My Mother Loved Baseball

Doc and Anita Havens
Circa 1931

My mom was a baseball fan. She followed the St. Louis Cardinals and talked about the players with her friends. After I left home and lived in Fayetteville, she came to spend a few days at my house. My roommate was a baseball fan, too, so she and my mother spent some time watching games. Imagine my surprise when Brenda told me that my mother knew nothing about baseball! I was dumbfounded, and a bit embarrassed. This dear woman was a joyous ball of energy. She had a great laugh and rarely walked when she could run. But as children sometimes do, I didn’t realize how fabulous she was. She wore bright clothing and a flower in her hair, when my friends’ moms were non-descript. She painted doors bright red with black spots and gold doorknobs. She was happier than any other mom I knew. Looking back on her lack of baseball expertise, I see how cool that was! She enjoyed watching the players, cheered when they hit the ball (not caring if it was foul or fair), and was ecstatic when they made the playoffs. I wonder if she even knew what that meant? It didn’t matter! Sophia Anita Bravo Havens loved life! What I'd give to watch a game with her...


"Fed by Thy love divine we live,
For Love alone is Life;
And life most sweet, as heart to heart
Speaks kindly when we meet and part."
Mary Baker Edd

Healing Horses

Creation of Sandy Starbird

The documentary, Herd, is a film about the healing power of horses, our connection with all things, and compassion. Liz Mitten Ryan is an artist, an author, and a compassionate human. She has developed a retreat in British Columbia where she and ten or so horses, a big old steer, and a few dogs and cats, hold healing retreats for people who are ready to face themselves and release pain. As one woman said, “This is not so much a place to escape as it is a place to leave things behind that you don’t want any more.” All the people sharing their stories in this hour-long film had emotional baggage holding them hostage: loss of a young child, abuse of various types, or one man simply wanted to become a better physician and parent. The founder of this beautiful retreat discovered that two of her horses would touch her chakras when she was laying in their midst, and she would feel unified with them. She began to write about this phenomenon and states that she didn’t know if she was telling the animals’ stories or her own. (She says the dogs and cats were in on it, too.) She realized that horses see the invisible all around us, and that's what makes them amazing healers. We have much to learn, and the animals are ready to teach us. When we are in our truth, they come to us, and that is all they ask. 

"As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were invisible, will become visible. When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 264:13

Remembering Kindnesses

Pow-Wow at Turpentine Creek
photo credit: Richard Quick

The term "pay it forward" is known by most people. The act of showing our gratitude for a favor done us is acknowledged by helping someone else, and this pays the good deed forward. And on and on it goes. In 1847, the people of Ireland were in the middle of a great famine and members of the Choctaw Nation here in the U.S. gave $170 to them, empathizing with them mainly because it had not been long since they had known suffering in the relocation march known as the Trail of Tears. The Navajo Nation has been hit harder by Covid-19 than any other Native American reservation in this country. Many people of Irish descent have contributed to fundraising efforts for the Navajo and Hopi people in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, raising almost 2 million dollars to help them. As one man said when he donated $50: "In remembrance of your ancestors and their kindness to the people of Ireland. We are one world and one people, together we will get through this. Be safe." In a me-first atmosphere, it is heartening to see examples of empathy and kindness. I know there are more people who love rather than hate. That group is increasing exponentially, and it's a joy to behold!

"The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father, and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 518:14

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