Beyond Conflict

We are living in a “grim era of demonization”. I’ve mentioned before a group called Beyond Conflict, which found that around 80% of those who call themselves Democrats or Republicans overestimate the level to which the other side dehumanizes them. In other words, I don’t think you’re as bad as you think I think you are! It’s time we all begin to realize these truths and start talking to each other with civility. Almost 70 years ago, Margaret Chase Smith asked her political party to “do some soul-searching” and not to ride to power on character assassination and unsubstantiated accusations of treason. She made this plea from the Senate floor, but she did not point fingers at the culprit. It was Joseph McCarthy who was making accusations unrooted in truth, but by not calling him out she exposed the emptiness of his crusade, which soon collapsed. We are currently hearing outlandish and unfounded accusations, and it is our duty to seek truth and celebrate it. Harmony is seeking our attention! I pray we will find it.

“Discord is the nothingness named error. Harmony is the soothingness named Truth.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 276:26

“There is a tendency, and it is very strong, to hear this song of death only an instant, and then dismiss it uncorrected. These fleeting awarenesses represent the many opportunities given us literally ‘to change our tune.’ The sound of healing can be heard instead. But first the willingness to question the ‘truth’ of the song of condemnation must arise. The strange distortions woven inextricably into the self-concept, itself but a pseudo-creation, make this ugly sound seem truly beautiful. ’The rhythm of the universe,’ ‘the herald angel’s song,’ all these and more are heard instead of loud discordant shrieks.”
A Course in Miracles P-2.VI.2:1-6

The Value of Motherhood

Art by Margarita Sikorskaia

Written by Toni Morrison

“There was something so valuable about what happened when one became a mother. For me, it was the most liberating thing that ever happened to me. Liberating because the demands that children make are not the demands of a normal ‘other.’ 

The children’s demands on me were things that nobody ever asked me to do. 

To be a good manager. 

To have a sense of humor. 

To deliver something that somebody could use. 

And they were not interested in all the things that other people were interested in, like what I was wearing or if I were sensual. Somehow all of the baggage that I had accumulated as a person about what was valuable just fell away. I could not only be me—whatever that was—but somebody actually needed me to be that.

If you listen to your children, somehow you are able to free yourself from baggage and vanity and all sorts of things and deliver a better self, one that you like. The person that was in me that I liked best was the one my children seemed to want."

Written by Toni Morrison

“Mother. God; divine and eternal Principle; Life, Truth, and Love.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 592:16-17

“Pause and be still a little while, and see how far you rise above the world, when you release your mind from chains and let it seek the level where it finds itself at home. It will be grateful to be free a while. It knows where it belongs. But free its wings, and it will fly in sureness and in joy to join its holy purpose. Let it rest in its Creator, there to be restored to sanity, to freedom and to love.” 

A Course in Miracles W-128.6:1-5

Can’t Push the River

A dear friend is trying to make a decision about her future: whether to sell her business, how to sell a house she’s been in 50 years, where to go — if anywhere. Hearing her worries reminded me of 30 years ago when I wanted to move to my present village. My boys were going to Clear Spring School and I decided to move from Berryville to Eureka Springs. There were obstacles which seemed insurmountable and no matter how much I planned and worried, nothing was working out. At some point I read an article purported to be written by Mary Baker Eddy entitled “Place”, and it was her words which allowed me to stop all the mental chatter and surrender to divine Mind. Shortly afterwards, I was recycling newspapers and a house rental ad jumped off the page at me. It’s the same house where I’ve happily raised my children, the home where inspiration was sparked for a business which introduced me to hundreds of great friends, the place I love to be more than anywhere. Through the years, I've watched in wonder as answers come when I no longer worry over possibilities. Unfortunately, trying to explain this concept is not easy. Yielding of personal will is not a popular idea. We are learning we can't push the river...

“The place you seek is seeking you, the place you need is needing you.”
Mary Baker Eddy [There is some controversy as to whether she wrote the article entitled “Place”.]

“Let Him, therefore, be the only Guide that you would follow to salvation. He knows the way, and leads you gladly on it. With Him you will not fail to learn that what God wills for you is your will. Without His guidance you will think you know alone, and will decide against your peace as surely as you decided that salvation lay in you alone. Salvation is of Him to Whom God gave it for you. He has not forgotten it. Forget Him not and He will make every decision for you, for your salvation and the peace of God in you.”
A Course in Miracles T-14.III.14:1-7

Solidly Here

“Lean on us, we are solidly here. Strong. With love in our hearts.” These are the words written from a friend to another friend whose husband has just begun hospice care. I’ve said before how important it is to have a strong network of friends, and this seems to be more important as we age. Perhaps it’s not more important; maybe it’s that we find ourselves in need of the comfort more often. For instance, I have friends with dementia, others with serious illnesses, a couple are having a tough time retiring from their life work, while some of us are enjoying that retirement so much because there is more time to bask in these lifelong connections we have nurtured over the years. I also know some people who feel alone and without deep connections. That’s when it becomes important to realize that we are never alone because of our constant kinship with Mother Earth, and with each other through divine Mind. Allowing ourselves to sink into the arms of all encompassing Love brings a security few other relationships afford us. And I am grateful …

“When we fully understand our relation to the Divine, we can have no other Mind but His, — no other Love, wisdom, or Truth, no other sense of Life, and no consciousness of the existence of matter or error.”
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 205:32-3

“Love is freedom. To look for it by placing yourself in bondage is to separate yourself from it. For the Love of God, no longer seek for union in separation, nor for freedom in bondage! As you release, so will you be released. Forget this not, or Love will be unable to find you and comfort you.”
A Course in Miracles T-16.VI.2:1-5

Free Listening

What would you do if you saw a person sitting on the steps of a building with a sign that said, “Free Listening”? I read an article about a man, Kip Clark, who did this on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In his words, "Listening is at the root of anything good that exists between people. It can have a powerful impact when done with sincerity and presence." I’ve been noticing how often people only hear a portion of what is being said — or written. This leads to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. The man featured in this article says he offers no advice, but pays attention without judgment, speaking if it seems appropriate, but mainly listening. Feelings of loneliness and isolation are at an all-time high, and we are searching for ways to help others feel included. Perhaps this is the way. We can all listen with attention and respond when it feels right, allowing true communication to create unity. This could pertain to someone who lives in our home, or a friend far away, or the clerk in the food market. I feel excited at the prospect of being a sounding board during these times of immediate response and rebuttal via social media!

“Be still and listen to the truth today. For each five minutes spent in listening, a thousand minds are opened to the truth and they will hear the holy Word you hear. And when the hour is past, you will again release a thousand more who pause to ask that truth be given them, along with you.” 

A Course in Miracles W-106.9:1-3

“Ears. Not organs of the so-called corporeal senses, but spiritual understanding. Jesus said, referring to spiritual perception, ‘Having ears, hear ye not?’ (Mark viii. 18.) 

Mary Baker Eddy Science & Health Page 585:1-4

Righteous Indignation

Photo credit: Datura Böes

Righteous indignation: There's a lot of it going around, don't you think? Perhaps I notice it because I'm expressing it, too. Maybe I'm too quick to jump on my high horse and adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. Some people think of forgiveness as looking the other way and doing nothing, but we are learning that forgiveness is seeing past the illusion of separation to the reality of our unity. With this view, I can set aside my stories of right and wrong, opening thought to the reality of Love. Some people wonder what good this could possibly do in a world rife with confusion. If everyone lived Love, opening themselves to listen for guidance on how to understand and practice this type of forgiveness — well, just imagine the utopia! There exists a voice audible to anyone willing to listen. Forgiveness, the releasing of illusions, allows this voice to be found. In our unity, one release is everyone's gift. There is no you, me, and God. There is only One. What a joy to be finding our voice!

“The blameless cannot blame, and those who have accepted their innocence see nothing to forgive. Yet forgiveness is the means by which I will recognize my innocence. It is the reflection of God’s Love on earth. It will bring me near enough to Heaven that the Love of God can reach down to me and raise me up to Him.”
A Course in Miracles W-60.1:3-6

"In the Apocalypse it is written: 'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.' In St. John's vision, heaven and earth stand for spiritual ideas, and the sea, as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away. The divine understanding reigns, is all, and there is no other consciousness." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 536:1-9

The Matter With Things

 

The lifework of Iain McGilchrist has captured my attention. His book, “The Matter With Things”, and the multitude of youTube interviews he has given, are deeply profound. For the first time, I’m beginning to understand some interesting patterns of thought in society. Many of us have become ruled almost entirely by the left brain. This side of our thinking organ is necessary because it is logical and literal. But the right side is ruled by intuition, and both sides are needed for us to be fully-functioning people. When we decide music and art are not necessary, when we shut down our creative side, we become more willing to believe what we are told, without question. Dr. McGilchrist gives the example of two people in a car. The driver is being directed by GPS and the map on the screen is showing that they are at a particular intersection. The passenger says, “Wait a minute! That’s not where we are. Look out the window.” But the driver refuses to even look because he is positive he is being told the truth. This is the difference in being ruled by the right and left brain. In my lifetime I’ve watched many things disappear from our educational system, including free play and civics. It’s easy to believe things have gone to hell and we can’t do anything about it. Some of us “think different”. 

“When you say you are acting on the basis of knowledge, you are really confusing knowledge with perception. Knowledge provides the strength for creative thinking, but not for right doing. Perception, miracles and doing are closely related. Knowledge is the result of revelation and induces only thought. Even in its most spiritualized form perception involves the body. Knowledge comes from the altar within and is timeless because it is certain. To perceive the truth is not the same as to know it. “ 

A Course in Miracles T-3.III.5:7-13

“Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color. It is Love which paints the petal with myriad hues, glances in the warm sunbeam, arches the cloud with the bow of beauty, blazons the night with starry gems, and covers earth with loveliness.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 247:21-27

Uplifting Interactions

 

My son and his wife at Meow Wolf, Denver

Sometimes we meet someone with whom we feel an immediate kinship. We experience a “meeting of minds”, so to speak. We find that it doesn’t matter if there are spaces in which we differ in beliefs or understanding, because we respect them and enjoy hearing their thoughts. There have been times when hearing particular ideas (from people with whom I seemingly share no common ground) have caused me to want to flee or lash out. This is a reaction I’ve worked hard to neutralize, as it helps no one and causes me to fill my thoughts with irrelevant discord. It helps to remind myself that we are all made up of the same “stuff”. Our material bodies are remarkably similar to each other, and our spiritual selves are absolute in Oneness. And so today I will look for the middle of the road when interacting with people. It really doesn’t matter the topic of conversation, it can always be an uplifting and informative conversation. As my daddy always said, “If I can’t learn something from the dumbest man I know, then I’m just not listening.” Ha!

“Think of this, dear reader, for it will lift the sackcloth from your eyes, and you will behold the soft-winged dove descending upon you. The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 574:25-30

“Today we will accept our union with each other and our Source. We have no will apart from His, and all of us are one because His Will is shared by all of us. Through it we recognize that we are one. Through it we find our way at last to God.” 

A Course in Miracles W-329.2:1-4

Might There Be Another Way?

 

I love Marianne Williamson’s morning meditation from August 23, and so I’m sending it to you. 

“Today I consider that there might be another way

We were all indoctrinated into a disenchanted world, and we’ve sacrificed a lot in order to live here. The world isn’t better off for having forfeited its tenderness. The meanness and cynicism of our age, the reflexive sarcasm that passes for intelligent reflection, the suspicion and judgment of everyone and everything – such are toxic by-products of a disenchanted worldview.

Many of us went off that wheel of suffering. We don’t want to accept that what is is what has to be. We want to pierce the veil of illusion that separates us from a world of infinite possibility. We want another kind of life for ourselves and for the world. We are considering that there might be another way – a door to miraculous realms simply waiting to be opened.

Today I consider that there might be another way” Marianne Williamson

“You cannot stop with the idea the world is worthless, for unless you see that there is something else to hope for, you will only be depressed. Our emphasis is not on giving up the world, but on exchanging it for what is far more satisfying, filled with joy, and capable of offering you peace. Think you this world can offer that to you?” 

A Course in Miracles W-129.1:2-4

“How are veritable ideas to be distinguished from illusions? By learning the origin of each. Ideas are emanations from the divine Mind. Thoughts, proceeding from the brain or from matter, are offshoots of mortal mind; they are mortal material beliefs. Ideas are spiritual, harmonious, and eternal.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 88:9-13

The Blossom Shines Through the Bud

Photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

When David Hoffmeister was "called" to go on the road and talk to people about the teachings of A Course in Miracles, he didn't know how he would have the funds to do this. He was told by Spirit that all his needs would be supplied, but he didn't believe that. David is a man with excessive formal education, including knowledge of economics, and so he felt certain that Jesus simply didn't understand how the world worked. We tend to think of people like Buddha and St. Francis and Jesus as being beggars of sorts. They didn't make a lot of money, but trusted in the Universe to provide. David was being asked to rely on Spirit to articulate this new/old curriculum. He was being led to teach using everything available -- music, dance, lectures, gatherings -- to help others express deep Love and peace.  The reign of peace has begun, and many people are fighting against it. Let's not be concerned with that. Let's put our energy where it will grow -- on this peaceful transition. Christ consciousness is coming out of hiding and we're being called to help everyone see (by way of our own sight) that this is not some esoteric thing which must be kept secret. It's to be shouted from the rooftops! Fear not, shine your light, call forth witnesses to this light -- and above all, don't tone down your joy!

“Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 518:19-21

“You have been called, together with your brother, to the most holy function this world contains. It is the only one that has no limits, and reaches out to every broken fragment of the Sonship with healing and uniting comfort. This is offered you, in your holy relationship. Accept it here, and you will give as you have accepted. The peace of God is given you with the glowing purpose in which you join with your brother. The holy light that brought you and him together must extend, as you accepted it.” 

A Course in Miracles T-18.I.13:1-6

Reinterpreting Illusions

 

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

Taken in a vineyard in France

We live in a world with many laws to protect us, such as wearing motorcycle helmets and seat belts in cars. Yet the items we find in our grocery stores are filled with chemicals and other things which can barely be classified as food. We are told to use pesticides on ourselves, our gardens, our pets, even though the rates of autoimmune disease and cancer climb steadily. Yet I truly think there IS a spiritual solution to all the things which seem impossibly horrible. I'm not suggesting we hide under the covers and pretend everything is all right, but rather that we recognize the difference in spiritual truth and material illusion. This reinterpretation is similar to what we do when looking down train tracks when they seem to come together, appearing to end, even though we know perfectly well they continue. The proof before our eyes is terribly convincing and it takes a bit of thought, perhaps study, to understand why it is an illusion. Remember how long it took for “us” to realize we wouldn’t fall off the edge of the world if we got in a ship and sailed towards the horizon? There seems to be much to fear when we look out at the world, but when we look inward, we hear truth in the silence. We are nearing a tipping point and every thought is important. Keep up the good work everyone!

“Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right. The illusion of material sense, not divine law, has bound you, entangled your free limbs, crippled your capacities, enfeebled your body, and defaced the tablet of your being.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 227:24-28

“All this beauty will rise to bless your sight as you look upon the world with forgiving eyes. For forgiveness literally transforms vision, and lets you see the real world reaching quietly and gently across chaos, removing all illusions that had twisted your perception and fixed it on the past. The smallest leaf becomes a thing of wonder, and a blade of grass a sign of God’s perfection.” 

A Course in Miracles T-17.II.6:1-3

Anchored With Love

 

First United Methodist Church of Eureka Springs

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

When churches are in the news, it’s often because they’ve done something racist, or selfish, or ridiculous. We hear about those things, but how often do we hear of small churches doing great things? I read an article about Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Greenwood, Mississippi. One woman said, “We’re not trying to be fake. We’re trying to fix Mississippi so we can say that we do love each other. If anyone ever wants to learn about race and how to overcome the problems we all face, come to Little Zion. We teach love.” This little town has many problems, including extreme racism, prejudice, and economic challenges. One person quoted Elie Wiesel, who was sent to a concentration camp when he was 15 and witnessed his father, mother, and sister’s death. He chronicled his ordeal in the book, “Night”, and he assures us that night does indeed turn into dawn. To quote from his memoir, “Open Heart”: “Even in darkness, it is possible to create light and encourage compassion.” I pray that each one of us, along with the residents of Greenwood, Mississippi, will continue to bring light to the darkness. To quote Mr. Wiesel again: “Even in exile, friendship exists and can become an anchor”. Namaste, dear friends...

"The Church is that institution which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas..." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 582:14

“A church that does not inspire love has a hidden altar that is not serving the purpose for which God intended it. I [Jesus] must found His church on you, because those who accept me as a model are literally my disciples. Disciples are followers, and if the model they follow has chosen to save them pain in all respects, they are unwise not to follow him.” 

A Course in Miracles  T-6.I.8:5-7

Effects Without a Cause

 

Photo credit: Blake Lasater

[the use of his photograph does not indicate he agrees with what I say]

When listening to a youtube audio recording of Joel Goldsmith from the early 1960s, time and again the subjects he broached were things which have become major disruptions in our daily living today. As an overview of the many specifics, he says that if all the people in universities were studying ways to save humanity rather than ruin it, the world would be a utopia. He mentions marketing and the selling of yucky things to us, he talks about war and how we’ve convinced ourselves it’s okay to kill others if it’s to protect ourselves, he dares to say religious doctrine is leading us down hopeless paths. And here we are today, ruled by marketing and media, killing each other at an alarming rate, watching environmental disruptions roil up all around. As I write this, I know that no matter how upset I become about events, it will do nothing to rectify what has been done. I am reminded of a Paulo Coelho quote which goes something like this: We cannot change the past, but what we do in the present rectifies the past and changes the future. I’m going to listen to more Joel Goldsmith tomorrow and keep an open heart and mind, trusting myself to recognize paths of righteousness. 

“Speaking of the origin of mortals, a famous naturalist says: ‘It is very possible that many general statements now current, about birth and generation, will be changed with the progress of information.’ Had the naturalist, through his tireless researches, gained the diviner side in Christian Science, — so far apart from his material sense of animal growth and organization, — he would have blessed the human race more abundantly.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 548: 18-25

“The plans you make for safety all are laid within the future, where you cannot plan. No purpose has been given it as yet, and what will happen has as yet no cause. Who can predict effects without a cause? And who could fear effects unless he thought they had been caused, and judged disastrous now? Belief in sin arouses fear, and like its cause, is looking forward, looking back, but overlooking what is here and now. Yet only here and now its cause must be, if its effects already have been judged as fearful. And in overlooking this, is it protected and kept separate from healing. For a miracle is now. It stands already here, in present grace, within the only interval of time that sin and fear have overlooked, but which is all there is to time.” 

A Course in Miracles T-26.VIII.5:1-9

Caring For Those in Need

 

Characters in Ted Lasso

Most of us have friends experiencing maladies of a physical, mental, and/or emotional nature. We all have roles to play in the care and comfort of these friends. My main focus has always been on seeing through the material illusion to the spiritual truth. But recently I’m finding myself called to address, one-on-one, situations with people who need help in various physical ways. Of course, every situation is individual and many factors come into consideration. Whereas, I may be able to joke with one friend about her memory loss, another one might be in denial or take offense to me making “light” of it. One friend and I can laugh about cancer and the effects of chemotherapy, but another might burst into tears at the thought of their possible demise. Our conversations with others is not a one-size-fits-all response, and a good amount of empathy is required in any given moment. I’ve never been one to ignore the elephant sitting in the middle of the room; I like to talk to it and ask if there’s anything I can do for it. And so I find myself finding ways to commiserate and care without exacerbating the problem by heaping on excess sympathy. Every day brings new ways to express Love!

“What Comforter can there be for the sick children of God except His power through you? Remember that it does not matter where in the Sonship He is accepted. He is always accepted for all, and when your mind receives Him the remembrance of Him awakens throughout the Sonship. Heal your brothers simply by accepting God for them. Your minds are not separate, and God has only one channel for healing because He has but one Son. God’s remaining Communication Link with all His children joins them together, and them to Him. To be aware of this is to heal them because it is the awareness that no one is separate, and so no one is sick.” 

A Course in Miracles T-10.III.2:1-7

“Speak the truth to every form of error. Tumors, ulcers, tubercles, inflammation, pain, deformed joints, are waking dream-shadows, dark images of mortal thought, which flee before the light of Truth.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 418:28-31

Unity in Times of Turmoil

 

Photo courtesy of Blake Lasater

The people of Ukraine have discovered their unity in surprising ways. One woman’s church was hit by a Russian missile. She told of people coming to clean up the debris and salvage what could be saved. She said neighbors who were self-proclaimed atheists were working side by side with the parishioners of the Transfiguration Cathedral. She was crying tears of joy because of the newfound camaraderie with her neighborhood. The reporter who wrote the article interviewed many older citizens who had always spoken the Russian language, but have recently learned to speak Ukrainian in solidarity with their fellow countrymen. There is a youth camp in Odesa where it’s recognized that children need to be children, and here they are free to laugh and play. At the same time, they realize many of these kids are emotionally troubled by what they have experienced, and they address the problems head on.  In reading the many instances of people becoming stronger and more compassionate because of the daily battles, there was a realization that the people of American are finding ways to stand in solidarity, too. It’s been a tough seven years. We’ve been lied to, manipulated, mocked, and it has been relentless. We need each other. We need to recognize our similarities while we heal and find our footing again. There is much work to be done, but let’s not forget to share joy with our neighbors. It’s cleansing and energizing!

“If you would look upon love, which is the world’s reality, how could you do better than to recognize, in every defense against it, the underlying appeal for it? And how could you better learn of its reality than by answering the appeal for it by giving it? The Holy Spirit’s interpretation of fear does dispel it, for the awareness of truth cannot be denied. Thus does the Holy Spirit replace fear with love and translate error into truth. And thus will you learn of Him how to replace your dream of separation with the fact of unity. For the separation is only the denial of union, and correctly interpreted, attests to your eternal knowledge that union is true.” 

A Course in Miracles T-12.I.10:1-6

“Unity of spirit gives new pinions to joy, or else joy’s drooping wings trail in dust.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 58:2-4

Through Laughter and Tears

 

Laughter is such a cleansing activity, don’t you think? In times of trouble, I have been very grateful for friends who aren’t afraid to laugh with me. Yesterday was full of activity, which included visiting a friend who has been diagnosed with a bone condition. Although she is facing an uncertain future, we had a lovely time visiting and laughing with each other. Also included in our festivities was a friend who is experiencing some severe memory loss. We weren’t afraid to address that problem as it was happening and share a few chuckles about that, too. The woman who experienced the spontaneous break of her tibia is as full of life and laughter as she was before this malady showed up in her experience. What I love most about all of the older women in my life is how we are not afraid to address what is going on and come together to help each other, whether it be with tears or laughter.  We support one another through trying times, and celebrate during the joys. I’ve touched on this subject before, but I can’t repeat it often enough. The women I know are one tough bunch, and I’m so happy to know all who love out loud — no matter the circumstance. Here’s to you!

“In gentle laughter does the Holy Spirit perceive the cause, and looks not to effects. How else could He correct your error, who have overlooked the cause entirely? He bids you bring each terrible effect to Him that you may look together on its foolish cause and laugh with Him a while. You judge effects, but He has judged their cause. And by His judgment are effects removed. Perhaps you come in tears. But hear Him say, ‘My brother, holy Son of God, behold your idle dream, in which this could occur.’ And you will leave the holy instant with your laughter and your brother’s joined with His.” 

A Course in Miracles T-27.VIII.9:1-8

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health - Page:106:26-29

Thank You For Lying

 

Photo credit: Aaron Springston

Seventy years ago, a young Chicano woman had a baby out of wedlock. She kept me for two months before her family forced her to give me to her Tia Sophia, who was 40 and had always wanted a baby, but she and her husband could not have children. And so they took me as their own, changed my name and birthdate, and moved to a state where no one knew them. When I found out about these events as my dad was on his deathbed, it came as quite a surprise. I was disappointed and angry because they had taught me to be incredibly honest, and it felt as though my whole life had been a lie. It didn’t take too many years for me to see the wisdom of their ways. In the 1950s an illegitimate child carried quite a stigma; perhaps an adopted one did, too. Looking back on the situation, I have nothing but gratitude for the people who educated me, loved me, and provided me with an understanding of divine metaphysics which could not have occurred in most households in Arkansas. Thank you greatly …

“Physical birth is not a beginning; it is a continuing. Everything that continues has already been born.” A Course in Miracles T-5.IV.2:4-5

“Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free!” 

Mary Baker Eddy — Science & Health 227:24-25