Division and conflict often arise based on how we treat – and mistreat – “the other.” How do we come to define who is “the other” in our lives and in our communities? How might we go about offering welcome even across our apparent differences, no matter what they might be?

In many religious and spiritual traditions, this is a time of celebrating the new year. For many of us, fall is also a time of beginning again as school and church years begin and we embrace the change of seasons. How might we each welcome this time of new beginnings in our own lives?