Every Thought is Important

I’ve noticed myself (and others) mindlessly repeating things we have heard, whether it be truth or rumor, good news or a horrid happening, or simple inanities. In the volatile atmosphere of our emotionally-charged country, it is particularly important to scatter joy and express kindness. Kindness goes hand-in-hand with compassionate, but that doesn’t mean we must exacerbate others' pain by adding our own to it. I’ve heard it said that worry is much like praying for something bad to happen. With this in mind, I will try to only see, hear, and repeat good. This does not mean I will ignore injustice in all its many faces, nor does it mean that I'll turn my back on someone in need. It does mean when I hear of yet another travesty against mankind and the environment, I will see it through different eyes, translating it into what can occur to move us into our true selves as images of the divine. Planning to refrain from rehashing horror stories, or engaging in inane conversations, or telling my own stories which top the bad things others have experienced, these are things I can and will do at every opportunity. Every thought matters, and ours may be the one which turns it all around!

Mary Baker Eddy quote: “The power of the human will should be exercised only in subordination to Truth; else it will misguide the judgment and free the lower propensities. It is the province of spiritual sense to govern man.” Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 206:2-7

Space Between the Thoughts

Utah - Photo Credit: Aaron Springston

The first time I heard the phrase “pray without ceasing”, I didn’t understand how that could be possible. When I learned that prayer was listening, not asking or telling, it started to seem more feasible to be in continual prayer. As I’ve discovered ways to know when my mortal mind is overruling the divine Mind, it’s become even more imperative to listen to intuition rather than my own often-misplaced logic. We get caught up in day-to-day activity, but a desire to fall into the space between the thoughts facilitates the ability to do so. A short moment while waiting for a stoplight to change can be a few seconds of deep meditation. A walk with the dogs is a perfect opportunity to stop extraneous thoughts and savor quiet peace. Any activity which allows our mind to stop its repetitive race — gardening, sewing, piano playing — is a moment of communion with All that Is. Let’s not wait for that perfect, quiet time to meditate and pray, when every moment affords an opportunity!

“Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence as they assuredly call down infinite blessings. Trustworthiness is the foundation of enlightened faith. Without a fitness for holiness, we cannot receive holiness” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 15:25

Trust Your Local Farmer

During these troubling times, we aren't sure who or what to trust. I am choosing to trust in our local farmers. We have been building relationships with them for years. We've watched their families grow, their farms expand, their vegetables become more abundant with the increases in  winter growing capabilities, along with changing planting and harvest techniques. Frequenting farmers markets has opened up a new food source for many, helping us turn away from pesticide-ridden crops and the fossil-fuel-guzzling shipments from thousands of miles away. They help us understand how to prepare nourishing food, how to plant our own small patches to supply our needs, allowing us to eat what is clean and has been produced with loving care. Small-scale food production is what most of us grew up with, and today it seems more important than any other time in our lives. I am grateful for each and every person who brings food to our tables and nourishes our spirit through the farmer's markets! Kudos to you!

"Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature. Arctic regions, sunny tropics, giant hills, winged winds, mighty billows, verdant vales, festive flowers, and glorious heavens -- all point to Mind, the spiritual intelligence they reflect. The floral apostles are hieroglyphs of Deity. Suns and planets teach grand lessons. The stars make night beautiful and the leaflet turns naturally towards the light." Mary Baker Eddy, Science & Health Page 240

Keep on Dancing!

Photo from my son's wedding last year

Yesterday I sent a video of the happiest song I know, by some of the happiest performers I've witnessed. The response has been heartening, with many of you telling me you're dancing and feeling joyful. My favorite is from a dear friend whose granddaughter lives in Costa Rica and will be celebrating her 8th birthday. They were asked to send a video of themselves dancing (or perhaps they are going to do a Zoom -- I'm not certain), but nevertheless, this close friend was a bit freaked out at the prospect and spent quite some time planning what to wear, how to dance, and what to dance to. After she read my "everybody dance" message, she sent me a video of her practicing. She thought it was full of bloopers and was hilarious, so she wanted to share. What I saw did make me laugh out loud a lot, as it was so joy-filled and free-spirited that I watched it more than once, simply to share in her happiness. This, dear friends, is what we're doing for each other and will continue to do: hold one another up with our light. There are times when even the most Pollyanna-ish of us can feel a bit helpless and/or sad. Let's not be afraid to scatter joy, even if we feel we look silly doing it! Donna proved that to me today. She thought of her dance as full of bloopers; I saw it as an act of Love equal to anything I've witnessed. Thank you, dear Friend!

"Who that has felt the loss of human peace has not gained stronger desires for spiritual joy? The aspiration after heavenly good comes even before we discover what belongs to wisdom and Love. The loss of earthly hopes and pleasures brightens the ascending path of many a heart. The pains of sense quickly inform us that the pleasures of sense are mortal and that joy is spiritual." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 265:23

Get Up And Dance!

Aaron and Kailey's wedding

Today I wish you joy. To facilitate that fabulous feeling, I send you the happiest video I know. Get up and dance! 

Wishing you a day of digging in the dirt, riding in your car, chatting with friends, remembering that Love is all around. Happy Sunday everyone...

https://youtu.be/Kb4Qfo0HQrs

Science of The Christ

Moab - Photo credit: Aaron Springston

I have spent my life never fearing contagion, but for some reason, now I do. It could be social and other media; it could be overexposure to a material, fear-based way of thinking, or it could be I've let down my guard. Being raised in Christian Science, I saw healings of every kind, but never witnessed one within my own thought until after my children were born. Before that, it seemed unnecessary to spend every waking moment working to know the truth of our being, in the face of the great majority of people thinking erroneous beliefs are the law of the world. We think of material laws as being concrete, and spiritual truth as being ephemeral illusion. I was taught the opposite was true, but it seemed easier to go along with the crowd and believe what most everyone else thought of as fact. And so I did, until I had children and circumstances seemed to call for something more than medicine covering up causes for problems. So I had a sea change, moved to Eureka Springs, and began a concentrated study of the Science of the Christ. Then the children were grown and once again it seemed like too much trouble to study and work to keep Truth at the forefront of thought. I was wrong. And so I once again will work to keep thought stayed on spiritual creation rather than the material crapshoot we call life. Namaste...

"My weary hope tries to realize that happy day, when man shall recognize the Science of Christ and love his neighbor as himself, -- when he shall realize God's omnipotence and the healing power of the divine Love in what it has done and is doing for mankind. The promises will be fulfilled. The time for the reappearing of the divine healing is throughout all time, and whosoever layeth his earthly all on the altar of divine Science, drinketh of Christ's cup now, and is endued with the spirit and power of Christian healing." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 55:16

Redefining Times

Thailand
photo credit: Aaron Springston

The same internet which spreads misinformation and fear is a wonderful place to find peace, joy, and spiritual guidance in these days of uncertainty. After my morning meditation and reading, I like to be reassured by my favorite seers that there are others holding the light and encouraging us all to do the same. Today I spent some time with Jack Kornfield and his two-part talk entitled "A Steady Heart in Time of Coronavirus". He tells stories to reinforce his point and I found them stirring, yet profoundly peaceful. One statement he made is that the solidarity the world is exhibiting at this time is like nothing we have ever seen before. Thanks once again to the internet and mass communication we know what others are doing in every part of the world. I appreciate everyone who is giving us daily spiritual direction, including all the local ministers who are speaking directly to us from their homes and empty churches. Blake Lasater alway moves me with his pointed honesty, and Father Joseph Archibong retains his humor on his Facebook Live Feeds, giving his parishioners a buoy to grab onto when they are frightened. This week I begin playing for a recorded message from Presbyterian Pastor John Gibson and am looking forward to hearing his perspective. From late night TV hosts to Sunday morning preachers in small towns, everyone is doing their best to translate this new experience into words which will lift us above the lies and confusion. Thank you each and every one. Namaste...

"Men and women of all climes and races are still in bondage to material sense, ignorant how to obtain their freedom. The rights of man were vindicated in a single section and on the lowest plane of human life, when African slavery was abolished in our land. That was only prophetic of further steps towards the banishment of a world-wide slavery, found on higher planes of existence and under more subtle and depraving forms." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:29

Wandering Thoughts

[images from hippie peace freaks
facebook page]

It's almost May Day. I love all the romantic and pagan lore associated with this day, and have fond memories of celebrations in grade school. But somewhere in the back of my mind it's all mixed up with "ashes, ashes, all fall down", and then my thoughts go to pandemics. Holy cow, is no thought safe from this?? When I stop and ponder it, I suppose it's similar to seeing pregnant women everywhere when you're pregnant, or everyone has a white Honda Odyssey when you first buy one, or ... Well, you get the point. In writing that, I'm reminded of going into a local graphics place years ago. The woman working there told me that her twin sister was going into surgery that day and she always felt what her sister felt, so she was worried about feeling bad. I suggested to her that perhaps she could share feel-good feelings with her sister, rather than the other way around. She liked that very much, and we talked about ways to make that happen. So as my mind wanders thither and yon, I'm going to try to contain it and keep on the sunny side, the sunny side of life. Grab your coat and get your hat --- oops, wandering mind again! Have a beautiful day, friends...

"We weep because others weep, we yawn because they yawn, and we have smallpox because others have it; but mortal mind, not matter, contains and carries the infection. When this mental contagion is understood, we shall be more careful of our mental conditions, and we shall avoid loquacious tattling about disease, as we would avoid advocating crime." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 153:25

This Wild and Precious Life

The gratitude I've felt today has been overwhelming. Every flower, cloud, and bird is exquisite. And then I opened up a magazine and saw this poem, which I share with you...

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

I don't know exactly what a

     prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention,

     how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down

     in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to

     stroll through

the fields,

which is what I've been doing all

     day.

Tell me, what else should I have

     done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and

     too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious

     life?

Social Distancing?

"Answering the Call"
group of Eureka folk supplying food

Today, we may tend to think of self-isolation as a new invention for these trying times. The word quarantine comes from the Latin word for 40, quadraginta. There are many references to 40-day periods in the Bible and other sacred texts, Jesus and Moses being the examples we are most familiar with. These times of isolation may be to protect ourselves and others, such as quarantining ships in harbors, but they can also be times in which moral and spiritual growth are experienced. In reading an article about these things, I discovered something I'd never heard about. There were people called anchorites who would be bricked up in a tiny room, with small windows to receive food and view the altar of the church. They would never go outside again, but they were not lonely because they were the spiritual centers of their communities. People would seek them out for advice and prayer. Our current phrase "social distancing" has an echo of those medieval times, with the term implying that even though we are distant, we are social. Even though we keep a distance from each other, it suggests that we are socially working together for the good of our communities and family. I'm glad to see more people helping those in need from their self-isolated position, acting like anchorites, rather than being on a quarantined plague ship. Thank you each and every one for bringing goodness to so many!

"It were better to be exposed to every plague on earth than to endure the cumulative effects of a guilty conscience. The abiding consciousness of wrongdoing tends to destroy the ability to do right." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 405:22

Embracing Anger

Bryce Canyon
photo credit: Aaron Springston

Recognizing anger in my heart, irritation in my mind, often brings shame. I have been listening to many of my favorite seers in my passage through these feelings. Thich Nhat Hanh tells me to embrace that anger. He relates a story of a woman in the kitchen, busily cooking dinner, when she hears her baby crying. She rushes to the infant, embraces it, and discovers why it is crying, transforming its anguish by finding out what is wrong, changing its diapers, calming its fears, meeting its needs. So, he tells us, by embracing our anger, we are able to look deeply at it, get insights into its cause, by which we are able to liberate our feelings and transform them into freedom. Once I am free, I no longer see myself as a victim and I am in a position to be a catalyst for positive change. What gratitude I feel towards this gentle man, leading me into paths of peace, reminding me to breathe consciously, integrating what I before thought of as separate. Namaste...

"The 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

Molly Ivins

I'm so pumped about a documentary we watched this evening, that it's all I can think of at the moment! Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins. I have always known her name, but never given her much thought. I wish I had paid attention all my life and maybe I'd be more like her. What a great thinker and truth-teller she was! The reviewer describes her as having "an anti-authoritarian sensibility trapped in an industry that usually strives to avoid offending or challenging anyone." A self-proclaimed liberal, she would go to the bars and drink with the conservatives, gaining insight for herself and respect from them when she could drink them under the table. Politicians were often flattered to be mentioned in a column of hers, even though she may be saying something similar to this: "Next time I tell you somebody from Texas should not be president of the United States, please listen." Part of her obituary read: "Ivins cultivated the voice of a folksy populist who derided those who she thought acted too big for their britches. She was rowdy and profane, but she could filet her opponents with droll precision." We need more people like her, straight talkers who are not afraid to speak truth. Recently I wished for another Mr. Rogers. Today I want Molly back!

"The question, 'What is Truth,' convulses the world. Many are ready to meet this inquiry with the assurance which comes of understanding, but more are blinded by their old illusions..." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 223:14

Calm and Exciting...

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Today has been achingly beautiful. The flowers, the rain, the earthy smells from the freshly-turned dirt, the birds singing, the cats playing hide and seek, the dogs smiling after walks, Kevin devising ways to keep the snow pea shoots reaching for the sun -- it's all just exquisite. Everything seems both calm and exciting, vibrating with the expectation of change, calm with gratitude. There is much to embrace during this time: some of it we're telling goodbye, other things are being integrated as a new part of us we seem to have forgotten. What's next? Let's stay calm and aware and see what happens!

"Beholding the infinite tasks of truth, we pause, -- wait on God. Then we push onward, until boundless thought walks enraptured, and conception unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323:9

Good People Trapped By Bad Ideas

photo credit: Richard Quick

Most of us have probably heard of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. It made headlines with its over-the-top condemnation of many groups of people. I won’t go into all that now, as you can do a search and find instances of their vitriol. I read an interview with one of its former members, Megan Phelps-Roper. She ran the church’s Twitter account until she broke from the church in 2012. One of the questions in the interview was: “How do you reconcile your love for family members still in the church while you no longer accept their beliefs?” She responded: “I believe that they are good people who have been trapped by bad ideas.” Wow. This is simply stated with the least condemnation possible, don’t you think? She goes on to say that it’s important to see these people as capable of change, because then there is hope. “We should be willing to reach out. Imagine what could happen if we kept reaching out to people like Westboro members? There’s so much power in seeing the possibility of change.” I said to someone today that we need to find ways to allow others to change their mind. It’s been thought of by many as a bad thing to change your way of thinking. But as this dear woman tells us: “If you look at who you were a year ago and aren’t somewhat embarrassed, you’re not growing as a person.” Happy expansion everyone!

"Here let a word be noticed which will be better understood hereafter -- chemicalization. By chemicalization I mean the process which mortal mind and body undergo in the change of belief from a material to a spiritual basis." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 168:30

Time Slows Down

photo credit: Aaron Springston

I’ve been sending a card or two every day to people I think would enjoy receiving them. This is not only to help the post office (which numerous folks tell me can’t be done), but to reach out to someone who may be in need of a smile. Today, I was getting ready to play bridge online with a group of people when I realized I had not written my daily card. I almost rushed to do so before the mail person came, but then I realized the error of my ways. If I’m going to mindlessly do it, just to be doing it, then I shouldn’t be doing it! With that perspective, I plan on writing a few tomorrow, mindfully. Following along in that vein, I read an article this evening about a mom who was concerned because her daughter was always checking to see what time it was. She seemed worried that she wouldn’t get enough sleep, that she didn’t have time to do everything she needed to do, and she was becoming more and more anxious. The mother suggested (during this time of isolation) that they give up clocks and sleep when they were sleepy, eat when they were hungry, and enjoy every moment of it. To their delight, they found that their days seem longer and they are enjoying everything more! Yet another grand truth discovered while slowing down...

“The objects of time and sense disappear in the illumination of spiritual understanding and Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 584:4

We Need Mr. Rogers

Perhaps our moral compass in the United States went haywire when Mr. Rogers' soothing show was no longer on television. He taught us all how to just be nice, but it was more than that, don’t you think? I read an article about him which said his goal was to promote “self-esteem, self-control, imagination, creativity, curiosity, appreciation of diversity, cooperation, patience and persistence.” He taught us how to perform necessary tasks, such as tying our shoelaces; he informed us about things which enrich our lives, such as planting a garden. He never told children they were just as good as anyone else, or that they were infallible, but rather he taught us that we each have value, and that value isn’t tied to particular successes or failures. He encouraged children to go to school and listen to their teachers, humanizing educators by telling the young viewers that the teachers were once children, too. Mr. Rogers taught us to be mindfully aware, to enjoy the process, and to love our neighbors. What more do we need? I think we need another Mr. Rogers...

"Incorrect reasoning leads to practical error. The wrong thought should be arrested before it has a chance to manifest itself." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 452:4

Noticing Solutions

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Too many things are jumping around in my brain this evening. It's time to sleep now and these thoughts could cause tossing and turning, so I'm going to think of the beautiful happenings I've seen today. A group of women I've been associated with for years have a group email going almost daily, telling each other of the events in our lives, sharing what we do to stay active and calm, and supporting each other when needed. A group of people in town provided almost 900 meals for local people this week, and my heart sings when I think of what they have done. I read a blog post from a local woman who now has two restaurants in Fayetteville, and it fills me with hope to hear her tell details of her days. The artists in town who are helping to support our animal shelter during this time when their thrift shops are not open and supplying funds, they bring a smile every time I see one of their renditions of someone's pet. People are giving of themselves and their talents everywhere, we need only notice to see the good. But as one of my favorite spiritual gurus tells us, we must Wake Up, Stand up, Rise Up, and SHOW UP! So don't be afraid of those worries buzzing around you, but rather know there are solutions and it's our job to notice what they are and help them to be implemented. As I've said before: We can do this!

"Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessing. Truthworthiness is the foundation of enlightened faith." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 15:26

Undeniable Awakening Occurring

Marianne Williamson said exactly what I'd like to say. So here it is, my Friends!

"My friend Susan sent me this picture today. She said that in the midst of all the sadness her new granddaughter was born, and her peonies began to bloom a few days before Easter. I almost cried at the reminder. Children continue to be born, people continue to love each other, and flowers continue to bloom. In the midst of the pandemic, with all its grief and horror, it seems to me there’s an undeniable awakening occurring. In the silence, in the realizations, even in the tears, there are gifts of knowledge and wisdom and depth and understanding. When this ends, whenever it ends, the sky is going to be bluer and the light is going to sparkle more and we will emerge as a more grateful and more humble people. Some will be grieving for years to come and it will be our task to comfort them. But our greatest task will be to make sure that those who died did not die in vain; that what we learned from this pandemic was to do life differently, for our country and for the world." Marianne Williamson

We Can Do This

The documentary, A Simpler Way — Crisis as Opportunity, was made in 2016 and takes us through the simple ways people have made tiny homes, shared gardens, and are finding innovative ways to live happily in a world which often seems to be hurtling towards disaster. They said this lifestyle is not about being self-sufficient but, rather, community-sufficient. You may live on a city lot and are able to grow all the vegetables you need by turning your yard into a garden (explained in detail by Joan Dye Gussow in This Organic Life - Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader), and your friend may have enough land to raise goats, another friend has a flock of chickens — well, you get the picture. We’re all in this together. It’s way past time to utilize our talents to supply our families and friends with what they need, and in return receive what we need. As we have learned in these studies: to give is to receive; to receive is to give. Perhaps when we can’t go to the big box stores an hour away, we’ll turn to our neighborhood stores to purchase what we need. Rather than get our salad fixings washed in bleach and sold in plastic containers, we’ll look to our local farmers who have built wind tunnels to grow these tender greens all year long. A friend tells me that Home Depot in Rogers had people lined up around the building, because they were only allowing 75 people in at a time. My goodness. Let’s ask ourselves if we really need to do things the way we’ve been doing them. It’s difficult to make shifts and release old habits, but it’s time for a new normal, don’t you think? We can do this.

"When the divine precepts are understood they unfold the foundation of fellowship in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have one Spirit, God, one intelligent source..." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 276

Flying Low