The fourth installment in this video series:
Full text of the script is below….
Possum: Sharpie, remember, you promised me you’d show me another spiritual practice to help me be calm.
Sharpie: I’m going to show you one right now.
Possum: But Sharpie, we’re just about to eat breakfast.
Sharpie: This is a spiritual practice that you do at meal times.
Possum: That sounds cool! Let’s do it. First, let me set the table.
Sharpie: We’re going to start with a UU spiritual practice.
Possum: Hey, that’s the flaming chalice that we made last year.
Sharpie: Yes, remember how we took an ordinary clay plant pot and the saucer, and turned the pot upside down, and glued the saucer on it?
Possum: Yeah, then I painted it! And — pretty neat paint job, if I do say so myself. Though it did take me five weeks to get all the paint out of my fur.
Sharpie: Mr. Bear, Elephant! Time for breakfast!
Sharpie: Now that I lit the flaming chalice, and we’ll go around the table and each say something we’re thankful for.
Mr. Bear: I’ll start. I just heard from Ms. Bear, and I’m thankful that she’s now heading home after visiting her mother.
Elephant: I’m thankful that we have apples on our apple tree. I love apples! [elephant trumpeting sound]
Sharpie: I’m thankful for the new book I got, “New Black Gods,” with essays about the legacy of Arthur Huff Fauset’s studies of African American new religious movements in the middle twentieth century.
Possum: I’m thankful that you three are my friends and housemates. [beat] Now let’s eat!
Possum: Sharpie, this is my favorite spiritual practice yet. We should do this at every meal!
Mr. Bear: Elephant and I will go do the dishes.
Possum: Sharpie, I think what I like best are spiritual practices you can do with other people.
Sharpie: Then you’re going to love the final spiritual practice that I’m going to show you next week.
Possum: I can’t wait!