Trying to be Good

You may recall I’ve mentioned the writing of Robert Klose. He’s a novelist and, also, a feature writer for the Christian Science Monitor. He recently had an essay in that magazine where he told of his house being robbed by a neighborhood teenaged boy. He asked the authorities if he could offer the thief an alternative to court-ordered punishment. He asked the boy to pay back the money and meet with him one day a week for an hour. During that hour, they would work on his homework first, and the other 30 minutes would be spent talking about anything the young man wanted. It was a good experience for them both but, even though the boy learned many valuable things from these encounters, he has occasionally lapsed into illegal behavior and spent time in jail. But when he’s back in the neighborhood, he is respectful and visits his mentor. Last time they met, Mr. Klose thanked the young man for thinking enough of his neighborhood to let it continue in peace. The kid said, “I’m trying to be good.” “Aren’t we all”, said Klose. Yes, aren’t we all trying to be good? Happy New Year!! Be a mentor!

"The incarnation of Truth, that amplification of wonder and glory which angels could only whisper and which God illustrated by light and harmony, is consonant with ever-present Love. So-called mystery and miracle, which subserve the end of natural good, are explained by that Love for whose rest the weary ones sigh when needing something more native to their immortal cravings than the history of perpetual evil." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 501:8