Changeless

photo credit: Gabrielle Schäfer

We seem like such fragile beings, with our emotional, physical, and mental states easily influenced by the circumstances surrounding us. Perhaps it’s the enforced isolation we have experienced during the last year which has caused so much “stuff” to surface. I think it’s a good thing to recognize the source of our pain, face it, and deal with it in whatever way necessary. In the last few weeks, numerous people have confided to me issues regarding their parents. One can’t release the blame and guilt associated with an abusive situation, another is upset because her father was in prison when she was born and she didn’t know who he was until recently, then there is the recurring situation when someone is adopted and they feel a part of their lives is missing. All of these situations can seem dire, but everything is being experienced by how we interpret it, and that is a choice. True forgiveness lies in not blaming. When we let that go, there is nothing to forgive. I’ve been there, and I know it can seem impossible. As I told one young person, no matter what someone did to you, nothing can touch the real you. And what is real? That which does not change. Namaste...

“Mortal error will vanish in a moral chemicalization. This mental fermentation has begun, and will continue until all errors of belief yield to understanding. Belief is changeable, but spiritual understanding is changeless.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:21

Grateful For You

 ​

my Dutch friend in Paris

Today I want to express gratitude for the people I have met through these daily writings, and the old friends I have kept in touch with whom I may have lost track of otherwise. I’ve met a court reporter in California, a violinist in The Netherlands, a deep-thinking writer in Chicago, all when they read my blog which is linked daily on Twitter — or maybe somewhere else! But my point is that I’m grateful for the connections, for the Love expressed, and for the deepening understanding we’re sharing together. I appreciate your kind understanding when I write about my fears and sorrows. I love having you to celebrate with during times of joy and accomplishment. It’s been almost a decade since I began writing to you daily. I love it when you write to me or leave comments on the blog! We’re all in this together, and I am grateful...

“Being is holiness, harmony, immortality. It is already proved that a knowledge of this, even in small degree, will uplift the physical and moral standard of mortals, will increase longevity, will purify and elevate character. Thus progress will finally destroy all error, and bring immortality to light.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 492:7

Whom Do I Call My Enemy?

 

This Morning I Pray for My Enemies

Joy Harjo - 1951-

And whom do I call my enemy?

An enemy must be worthy of engagement.

I turn in the direction of the sun and keep walking.

It’s the heart that asks the question, not my furious mind.

The heart is the smaller cousin of the sun.

It sees and knows everything.

It hears the gnashing even as it hears the blessing.

The door to the mind should only open from the heart.

An enemy who gets in, risks the danger of becoming a friend.

Cool Revelations

 ​

photo credit: Aaron Springston

After writing yesterday’s post about Michelle Fishburne and her quest to discover stories across the U.S. about positive changes which have happened since the pandemic, I started thinking about people I know who have had ​cool revelations because of their enforced isolation. I immediately thought of the married couple who had grown apart and were even thinking about going their separate ways. After spending a year working from home, they’ve discovered that they actually like each other and now they have plans for starting a business together, which will be centered out of their home. Then there’s the young mother who wanted to stay home with her babies, but felt guilty because she wouldn’t be bringing in money. She discovered she could work as a court reporter’s scopist and make more money from her home than at her waitressing job — and she gets to raise her children! There are churches and spiritual groups which are meeting online, opening up a whole new way of fellowship for those who can’t leave their homes because of physical or emotional disabilities. Plus, congregation members who had moved away are now able to zoom with their friends and share in an exciting new way of worship. I’m sure you know of numerous happy stories, too!

“He who first brings to humanity some great good, must have gained its height beforehand, to be able to life others toward it.” Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellaneous Writing’s Page 338:2

A Higher Humanity

 

Grotto Springs - photo credit: Aaron Springston

Last year, a North Carolina woman named Michelle Fishburne decided to travel the United States in an RV and talk to people about the pandemic and how it has affected their lives. The project is called, Who We Are Now. She says one word exemplifies the majority of people interviewed: "pluck", which is defined as spirited and determined courage. For instance, a 21-year-old in Columbia, Missouri started a company called Repertoire which has the motto, “Embrace the uncomfortable and walk with purpose.” Ms. Fishburne, the self-employed storyteller says of the people she has met: “They have lifted their heads up from their previously busy lives and they are thinking about, and seeing, and caring about other people. That extends beyond family and friends. Americans are concerned about the well-being of others they’ve never met – including those across party lines. I have heard those five little words – ‘I think about those people’ – over and over again." I look forward to hearing more uplifting stories such as this, don't you?

"The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 571:19

Decisions, Decisions...

 Thailand - photo credit: Aaron Springston

I can't imagine making the huge decisions world leaders are called upon to make every single moment of every single day. There are too many pros and cons to think about assimilating by yourself. And that's why they need trusted advisors; people who accumulate facts and are able to fairly report them for group discussions which can result in informed decisions. No one is an island. That saying comes to mind often when I see someone who thinks they know everything and no one's opinion other than theirs is of value. We, individually, are a microcosm of the world. We each have decisions to make every day, whether it's something as small as what type of tea to have with breakfast or one of the milestones of life. We watch our city officials struggle with budgets and opinionated city council members, knowing some will side with one and some with another. It's difficult to understand because if we all want what's best for humanity, there simply should not be so much dissention. Maybe our perceptions are colored by the manipulations of the few who are out to pad their pockets with cash, under the guise of helping everyone else. Maybe we're lulled by apathy, thinking somebody will take care of things so why should we pay attention. Whatever the case, we can all hold a higher thought when confronted by injustice. I feel we're at the tipping point of a new world. Don't give up!

"Unconstitutional and unjust coercive legislation and laws, infringing individual rights,  must be 'of few days and full of trouble.' The vox populi, through the providence of God, promotes and impels all true reform; and, at the best time, will redress wrongs and rectify injustice. Tyranny can thrive but feebly under our government. God reigns, and will 'turn and overturn' until right is found supreme." Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellaneous Writings - Page 80

Blooming Love

A thought caught from Thich Nhat Hanh's Facebook Page

 "You can live in such a way that shows compassion is possible in any situation. Set an example, even if it’s a small one; other people can learn from it. The best way to help others lessen their fear, craving, and violence is to show them there is another way. If love has degenerated into hate, it’s possible for you to turn the garbage of that hate into a kind of compost to nourish the flower of love to bloom again."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Earth's Preparatory School

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

When sheltering in place became our way of life last March, I felt ready for it because I’d been practicing living that way for quite some time. I happily pulled back into my shell, cozily enjoying the daily life we had made for ourselves on a dead-end street, in the woods of a cool little mountain town. It felt safe and warm and happy. With a smart, witty man in the house, along with the comfort of having a son downstairs — well, I felt like the old song which referenced “two cats in the yard”. And I still feel that way, even though my sparring partner has left this plane of existence. When I got the death certificate today, I had mixed emotions. First I was sad when reading it; then a bit perturbed. They had listed him as married and me as Marsha Wright, surviving. Good grief! But seeing this document brought up many different thoughts and emotions which I hadn’t considered. I won’t go into detail, as I’m sure you either know or can imagine. Then suddenly I realized I was ready for this: I have been practicing all my life for whatever the moment may bring! Laughter really is the best healer, don’t you think? Cheers to you, Kevin, who always loved a good happy accident...

"Earth's preparatory school must be improved to the utmost. In reality man never dies. The belief that he dies will not establish his scientific harmony. Death is not the result of Truth but of error, and one error will not correct another." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 486

More Alike Than Unalike

 Human Family by Maya Angelou

"I note the obvious differences

in the human family.

Some of us are serious,

some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived

as true profundity,

and others claim they really live

the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones

can confuse, bemuse, delight,

brown and pink and beige and purple,

tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas

and stopped in every land,

I've seen the wonders of the world

not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women

called Jane and Mary Jane,

but I've not seen any two

who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different

although their features jibe,

and lovers think quite different thoughts

while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,

we weep on England's moors,

and laugh and moan in Guinea,

and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,

are born and die in Maine.

In minor ways we differ,

in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences

between each sort and type,

but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike."

Sunshine and a Promise of Spring

 ​

painting by Carol Dickie

What a difference a day makes! Sunshine and temperatures well above freezing have put a smile on everyone's face here in the Ozarks. I can't remember how many gray days we've had, but I think it's around ten or so. But today -- oh, my, how wonderful! To see people walking dogs and happily calling out to each other; watching driveways and paths being shoveled; cars driving to open markets and restaurants -- wow! I've always been grateful for times of need, because times of plenty are so appreciated when they reappear. I look around my home, and seeing Kevin's handiwork brings great big smiles and a heart expanding with gratitude for the joy and wonder he brought to my life. The great, huge dogs he left with me are something I didn't plan on ever having again, but I'm happy they're here. The sorrow I felt at his passing is being embraced as a complement to the joy I feel today. Making music at my two churches was joyful, and I was surprised at how pleased I was to do it today. Contentment, peace, happiness -- Life is Good and I Am grateful...

“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 265:23-30

Countering Sorrow With Joy

 

photo credit: Richard Quick

What do we do about all the horrible situations we hear about? Whether it's a weather-related event, racial injustice, starving/mistreated children -- it's tempting to look at these things and wonder to ourselves how we can possibly feel good when so many are suffering. Wayne Dyer told us that we can't feel bad enough to make anyone feel better; we can't be confused enough to unconfuse one person; we can't get sad enough to bring joy to a single being on this planet. These statements were made in a talk having to do with wanting to feel good, and they can be found in his book The Secrets of the Power of Intention. Our intentions multiply, so when we hear about an injustice and become depressed or overwhelmed by the situation, we are doing nothing to assist those in need, but we are doing something to bring sadness into our own lives. I know one dear woman who cares so much for the earth and its inhabitants that she cries every day, more than once, when she hears tragic stories about us. This is what Wayne Dyer means when he says, "You can't feel bad enough to make anyone's life better." Lowering our own vibrational energy lowers everyone's, and raising our level of joy affects the world in kind. There are many things we can do physically to help those in need, and we will find our individual ways to do so. But as many well-known seers have said in different ways: When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. 

"In the spirit of Christ's charity, -- as one who 'hopeth all things, endureth all things,' and is joyful to bear consolation to the sorrowing and healing to the sick, -- she commits these pages to honest seekers for Truth." from the preface of Science & Health by Mary Baker Eddy

Learn Something

I could not find the Wayne Dyer quote which has been floating around the edge of my memory all day. It's something like this: no matter how bad you feel for the hungry children, that won't feed them. It will probably jump out at me soon, and I'll write what I've been thinking about. But in the meantime, I found this that I like a lot!

“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you. Look at what a lot of things there are to learn—pure science, the only purity there is. You can learn astronomy in a lifetime, natural history in three, literature in six. And then, after you have exhausted a million lifetimes in biology and medicine and theocriticism and geography and history and economics, why, you can start to make a cartwheel out of the appropriate wood, or spend fifty years learning to begin to learn to beat your adversary at fencing. After that you can start again on mathematics until it is time to learn to plough.”
― Wayne W. Dyer, Your Erroneous Zones

Channeled Writing

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

​Channeled writings: What do you think? The first time this term was explained to me, I thought: well, of course! The concept was something I understood, having always known the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. Of course, she called her ideas “divinely inspired”. She also said she had to study her book because she did not write it. Talk like this caused Mark Twain to devote an entire tome to the cause of trying to prove she did not write Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures. When God is defined as she saw It — Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love — it is obvious that all ideas are from this Source. When we talk about someone being “in the zone”, or “getting out of their own way”, we mean that materiality is taken away from the equation, allowing Spirit to shine through. So when I hear that someone is channeling a particular person to birth an idea, it makes me squirm in a non-specific way. I suppose it goes back to this passage we call death. I don’t think there is a place with our husbands and dogs waiting for us to join them. So how could it be that a particular person is sending messages to the material plane? Perhaps it’s a matter of terminology, as ethereal concepts so often are. Maybe people are thinking of Jesus and The Christ as being one and the same, and I do not. I have said numerous times that we must not allow semantics to get in the way of Truth. Truth is found in many places, in many forms. My prayer for today is for me to not judge the letter, but imbibe the Spirit. Namaste...

“Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:18

Enriched Perceptions

 ​​

Shadows on my Living Room Wall

I read an interview where a number of people tell of changes in their lives during this past year. It was a fascinating read because everyone had reasons their experiences were enriched by the different things they are doing since they are not so busy going places. One woman talked about light, and how she now noticed the shifting shadows around their house at different times of the day and during the four seasons. To quote her: “I walk the same route almost every day, and I can appreciate the nuances of the sunlight hitting the bark on the trees, the filtering of morning light through the leaves, the subtle changes of the seasons. I expect this awareness to last beyond the months of quarantine. The other things I have realized: My windows desperately need cleaning!” The photo I’ve included is something I noticed in my living room on Christmas Day. This shadow on the wall is exceptional because there was no sunshine coming through, but was coming in from the back of the house and being reflected back by a mirror. It shows my Christmas stick, with decorations, and the objects around it, including the lace curtains covering the window facing the street. If I had not been so quietly present, I most likely would not have seen this fleeting shadow. Wish I could relate to you more ways people have shifted perceptions; ways they hope to keep in their experience in the future!

"The sunlight glints from the church-dome, glances into the prison-cell, glides into the sick-chamber, brightens the flower, beautifies the landscape, blesses the earth." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 516

All iIn The Way You Carry It

 

Innocence and Experience

creations of Sandy Starbird

I am thankful for my friends. You who are the kindest, wisest, wittiest, most compassionate, most thoughtful -- you know who you are, and I am eternally grateful. Much love...

Heavy 

by Mary Oliver

"That time

I thought I could not

go any closer to grief

without dying

 

I went closer,

and I did not die.

Surely God

had His hand in this,

 

as well as friends.

Still I was bent,

and my laughter,

as the poet said,

 

was nowhere to be found.

Then said my friend Daniel

(brave even among lions),

“It is not the weight you carry

 

but how you carry it—

books, bricks, grief—

it’s all in the way

you embrace it, balance it, carry it

 

when you cannot, and would not,

put it down.”

So I went practicing.

Have you noticed?

 

Have you heard

the laughter

that comes, now and again,

out of my startled mouth?

 

How I linger

to admire, admire, admire

the things of this world

that are kind, and maybe

 

also troubled—

roses in the wind,

The sea geese on the steep waves,

a love

to which there is no reply?"

Heart Songs

 

​One thing I’ve discovered during this pandemic is that, without commercials, there are actually some good shows on television. I have fallen in love with Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. It’s the most innovative musical I’ve ever seen, with wonderful actors and fine writing. The main character’s parents are Mary Steenburgen and Peter Gallagher. At the end of the first season, the dad character dies. Having seen that event before Kevin’s passing, I didn’t have the heart/nerve to watch more. After his memorial today, I watched the next episode, which supposedly takes place six weeks after the character’s death. Watching their struggle to start living again, I realized how much I have shut down during the last four weeks. I appreciate the insights and wonderful stories I heard from Kevin’s friends all around the country during our Zoom chat today. It has helped, talking to people who loved him. In the television show I’ve referred to, Zoey hears people singing what they’re thinking. She calls them “heart songs”. It’s easy to avoid things we deem too painful to face. I’d really like to pull the covers over my head and sleep until spring. Hum — maybe just until the temperature is over zero degrees?

“Ill-arranged notes produce discord. Tones of the human mind may be different, but they should be concordant in order to blend properly. Unselfish ambition, noble life-motives, and purity, — these constituents of thought, mingling, constitute individually and collectively true happiness, strength, and permanence.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 58:5  

One Foot in Front of the Other

 

statues and photography by Dale Johnson

Perhaps it’s because we’ve had a frigidly cold week, with even lower temperatures to come in the next few days. Maybe it’s because we haven’t had much sunshine during these introspective days. Could be because Kevin’s been gone four weeks, it’s Valentine’s Day, and we’re having his Zoom memorial. Whatever the reason, I’m depressed. Today we had a recording session for one church and an actual service at another, and I thought about lying and saying I was sick and couldn’t do it. But I’m glad I didn’t. Sharon sang an incredibly beautiful solo and I played better than usual, and the sun even shone for a few minutes! So I’m happy I got out of the house. I’m not telling you this to cause worry or ask for help; it’s just the way it is today. I’m writing this with Tina Turner singing the Lotus Sutra in the background. Sanskrit chants will lull me to sleep tonight and I’ll wake up with 528 hertz frequencies to facilitate healing. I can’t keep from thinking this ennui is good for me; it will help me develop empathy, which Kevin often said I needed to do. Whatever the case, I know it won’t leave me where it found me. Much Love sent to all this day...

“Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 323

 photo credit: Aaron Springston

Snowy Night by Mary Oliver

Last night, an owl

in the blue dark

tossed

an indeterminate number

of carefully shaped sounds into

the world, in which,

a quarter of a mile away, I happened

to be standing.

I couldn’t tell

which one it was –

the barred or the great-horned

ship of the air –

it was that distant. But, anyway,

aren’t there moments

that are better than knowing something,

and sweeter? Snow was falling,

so much like stars

filling the dark trees

that one could easily imagine

its reason for being was nothing more

than prettiness. I suppose

if this were someone else’s story

they would have insisted on knowing

whatever is knowable – would have hurried

over the fields

to name it – the owl, I mean.

But it’s mine, this poem of the night,

and I just stood there, listening and holding out

my hands to the soft glitter

falling through the air. I love this world,

but not for its answers.

And I wish good luck to the owl,

whatever its name –

and I wish great welcome to the snow,

whatever its severe and comfortless

and beautiful meaning.

Wrong-Mindedness or ...

 

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Every moment of our lives have been spent getting us to the point at which we are now. I know some folks who want to hold on to their past, and others who wish they could change their past, then there are those who have grown through experiences and continue this expansion of thought. I am wondering why some people seem to feed on turmoil and drama, creating it to keep themselves upset -- or perhaps amused. Hum, it would never occur to me to be entertained by anger and other base elements of human behavior, but it seems some want to be in the middle of heated battle or else they are -- they are what? Bored, I think. Maybe it's something else. I know a young woman who is trying to create difficulty for herself and another family member. Perhaps what I'm witnessing is an exhibition of low self esteem, which she hopes to boost through righteous indignation and belittling of others. Or maybe I'm misinterpreting the whole situation. So in the desire to not create a competing drama, I'll just watch and see what transpires, knowing only good can come of this. Namasté ...

"Wrong-mindedness listens to the ego and makes illusions; perceiving sin and justifying anger, and seeing guilt, disease and death as real. Both this world and the real world are illusions because right-mindedness merely overlooks, or forgives, what never happened. Therefore it is not the One-mindedness of the Christ Mind, Whose Will is one with God's." A Course in Miracles - Clarification of Terms 

Sharing Good News

 

photo of the day from The Christian Science Monitor

​Today my entire news intake was from the Christian Science Monitor -- and I feel great! The first in-depth article I read was about the workings of a 50/50 Senate. Next came a story about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the country's wishes that they become peacekeepers, rather than a policing agency. Then I read about something I had not considered: what happens when a high school social studies teacher is part of the crowd which stormed the Capitol on January 6? And what if it was a teacher who marched for #BlackLivesMatter? Who gets to decide which teacher should be fired and which stays? It should be an easy matter of determining who was exercising their right of freedom of speech and who was doing so in a detrimental manner to humanity. But it's not always simple, so we need a fair witness to decide these things -- an honest judge, a non-racist school board -- people who will look at law and facts objectively and provide a fair ruling. Up next was an article about South African women who make saving money a 'social pact'. They realized it's more expensive to be poor, so they create groups which do everything from buying food in bulk to purchasing housing. As one woman said: "Alone, you have all these barriers, but when you pool your money, they begin to fall down." Strength, unity, trust -- yippee! I just realized if I described every informative, fun topic I read today, this would be far too long. So I'll stop. Cheers to finding facts without fear!

"In the sacred sanctuary of Truth are voices of solemn import, but we heed them not. It is only when the so-called pleasures and pains of sense pass away in our lives, that we find unquestionable signs of the burial of error and the resurrection to spiritual life." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 232