Sunday, March 8, 10:30am
Hotel Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15
free

Confessions of a Radical Homemaker, UU - spirit

Rev. Laurie Bushbaum

by Joseph Plummer

On this International Women’s Day, Rev. Laurie Bushbaum, who has served in the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for more than 30 years, invites us to look again at what it means to be a home-maker. While not everyone is cut-out to be a full-time, stay-at-home, unpaid domestic worker, there is much in the calling that is worthy of our admiration.

As a self-described “radical-homemaker,” who grows food and upcycles waste and unwanted products into higher quality materials, Bushbaum asks what such devotion means and whether there is a theology of home-making. Who are the global-minded, radical homemakers who are doing their part as care-takers, planet-menders, bridge-builders and protectors of the fragile and sacred?

Radical homemaking, she says, touches on every aspect of human endeavor. For example, Sweden is currently building homes that are acutally energy generative. This work matters in terms of how we continue to live on the planet. Why do you think that a Mexican protector of monarch butterflies was recently murdered? Loggers want the land, and he stood in their way by defending the vital territory of another species. Often, she says, radical homemakers stand in the way of human greed.

As a radical homemaker, Rev. Bushbaum also works on climate change and now focuses on the protection of Northern Minnesota tribal lands that have been used for hunting, fishing, and wild rice cultivation for centuries. Those lands now face despoilation from a Canadian oil pipeline.

A flat-lander from the U.S. Midwest, Bushbaum currently lives with her partner in Colorado and serves a congregation there. When not working, she skies, hikes, cycles, and enjoys yoga. Her work as a fiber artist has appeared in many juried exhibits. In June, she will have a piece in a show at the Norway House, in Minneapolis, MN. Her work interprets a Medieval Tapestry found in a Norwegian church in the 19th century.

Remembering her first visit to SMA about 15 years ago, Rev. Bushbaum enjoys the sunshine of San Miguel, its cobblestones, art, El Charco Del Ingenio, and being awakened by roosters.

Welcoming people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity, the UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15. For information about our Sunday Children’s Program, contact us at chris.chase1955@gmail.com. Visitors are invited to attend the service and join UUs for coffee afterwards. The fellowship is wheelchair accessible. For additional information, visit our web site at uufsma.org.

http://www.uufsma.org/