

Illustrated by Aura Lewis

Read by Sam Taylor

Hymn

STLT#16, 'Tis a Gift to Be Simple

Words: Joseph Bracket, 18th cent.

Music: American Shaker tune

Dorothy Bognar, piano

(Sing 2x)

'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free,

'tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,

and when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.

To turn, turn will be our delight,

'till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

Announcements

Joys & Concerns

Musical Response

Offering

Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of May will be shared with Hartford Deportation Defense, CT Students for a Dream, and Unidad Latinas en Accion.

Offering Music

Leonard Gautier: Le Secret (Intermezzo Pizzicato)

Dorothy Bognar, piano

Introduction to the Service

Reading

Thoughts of a Mother

by L. E. Bowman

(as read by a father ...)

Are you hungry? Are you tired? Do you need a jacket, some water? Of course, I'll carry everything you've collected. Of course, I'll sit in the grass. Do you need a fortress? A fire? Something soft to fall onto? I'll hold you, hold you together. I'll hold you forever. Will you always reach for my hand the way you do now? I'll expand if you need me to. I'll give if it helps you. I'll cross every river and face every storm. Is that too much? Too little? Am I guiding you forward or holding you back? You're green now but in a blink you'll be older. I'm getting older. This life flicks by faster and faster. One day' I'll leave you. I don't want to leave you. Can I pause time? Bottle this moment? How do I keep you when nothing lasts?

Musical Interlude

Reflections: Sam Taylor - Wisdom from UUSE Moms

Reflections: Sam Taylor - Mothering during the 2020s

Musical Interlude

Reflections: Kate Kimmerle - The Benign Neglect of a UU Mom

Closing Hymn

STLT #391 Voice Still and Small

Words and music: John Corrado

Voice still and small, deep inside all,

I hear you call, singing.

In storm and rain, sorrow and pain,

still we'll remain singing.

Calming my fears, quenching my tears,

through all the years, singing.

Extinguishing the Chalice

Bring Happiness

by Barbara Cheatham

And now we take our leave

Before we gather here again--

may each of us bring happiness into another's life;

may we each be surprised by the gifts tht surround us;

may each of us be enlivened by constant curiosity--

And may we remain together in spirit

til the hour we meet again

Closing Circle

May faith in the spirit of life

And hope for the community of earth

And love of the light in each other

Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

Impress an Artsy Mom with an Origami Heart