Author Archives: Valerie Freseman

About Valerie Freseman

Valerie Freseman is a Unitarian Universalist minister and a 2014 graduate of Union Theological Seminary. She completed a chaplain residency at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT, and served as the first year-long Killam Ministerial intern at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland. She is passionate about spinning the inter-dependent web, creating a more just world, and applying the arts to faith.  She is also becoming increasingly well-known for her sock collection.

Watering your Voice

Posted on July 8, 2020

There is nothing pretty about isolation; I feel that even more so these last 5 months. I was already pretty isolated- I have few friends out here aside from colleagues,and ministry in a time of national convulsion and fear (and … Continue reading →

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Self-affirming and self-reliant

Posted on July 5, 2020

“A healthy six is self-affirming and self-reliant” These are the words that greeted me this morning in my inbox. I subscribe to Enneagram thought of the day- at the recommendation of a facebook group for ministers. The stressors of the … Continue reading →

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Green Light Bill

Posted on June 7, 2019

The Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act currently before the NY state legislature is about safety and dignity. It offers those who are already a part of our community the ability to abide by our laws, not to evade them.  … Continue reading →

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The Sun Stands Still

Posted on December 21, 2017

  I missed the eclipse this year. I didn’t travel to the  “belt”, I didn’t get the sunglasses, I didn’t do anything but notice an odder shade of shadow accompanying the day-time clouds as I walked from my physical therapy … Continue reading →

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Front End Premium

Posted on December 7, 2017

    It seems that for a long time now, about 80% of snail mail that arrives at my household are direct mail appeals. And the escalating war of the front-end premium has now reached epic proportions. A front-end premium … Continue reading →

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A Penny a Pound…

Posted on November 22, 2017

I grew up eating a lot of tomatoes, learning at one point how to can tomatoes, and appreciating the bounty and deliciousness of summer delivered to you from just a few yards away from your doorstep. But earlier this week, … Continue reading →

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Ode to the Mets, losing again

Posted on November 2, 2015

  When the daffodils  return to Queens We will be back, To listen once more for the “twack” of home runs thrilling the night, And our mighty heroes: Thor, and DeGrom, Cespedes and Wright And Mr. Met will stoke the … Continue reading →

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Turning the Wheel

Posted on October 31, 2015

The Year Turns, and the night draws its cloak closer and wider around us. Harvest is still possible and it is within Life’s capacity to give us  sustenance as we honor those labor to bring from Her.  The Wheel turns, … Continue reading →

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The Ecosystem of Gun Violence

Posted on October 23, 2015

A virus attaches itself to an animal. It can replicate quickly, or it can lie dormant. It does not present as a killer until the symptoms of the illness it transmits are seen, and even then, the carrier of the … Continue reading →

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Neighbors and Strangers

Posted on January 11, 2015

Who is a neighbor? Who is a stranger? These are the questions that confront anyone who volunteers for accompaniment work for with the New Sanctuary Coalition. The people I volunteer to accompany to their immigration check-ins are often, at first, … Continue reading →

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