Helpless/Helpful

photo from Christian Science Monitor

I read an article about an English woman who loved animals so much she moved to Australia so she could be near and work with them in the wild. Then the fires came and millions were killed and maimed. Her house burned down, but that didn't bother her too much. It was sadness about the wildlife which sent her into depression. She thought of going back to England, but knew she would still be sad and feel helpless. So she began to save wallabees. She's been doing this for months and helps other people who are despondent over losses of various kinds due to the horrific fires. Reading this woman's story caused me to think back to people I know who have had traumatic events in their lives. I can only think of one who has become solitary and angry at the world; the rest have found ways to help others -- usually in the way their trauma occurred. There are many avenues we can take to help others in this life. Let me never become complacent...

"Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 507:28

Involved or Committed?

photo credit: Jerry Dupy

As long as we believe that there is something more important than healing our mind, we will never find peace. This is an idea I heard on a Course in Miracles video. It goes hand-in-hand with the homily given at a church where I provide musical accompaniment. Father Joseph, a young Nigerian priest who serves three congregations in our area, began his message by asking if we knew the difference between being involved and being committed. He then told us if we were having a breakfast of eggs and bacon, the chicken would be involved, but the pig would be committed. While getting a laugh from the congregation, it made his point clear: If you’re not giving 100%, you’re not committed, but merely involved. There are a number of issues in the world which we are involved in, but it's difficult to be committed to something which is far away from your home. And it's overwhelming to think of all the things which need our help. If that is true for you, too, pick something in your town, in your neighborhood, in your backyard, and be committed today! Let's sweep our own porch and our neighbor will want to do it, too. It grows exponentially, don't you think? 
"Legally to abolish unpaid servitude in the United States was hard; but the abolition of mental slavery is a more difficult task. The despotic tendencies, inherent in mortal mind and always germinating in new forms of tyranny, must be rooted out through the action of the divine Mind." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 225:22-28

Highest Ideal of Freedom?

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Have you ever dreamed you could fly? My favorite freedom dream is one of running fast, sometimes leaving the ground and floating in mid-stride. Although I haven't had this recurring dream for some time, I can still feel the perfection of it. As I watch people dance and use their bodies in other life-affirming ways, I marvel at the beauty and grace expressed in these activities. Just as physical boundaries are broken and new records set, there is more to come in this so-called physical existence. We are learning of the limitlessness of God's ideas, of which we are One. What is your highest ideal of freedom?

“Freedom cannot be learned by tyranny of any kind, and the perfect equality of all God's Sons [people] cannot be recognized through the dominion of one mind over another.” A Course in Miracles 

"This mortal is put off, and the new man or real man is put on, in proportion as mortals realize the Science of man and seek the true model." Mary Baker Eddy -Science & Health Page 408:22-26

Let It Go!

As someone who insists she lives by the non-attachment principle of "the glass is already broken", I'm rather hesitant to admit I have suffered angst over giving up my 22-year-old automobile! Last fall, my ever-dependable 1998 Honda Odyssey gave up the ghost. I couldn't stand to let it go at that time, and so it has sat out in front of my house for far too long. Today, I allowed our mechanic to take it away. It was like losing a family member. I remember the day my young sons and I bought it and brought it home. It perfectly suited our kid-oriented lifestyle and it was wonderfully comfortable -- perfect for us. On our way home the first evening we had it, we saw tire tracks leaving the road and a car's headlights in the tall brush. Of course, we stopped and aided the two women and children who were rather hysterical following their accident. One little boy was bleeding from a stomach wound and I wrapped him in a blanket we had in our new vehicle, sat down with him on the ground, and proceeded to sing a Mary Baker Eddy hymn to him: "Oh, Gentle Presence, peace and joy and power. Oh, Life divine that owns each waiting hour." As soon as the authorities came, we got into our new vehicle and came home, leaving our blanket wrapped around the calm child. I've often wondered what that family thought of our appearance and disappearance! Whatever the case, that was the beginning of two decades of trouble-free service from the vehicle I owned for 1/3 of my life! Good times...

"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

Thought Expands Into Expression

"County Road"
painting by Carol Dickie

Today was a day of talking with friends, and it's been fabulous. First thing this morning, I had a long email from a woman I love, one who was an artist at the gallery I ran. She is a skilled writer and I saw every story she told me about her daily life and things in her past (of which I had no clue)! Then I got a snail mail letter from another artist friend who describes herself as "the cut and paste queen of the geriatric set" (and she doesn't mean computer, because she doesn't have one). This quirky and fun friend wrote to me on a page from a coloring book, on which she had intricately filled in the beautiful design. Then I touched base with a nonagenarian whom I met a few years back over the bridge table. She told me of falling out of bed and breaking something, asking if I knew of anyone who might help her with household chores and, she honestly told me, to visit with her. So this prompted me to call another old friend whom I thought would enjoy this task. Then I called someone I've known for almost 40 years, whom I was hoping to help sell some furniture, and while we were chatting, a carpenter I had called stopped by to check out my needed repair. While he was here, a friend stopped by to drop off some clothing she had cleared out of a closet. After she left, the carpenter and I sat down to visit in the carport and he told me of his oldest daughter's problems stemming from Aspberger's and loneliness. In the process, he told me many things I did not know about him. Life is so very rich, and I appreciate each moment in this wild world. But today, it seemed as though all the energies in the universe conspired to bring me happiness. And I am thankful...

"Eternal Truth is changing the universe. As mortals drop off their mental swaddling-clothes, thought expands into expression. 'Let there be light,' is the perpetual demand of Truth and Love, changing chaos into order and discord into the music of the spheres." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 255:1

Escaping From Your Thoughts

Contemplating the Moab
photo credit: Aaron Springston

It is estimated that we have more than 50,000 thoughts every day. As I heard Wayne Dyer tell us in one of his outstanding talks, the problem with this is that the thousands of thoughts we have today are the same ones we had yesterday! Waking up from the circular thinking in which we are trapped requires an honesty we’re not accustomed to practicing. I know habitual thought is not an easy habit to break, but the desire to do so is the first step. Just like changing any behavior, you have to want to change or you never will. How can we begin to think differently? We can’t simply stop thinking, but we can exchange the trivial musings for substantial ideas. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” As I go through this day, I’ll often ask myself: What would Eleanor think? Namastè, each and every One! 

“My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulchre, in which human belief has buried its fondest earthly hopes. With white fingers they point upward to a new and glorified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 299:1-11

Uppercase Living

photo from my son's wedding

[in the past 9 years, I have repeated this "daily" 4 times. It bears a 5th!] 

Today I pay tribute to all of you who practice Uppercase Living! If you've been reading these writings for a while, you may remember that a dear friend of mine wrote an essay by this title years ago. In that writing, he inspired me to think of living as Living, loving as Loving, and to examine all my activities to see if I'm taking them to the level of uppercase-ness. Every day I witness people living Life, feeling Love, helping others to see Truth, and leading grand and noble lives. Each time we leave pain behind, looking past the illusion of ugliness and grasping beauty, we are experiencing Uppercase Living. When we refuse to repeat gossip or anything unlike Good, we are raising the bar for everyone. What we experience, everyone experiences, by virtue of the One consciousness which we share. Give yourself a pat on the back and be proud of your accomplishments!  Mazel Tov! Namaste! Woo-hoo!

“Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 264:25-27