This coming Sunday is Valentine’s Day, February 14. During our worship, we will celebrate our real Valentines – our “funny” Valentines, which are not necessarily lovers in the romantic sense. But Sunday won’t be just about thinking about the different loves in our lives. That’s because this February the 14th is also “National Standing on the Side of Love Day.” In case you haven’t heard of it before, “Standing on the Side of Love “(SSL, pronounced ‘Sizzle’) is a new public advocacy campaign, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association … promoting respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” According to SSL, “We believe that no one should be dehumanized through acts of exclusion, oppression, or violence because of their identities.” (Quotation from the UUA’s website, www.uua.org.) National Standing on the Side of Love Day is a chance to “celebrate a Valentine’s Day reimagined,” says the website of the UU Mass Action Network. It goes on: “Love is about more than romance, greeting cards and chocolates. We want to celebrate love’s power to transform communities! As part of our celebration we will send messages of love in support of immigrant families.” Though our worship service will be focused primarily on love in our personal lives, during our Fellowship Hour you will have a chance to act on behalf of love in the public arena. We will have pre-written postcards from the UU Mass Action Network that we can sign and send as “messages of love” to our Congresspersons and Senators asking them to support the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for American Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (H.R. 4321). The postcards read, “In honor of Valentine’s Day, I stand on the side of love with immigrant families. I honor the love that binds families together. Any system that breaks families apart is itself broken. We as Unitarian Universalists ask for your leadership to support Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL) Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (H.R. 4321). Thank you for your help.” You will also have a chance to see a summary of H.R. 4321. Both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the UUCiA have a proud history of standing on the side of love with immigrants and immigrant families. I’m proud and plumb excited to be able to carry on in this tradition with you. In faith, Lara

Posted by Rev. M. Lara Hoke on February 10th, 2010