Every Little Thing

Grand Baby Torin

The comfortableness of days passing. I’ve been savoring the gentleness of life. During our recent ice storm, I loved the feeling of being in a cocoon, warm and happy. Every morning, I look forward to waking up slowly, enjoying hot coffee and reading, while petting a cat. There is great joy to be found in gathering ingredients to make soup, chopping vegetables, smelling spices and deciding which ones to add to the mix. The coziness of word games is almost more than I can bear. Most of this life I’ve been happy, but never like this. Every little thing is exquisite. 

“The Kingdom is perfectly united and perfectly protected, and the ego will not prevail against it. Amen.” From A Course in Miracles, Text Chapter 4: The Illusions of the Ego. Love without Conflict

Dickinson — I Had No Time To Hate

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

I had no time to Hate -
Because
The Grave would hinder me -
And Life was not so 
Ample I
Could finish--Enmity -

Nor had I time to Love -
But since
Some Industry must be -
The little Toil of Love -
I thought
Was large enough for Me .

Emily Dickinson

Imagine All The People…

Art by J. Clement Wall

JudyClementWall.com

 When the attacks of 9/11 happened more than two decades ago, I remember thinking it was an opportunity for our world to come together in peace, to stand united against aggression of all sorts, to form a bond which would neutralize all which is unlike good. I see the attack by Russia on the Ukraine as another pivotal point where we have a chance to do the right thing. While reviewing what is happening and why it has come about, I also have come across all the propaganda proclaiming this selfish dictator is doing a good thing. At this point, I see more people every moment recognizing what is happening, comparing it to the power plays which have been happening in this country, and realizing it must be stopped if the people of this world are to have a chance of thriving in peace and happiness; helping each other through times of trouble rather than locking their doors and looking the other way. Imagine all the people, living life in peace …

“This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace. The breaking up of material beliefs may seem to be famine and pestilence, want and woe, sin, sickness, and death, which assume new phases until their nothingness appears. These disturbances will continue until the end of error, when all discord will be swallowed up in spiritual Truth.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:12-20

War and Peace

 While contemplating peace, these writings were brought to my attention. 

“One night a feast was held in the palace, and there came a man and prostrated himself before the prince, and all the feasters looked upon him; and they saw that one of his eyes was out and that the empty socket bled. And the prince inquired of him, 'What has befallen you?' And the man replied, 'O prince, I am by profession a thief, and this night, because there was no moon, I went to rob the money-changer's shop, and as I climbed in through the window I made a mistake and entered the weaver's shop, and in the dark I ran into the weaver's loom and my eye was plucked out. And now, O prince, I ask for justice upon the weaver.' 

Then the prince sent for the weaver and he came, and it was decreed that one of his eyes should be plucked out. 

'O prince,' said the weaver, 'the decree is just. It is right that 
one of my eyes be taken. And yet, alas! both are necessary to me in order that I may see the two sides of the cloth that I weave. But I have a neighbour, a cobbler, who has also two eyes, and in his trade both eyes are not necessary.' 

Then the prince sent for the cobbler. And he came. And they took out one of the cobbler's two eyes.

 And justice was satisfied.” Kahlil Gibran

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. " John F. Kennedy

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress." Mary Baker Eddy 

“No one attacks without intent to hurt.This can have no exception. When you think that you attack in self-defense, you mean that to be cruel is protection; you are safe because of cruelty. You mean that you believe to hurt another brings you freedom. And you mean that to attack is to exchange the state in which you are for something better, safer, more secure from dangerous invasion and from fear.” A Course in Miracles — W-170.1. 

Conflict Transformation

 

Basin Park -Eureka Springs AR 

Photo credit: Richard Quick

Conflicts between countries lie heavily on our minds these days. It can be a helpless feeling to watch things unfolding which seem so wrong and also out of our individual control. I've been thinking about conflicts because my nextdoor neighbor has shifted into high gear with his accusations toward me. I pity the people who walk down our dead end street if he happens to be outside, as he begins bombarding them with stories of buzzards and their evil deeds, often shouting my name and declaring it's all my fault that the city hasn't done something about it. Whatever the case, I'm reminded of a time when I worked downtown. As I was leaving work, I heard a man sitting in Basin Park, playing a guitar and singing "What A Wonderful World". As I watched him, I felt totally encompassed by happiness and love. When he finished, I noticed there were three young people sitting on the wall shouting obscenities in my direction. I was so blissed out that it didn't occur to me to be upset in any way and I just looked at them in the same way I'd been looking at the singing man.  It was as if they were deflating before my eyes. They had been all blown up with anger, but it began to seep out of them and we were left gazing at each other. I waved and nodded my head toward them as I walked down the stairway to my car. I am absolutely certain this is the way to transform conflict. And so every time my thoughts turn toward my ranting neighbor or world leaders who seem to be out of control, I will find a way to raise my vibration joyfully and send every bit of it toward them! Namaste ...

“During this final conflict, wicked minds will endeavor to find means by which to accomplish more evil; but those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:31-4

Are You Hypnotized?

 How many of you have been hypnotized? If asked, most of us would probably say we have not. But, what of the hypnotism of ritual and repetition? Perhaps after hearing the same commercial for high blood pressure medication five times a day, we acquiesce and have high blood pressure. Daily news programs pound certain “facts” into our brain until we begin to agree and tell our friends they should, too. The songs we listen to, the television we watch, the podcasts we believe, aren’t they all forms of hypnotism? Personally, I am in love with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. As with any indulgence, I’m aware it has the opportunity to turn into a bothersome addiction. Perhaps I was hypnotized into watching this show in the first place? But if I allow it to replay in my mind, or if (heaven forbid) I decide to do one of her standup comedy routines at the next gathering of people I’m at — well, that could be a problem. I’m not suggesting we stop enjoying all the fun things we like. I’m simply reminding myself to be aware of what’s happening when I fall into the trap of repeating, repenting, or reruns of Mrs. Maisel. Life is supposed to be fun, so let’s keep on having it! Also, let’s be aware those cravings we’re feeling may just be the result of mesmerism. We, the people, are sharp enough to know the difference…

"We say that one human mind can influence another and in this way affect the body, but we rarely remember that we govern our own bodies. The error, mesmerism -- or hypnotism, to use the recent term -- illustrates the fact just stated. The operator would make his subjects believe that they cannot act voluntarily and handle themselves as they should do. If they yield to this influence, it is because their belief is not better instructed by spiritual understanding." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 402:20

That Which You Are

 

Photo credit Aaron Springston

I Said To The Wanting-Creature Inside Me - by Kabir

"I said to the wanting-creature inside me:
What is this river you want to cross?
There are no travelers on the river-road, and no road.
Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or nesting?

There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.
There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.
There is no ground, no sky, no time, no bank, no ford!KA

And there is no body, and no mind!
Do you believe there is some place that will make the
soul less thirsty?
In that great absence you will find nothing.

Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet.
Think about it carefully!
Don't go off somewhere else!

Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of
imaginary things,
and stand firm in that which you are."

By: Kabir

Perceived Words Matter

Photo credit: Richard Quick

 Words matter. I’ve always believed this oft-repeated maxim, and still do, although recently I’ve refined my thought about it. How we perceive words is what matters. In pondering this, a childhood memory popped up. My parents had friends who visited us often and spent hours in conversation with them. The man of the couple used profanity quite often. Damn, hell, goddam, flowed through his conversation naturally. We also had a relative in Arizona who visited yearly, and we traveled there almost as often. He was the same: talking happily with curses interwoven throughout his wonderful stories. My parents’ home was a profanity-free zone, except where these two men were concerned. It came so naturally to them that it did not seem bad. Looking back, it was charming in its own way. Thinking about their words now, I see it was simply an expression of their joyful spirit. It didn’t seem bad, because it wasn’t. I’m relating this tale to our society’s interpretation of situations which are foreign to us — such as, same-sex marriage, religious rituals different from what is our norm, the releasing of long-held ideologies, and other changes. I hope we can give ourselves a chance to look behind our prejudices and see the intent of those we are so quick to condemn. My hope for today is that we all see the truth behind actions. Is it love-based — whatever IT is? As an aside, both of these men were Catholic, so I grew up with the misapprehension that all Catholics cursed profusely. See how easy it is to make judgments? Namaste, Friends ...

"As you step back, the light in you steps forward and encompasses the world. It heralds not the end of sin in punishment and death. In lightness and in laughter is sin gone, because its quaint absurdity is seen.” A Course in Miracles - W-156.6:2-4

“By purifying human thought, this state of mind permeates with increased harmony all the minutiae of human affairs.” Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellaneous Writings Page 204:23-25

Fabulous Creatures

 This book, The House in the Cerulean Sea, is perhaps the most enjoyable and life-affirming book I’ve ever read. Through this beautiful prose, we are shown how things are not always as they seem. We see how fear of the unknown and unwillingness to change can bring unhappiness and anger. We also get to witness how loving kindness, common sense, and a deep compassion for everyone and everything can create a utopia which was before unknown. The simple act of caring for others, no matter how different they seem to be from what we consider the norm, can facilitate a sea change in even the most deeply-instilled behaviors. This book gives me hope for humanity. Thank you, T.J. Klune for reinforcing the notion that change is not only possible, but can be comfortable — no matter from which angle it is experienced. This book came along at a time when I need an attitude adjustment, and I am grateful.

“The course [A Course in Miracles] does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.” From A Course in Miracles introductionÅ

Banning Books?

Should books be banned from public schools? Some people are upset that their children might learn about sex and gender issues which they would rather not think about. Others seem to be afraid their children will learn their ancestors were not the kind-hearted humans they choose to see them as being. Perhaps some are afraid their children will learn about religious and spiritual ideas which are not copasetic with their own. All of these things, and more, are impossible to “shield” our children from, especially in the age of technology when all sorts of information, correct and not so much, is at their fingertips. Perhaps it would be wiser to teach critical thinking and reading comprehension, enabling our children to think for themselves and discern information for what it is. We, as adults, have an obligation to be brave and face tough questions, and answers. What is more important for the advancement of humanity, to hide the fact that great-grandpa fathered a child with his slave, or to allow our children to know the truth of how we came to this country and created what we see today? There seem to be no easy answers, but I’m pretty sure we’re making this more difficult than it should be. 

"A few immortal sentences, breathing the omnipotence of divine justice, have been potent to break despotic fetters and abolish the whipping-post and slave market; but oppression neither went down in blood, nor did the breath of freedom come from the cannon’s mouth. Love is the liberator." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:16-22Å

Don't Hesitate

 

Me and Kriste-lee, circa 2018

Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

"If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate.

Give in to it.

There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind.

And much can never be redeemed.

Still, life has some possibility left.

Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. 

It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.

Anyway, that’s often the case.

Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty.

Joy is not made to be a crumb."

by Mary Oliver

Who's Responsible for Assessing the Truth?

 This question, asked in a news magazine, caught my attention: “Who’s responsible, ultimately, for assessing truth?” This was asked in reference to popular podcast host, Joe Rogan, and the fact that he spreads misinformation. This, he freely admits. He said on a talk show, “I talk shit for a living – that’s why this is so baffling to me. If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault?” Mr. Rogan has a larger audience than many news networks, and his followers are mainly young, white men. His highly publicized words concerning vaccines have brought demands that streaming platforms monitor their content; hence the question, who’s responsible for assessing truth? Personally, I think it’s the individual. But it seems that we the people don’t have the inclination, or perhaps the education, to assess truth. Our critical thinking and reading comprehension seem to have taken a nosedive and people are relying on false headlines and opinionated podcasts to inform them on world events. So what do we do? Is censorship the answer? It’s difficult to say that books shouldn’t be banned, yet podcasts and such should be censored. But it sure is tempting to do so!

"The time for thinkers has come. Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page VII:13

The World As A Place Of Freedom

 

photo credit: James DeVito

I have often been asked if (or perhaps told that) Christian Science is a cult. Having been affiliated with this way of life since childhood, it assuredly is not. I've never been controlled by anyone, or asked to worship anyone, or any of the other criteria necessary to qualify for this category of action. And I'm sure that Course in Miracles students often get the same thing, judging from what a quick search of YouTube videos reveal! What we do ask of ourselves is a radical reliance on God, a wholehearted acceptance of Spirit as the only power, to recognize that Love leads every action. This is the goal I set for myself at every moment. And this is why I see such a strong interaction with these two disciplines: they both ask us to give up material beliefs and rely on Truth. This may not be as hard as we'd like to make it out to be! Think back on the so-called laws of life you have adopted in the past. Shouldn't it be as easy to allow spiritual principles to guide your actions as it is to accept material rules which make no sense? For example, why should being cold and wet give you a cold? What silly admonitions we have heard about things that will cause us to "catch cold". This is only one example, but I'm sure you can think of many you have heard and lived by in your life. This quote from ACIM Lesson 34 says it all: "When I see the world as a place of freedom, I realize that it reflects the laws of God instead of the rules I made up for it to obey." And the rules of God are simple to hear when we have cleared out the cacophony which hides them from our thought. To live from the Truth within rather than the made-up rules of material existence, this is the freedom which will lead into harmonious peace for all. 

"The conceptions of mortal, erring thought must give way to the ideal of all that is perfect and eternal. Through many generations human beliefs will be attaining diviner conceptions, and the immortal and perfect model of God's creation will finally be seen as the only true conception of being." Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health Page 260:7-12

When a Dog Runs Up

 

In Memory of Daffy the Dog

When a Dog Runs Up (by Hafiz)

"Start seeing everything as God, but keep

it a secret.

Become like the man and woman who are

awestruck and nourished

listening to a golden nightingale sing

in a beautiful foreign language while God,

invisible to most, nests upon its tongue.

Hafiz, who can tell in this world that

when a dog runs up to you wagging its

ecstatic tail, you lean over and whisper in

its ear,

“Beloved, I am so glad you are happy to

see me! Beloved, I am so glad, so very glad

you have come!”

Offering Peace

 

Imagine seeing an image of an automatic weapon and the words: "Give peace a chance. I'll cover you if it doesn't work out." Where did we ever get the notion that we could be protected from violence by violence? I read an article from a few years back in which President Jimmy Carter was telling us the time for peace is now. He also asked on-point questions such as, why have we decided that killing people keeps people from killing people, and why do governments wage wars to enforce peace. There are a multitude of ways we seem to think violence will end violence. I look back over the last few decades and it is astounding how often teachers and parents and authority figures think they can control others with threats and corporal punishment. Violent little boys grow up to be violent little men. Let's just stop it -- stop it now!

"Peace is impossible to those who look on war. Peace is inevitable to those who offer peace. How easily, then, is your judgment of the world escaped! It is not the world that makes peace seem impossible. It is the world you see that is impossible. Yet has God's Judgment on this distorted world redeemed it and made it fit to welcome peace. And peace descends on it in joyous answer. Peace now belongs here, because a Thought of God has entered. What else but a Thought of God turns hell to Heaven merely by being what it is? The earth bows down before its gracious Presence, and it leans down in answer, to raise it up again. Now is the question different. It is no longer, 'Can peace be possible in this world?' but instead, 'Is it not impossible that peace be absent here?'" ACIM M-11.4

A Voice as Loud as I'm Willing to Listen

photo credit: Richard Quick

In the past few years, I've noticed that many people want others to tell them what to do. We seem to flock to those who are willing, even eager, to guide us through the maze of life. Perhaps it’s because if we’re doing what someone else tells us, then we can blame them if it doesn’t work out! (I’m only partly joking about that) Sometimes we are afraid to make decisions for ourselves because we don’t trust that we are informed enough to do so. At that point, we either throw up our hands and don’t do anything, or we ask someone else what they’re going to do so we can do it, too. Perhaps we don’t trust our own inner guidance because we have so often mistaken our busy little mind for the calm voice of the divine Mind. We are told in the textbook of A Course in Miracles that “His voice is as loud as I am willing to listen.” Let’s not expect a big, booming human voice to come down from above, but a still, small certainty in the deepness of ourselves, leading us as the expression of Life, Truth, and Love! Trust yourSelf! 

"Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the mental molecule to infinity. This divine Principle of all expresses Science and art throughout creation, and the immortality of man and the universe." Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health Page 507:24-28

Trust YourSelf

 

photo credit: Blake Lasater

The world we live in teaches us we should try to defend against every contingency which may come up -- i.e., get your inoculations, take out insurance for every possible disaster, check your blood pressure, teach your children not to talk to strangers -- the list goes on and on. Is it possible to protect our mortal selves from every material malady which may befall us? Of course not. But we can be aware of the still, small voice which is always guiding us in our every action, when we listen. Trust yourself! Listen to your instinctual prompts; this is where safety lies. I now see that defensive behavior is nothing more than trusting in suppositional evil more than the truth of Being. When we trust the Eternal, a peace always dreamed of is actualized, and we find ourselves imparting that peace to others, through our living of it.

“Instead of tenaciously defending the supposed rights of disease [and other seeming threats], while complaining of the suffering disease brings, would it not be well to abandon the defense, especially when by so doing our own condition can be improved and that of other persons as well?” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 348:21-25

A Million Light Years of Being

•  [Art Diana Sudyka]

By J. L. Stanley​

[taken from Cosmic Dancer]

​  ​

"When they ask to see your gods

your book of prayers

show them lines

drawn delicately with veins

on the underside of a bird's wing

tell them you believe

in giant sycamores mottled

and stark against a winter sky

and in nights so frozen

stars crack open spilling

streams of molten ice to earth

and tell them how you drink

a holy wine of honeysuckle

on a warm spring day

and of the softness

of your mother who never taught you

death was life's reward

but who believed in the earth

and the sun

and a million, million light years

of being."

​~ J.L. Stanley

Gratitude as a Reset for Thought

There was an interesting editorial in the Christian Science Monitor which talked about gratitude in times of crisis. Gratitude was expressed for health care professionals working to contain and treat the current virus outbreak, among other things. The essay mentioned how gratitude helps put a focus on the good in a situation, dampening fear. It helps people form stronger bonds across borders and through their differences. It encourages generosity. I found it particularly interesting that they referred to expressing appreciation as a kind of reset for thoughts, saying that it allows calm reflective thinking, which is just what we need to bring a healing perspective during these times. These wise words can certainly be applied to many situations in our current atmosphere, don't you think? I'm going to practice this as a way of turning around fearful or defensive thinking when it occurs. If someone is expressing a thought which I find abrasive, I will find something to be grateful for about them. When a politician has upset me with his actions, I shall try to follow my own advice. Whatever the case, I love thinking about gratitude as a "reset"!!

"Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 3:25-26

The Thought System of Separation

creations of and photo from Dale Johnson

I listen to audiobooks while I do chores and cook. Lately, I’ve heard numerous thought-provoking books. Right now, I’m listening to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and the concepts presented are fascinating. A young 19th-century girl laments her life, wishing she had more freedom and wasn’t being forced into a marriage. She makes a pact with the “old gods”, but she wishes for the wrong thing and ends up living forever, but no one can remember her once she’s out of their sight. The life of isolation she is thrown into is haunting, frightening, sad. Her plight brings to mind the many present-day people who are lonesome. I listen, trying to understand what brings on their feelings of wistful longing. Or is it even longing? I’m not sure, but I’d like to empathize. Another recent audiobook, What Alice Forgot, is about a woman who has a head injury and forgets the last ten years of her life. The lack of connection she feels with family and friends is sort of the flip side of Addie’s isolation. It takes my thoughts to the different aspects of loneliness and the perceptions associated with this feeling of lack. Perhaps the quest to understand our unity, to feel unseparated from our source, precludes this feeling I do not know. Walking with God may not mean the same thing to me as it might to others. This is yet another thing to ponder on these winter evenings! Stay warm and happy, everyone. Namaste…

“The ego thought system must hide our awareness of our oneness in God in order to make the image of having a separate life for ourselves alone appear real to us. In order to experience this false thought system, we must be willing to set up barriers against remembering God’s oneness through denying our natural awareness of Love’s eternal presence. To experience this thought system of separation, we dream up a world where separate bodies rule the universe. In this dream, we, as separate individuals, are the judge of what is real and what is denied. We build up images of a kingdom that we rule alone and God’s oneness is sacrificed.” A Course in Miracles, Chapter 26, Section I. (pages 542-544)

Is Happiness a Learned Behavior?

 

photo from movie, Brad's Status

After watching the movie, Brad's Status, I'm seeing people in a different way. In this movie, Brad -- played by Ben Stiller -- is dissatisfied with his life. He thinks all his friends are better off than him, in every way. When he sees that they're not really, he decides they're not even his friends, but only pretending. Everyone he meets, he imagines enriching his life, then quickly imagines them using him and throwing him away. He thinks his son is going to Harvard and gets very excited thinking about his success; then he imagines his son making fun of him on national tv and he resents the imagined success. This goes on and on with every situation, until finally someone he has just met calls him on his self-pity. I won't tell you how it ends in case you want to see this film. But I did have the realization that many people I know feel exactly the same way as Brad. What causes some people to be happy with what's right in front of them, and others to want everything to be different? I don't know the cause, but I do know the cure: Gratitude for every little thing you see and do. I think being happy might just be a learned behavior. We tend to think of it as some sort of divine dispensation, but nothing can give you what you do not want. This movie has given me much to ponder. Namaste, my friends ...

"Many theories relative to God and man neither make man harmonious nor God lovable. The beliefs we commonly entertain about happiness and life afford no scatheless and permanent evidence of either. Security for the claims of harmonious and eternal being is found only in divine Science." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:5

The Storm - by Mary Oliver

 

Arthur Bruno's Dog, Winter

The Storm - by Mary Oliver​

Now through the white orchard my little dog
romps,

breaking the new snow
with wild feet.


Running here running there, excited,
 hardly able to stop, 

he leaps, he spins


until the white snow is written upon
in large, exuberant letters,


a long sentence, expressing
 the pleasures of the body in this world.


Oh, I could not have said it better