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

A Better Tomorrow

Thailand - Photo Credit: Aaron Springston

People are starting to think this isolation thing may be more than temporary, and it's a difficult possibility to face. I've heard from a number of friends who are feeling sad, lonely, depressed -- they are mourning the loss of their beloved way of life. As am I. But I keep hearing about people being beautifully honest about happenings, and it lifts my spirits thinking that this phase is simply a necessary step in our universal awakening. One local minister is openly defying pastors who are telling their flock to come to church, no matter what. He tells them the purpose of the church is to serve the community, and they can do that in ways which do not involve congregating together for reasons which may well be self-serving. Numerous businesses are finding ways to keep their employees and customers safe, while supplying our needs. Our local "health food store" has developed a comprehensive online shopping cart which allows us to order and pay online, and schedule a curbside pickup time. This market, and our other two food outlets, are being innovative in ways which would never have happened without this crisis. I love how we are all contacting people we haven't heard from in years, reconnecting and checking to see if they're all right. I'm still feeling warm and fuzzy after hearing from an old friend from my Fayetteville days, more than 40 years ago. Yes, this time is tough to bear in many ways, but as with everything else in life, we can look at it as scary and stressful, or full of expectations for a better tomorrow!

"When the destination is desirable, expectation speeds our progress. The struggle for Truth makes one strong instead of weak, resting instead of wearying one." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 426:8

Unfolding Unity and Reality of Good

Metaphorically, it seems the chaff is being separated from the wheat in many ways. This photo shows the old-fashioned way of throwing wheat up into the air to get the chaff to fly away into its useless state. It has served its purpose, protecting the wheat berry, and now it's time to leave. In this time of isolation from the activities we are accustomed to participating in, we are finding out what is truly necessary and what was only filling our time with busy-ness. I have some friends who are noticing butterflies for the first time! Stop and smell the roses, right? How many of us didn't slow down and notice our surroundings before we were forced into it? In the political world (and what isn't political??), we are seeing lying and cheating being separated from facts and ethical actions. It's painful to recognize that our long-held beliefs may not only be erroneous, but that this recognition is going to rock our world, changing everything we held as gospel and throwing the chaff to the wind. I could go on and on thinking up examples of this, but I'd rather you tell me. What have you noticed in the world around you? Happy threshing!

"From first to last the supposed coexistence of Mind and matter and the mingling of good and evil have resulted from the philosophy of the serpent. Jesus' demonstrations sift the chaff from the wheat, and unfold the unity and the reality of good, the unreality, the nothingness, of evil." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 269:9

Universal Understanding

Gates and Buffet playing duplicate bridge

I’ve been thinking about things we do which are universally understood. Music: no matter what language you speak, people who read music can sit down and play together in perfect harmony. Mathematics: I’m not much of an expert at this science, but math is the same no matter where you are. The extent I understand it has to do with 52 cards, dealt out in the form of bridge hands. Having never played bridge online with actual people, a whole new world has opened to me with this forced isolation we are experiencing. As long as we had ten duplicate bridge games a month at local clubs, it was never brought to my attention that the world of online bridge was vibrant, thriving, and free! At any hour of the day or night, I can log on and play a single hand or more, enjoying the universal language of bridge bidding as we try to get to the best contract. Or as defenders, it does not matter if my partner is from Armenia or Argentina, there are universal laws which pertain to this fascinating game. I would encourage all parents to teach their children things which can never be fully conquered. My love of bridge, the study and practice of spirituality, along with the desire to become a more proficient pianist, these things are a never ending source of enjoyment during these interesting times. I am grateful to have activities which will always keep me striving to grow in understanding. These things I mention can be enjoyed at any level, so it's never too late to start!

"Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 13:2