Let It Go

Here is a writing from 2012. I'm working on not holding grudges and letting go of past hurts. It's a work in progress... :)

Linwood

For the past ten years or so, my next door neighbor and I have disagreed about the turkey vultures which roost in our neighborhood. He has screamed curses at me in the street. He stated at a city council meeting that my opinions aren't valid because I'm a Christian Scientist and I have strange ideas about wildlife and disease. Events like these come to mind whenever I see him. It's time to change my thought​ ​about him, so I will concentrate on the early years and remember the times we banded together to help others. One of the first conversations I had with him was concerning a neighbor named Margaret, who rarely left her home. One day he came over to ask for my help with her. I'll always remember his mischievous grin as he said: "I know this is sort of like asking a Baptist to go to the liquor store, but would you take Margaret to the doctor?" We became friends that day and worked together to help her in any way we could. One day I saw a copy of Science & Health in her bookcase. Even though she refused to leave her house, I lured her out with a mid-week visit to our church edifice, when no one was there other than us, and I would play the organ for her. This became a regular event, and when she would leave her house to go with me, the other neighbors would go in and clean for her. Margaret was the glue that bound this neighborhood together. That is the loving energy I will remember when I see this other neighbor. And why will I remember only the good in him? Because that's the only reality. Love, and all that emanates from it, is an attribute of God. Anything else is an illusion, and I will let the winds of change sweep it away.

"Not to avenge one's self upon one's enemies is the command of almighty wisdom; and we take this to be a safer guide than the promptings of human nature. To know that a deception dark as it is base has been practiced upon thee, and yet not to avenge thyself, is to do good to thyself; is to take a new standpoint whence to look upward; is to be calm amid excitement, just amid lawlessness, and pure amid corruption."​ Mary Baker Eddy - ​Miscellaneous Writings Page 228

Take Heart

Take heart. When I read those words in the statement from Mary Baker Eddy quoted below, I did just that. Take Heart. Take Heart! Sometimes it seems the world is trying to wear us down, making us pull the covers over our heads and declare that we've had enough; we surrender. When I feel that way, I know it's time to take a break. Getting into fresh air, communing with animals and trees, is probably the best break possible for me. Any connection with anything not electronic seems to do the trick, don't you think? Although listening to joyous music, preferable something which brings up memories of dancing and laughing, is also a good cleansing for me. Whatever it is you do -- yoga, exercise, gardening, dog walking -- be sure you do it. I can't remember who said, Don't let the bastards get you down! But it was good advice. We can't always be strong, and that's okay. Take a break, but then come back and continue the good fight, spreading truth and love everywhere you go and in everything you do! Never surrender!! 

“Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When you read this, remember Jesus' words, 'The kingdom of God is within you.' This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 573:29-2

Strong Love

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Our hearts cry for the children, the animals, the adults, the trees, the insects — all of life is in need of our higher thoughts and positive actions! When we see a heartbreaking situation and translate it into Love, we are helping. Everything we say or do is either a reflection of Love or fear, and fear seems to try to attach itself to us with every new travesty we witness. But that fearful response gets us nowhere and only causes the situation to be more solid in thought. We are flexible and easily-influenced people, but we are also smart and intuitive. The choices we have may seem overwhelming sometimes, but when we realize there is only one real choice, Love, it becomes easier to see truth. We all want to be loved, to be safe, to be comfortable, to be at peace. It may seem as though hatred spreads like wildfire, but Love puts out the flames of hatred as surely as light brightens a dark room. It may hurt our eyes at first, but those reflective organs are made to adjust. I hope you can do something joyous today. Love as strongly as some are fearing, because it's an incredibly strong and unstoppable force which we hold right here in our hearts. Namaste...

"Walking in the light, we are accustomed to the light and require it; we cannot see in darkness. But eyes accustomed to darkness are pained by the light. When outgrowing the old, you should not fear to put on the new." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 452:7

Don't Stop...

photo credit: Aaron Springston

Looking back in time, it seems we are often on the verge of becoming the best that we can be, and then something happens and we slide back down the hill, beginning our sisyphean push back up the hill, always hoping we can reach the peak and hang out there for a while. In contemplating our human condition today, I ran across this which was written by Mary Baker Eddy in the last 1800s. I know it’s still true and we must continue the push!

“To my sense, the most imminent dangers confronting the coming century are: the robbing of people of life and liberty under the warrant of the Scriptures; the claims of politics and of human power, industrial slavery, and insufficient freedom of honest competition; and ritual, creed, and trusts in place of the Golden Rule, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”

(The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany)

Beauty is a Thing of Life

photo credit: Dale Johnson

Tonight was an opportunity for me to witness the beauty and strength of humanity in the midst of an uncertain, often difficult, time in our lives. I've mentioned my book club before. We are a group of Novel Women who love and respect one another, having met once a month for years. We had not seen each other for six months, meeting last in February and stopping when it was necessary because of this pandemic. Tonight we were outside in a lovely country setting, socially distanced in physical space and connected through our hearts. We didn't discuss any of the books we have read this year, but rather told each other about our lives, our daily activity, our family joys and sorrows and fears. There were stories of teaching women prisoners about computers, but having to do it with a speaker phone because the women had no computers. One woman told us of her studies about racism in our country, causing another to recommend a book by the title of Caste. We heard tales of marriage and celebrations, along with worries for family who live in big cities and work on the front lines. I loved hearing all these stories coming from women who know each other so well. The triumphs which they think of as normal, everyday life made my heart swell with pride in knowing such fine folks. I'd be willing to bet you could talk to five friends (or strangers) and hear some beautiful life stories, too. Maybe that's what we should all concentrate on today!

"Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color. It is Love which paints the petal with myriad hues, glances in the warm sunbeam, arches the cloud with the bow of beauty, blazons the night with starry gems, and covers earth with loveliness." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 247:21

Look Out From the Stars

photo credit: Richard Quick

I’ve never been a follower of astrology, but the weekly horoscopes in our Eureka Springs Independent are exceptional! They are spiritual treatises which lead us to a place of higher thought and expectation. I will leave you with “mine” for this week, but it is perfect for anyone (as are they all). “So many things — your faith, wisdom, goals, philosophy of life, politics, travel and adventure, will all be affected by the Mars retrograde. You will need to ponder upon what actions will be best for humanity. You come from the heart of the matter. So, it’s important for you to act within the principle of what is right, what serves others, what serves the world. You have enthusiasm for life. During the retrograde this enthusiasm turns to inner joy. You will rework certain projects, like writing, publishing, and things legal, slowing down to catch up with the happenings of the time.”

Link to horoscope: http://eureka.news/esoteric-astrology-as-news-for-week-september-9-15/

"The astronomer will no longer look up to the stars, -- he will look out from them upon the universe; and the florist will find his flower before its seed." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 125:28

Tending With Love

What “triggers” you? This term has become quite popular this year, and I’m not sure I even knew what it meant until recently. A famous son wrote a book by that name. I checked it out of the library to see what it was all about, and was so disgusted I drove it back there the same day. Now, it seems even the word is enough to “trigger” me! Ha! Whatever the case, it is not a productive reaction. Whether someone wants me to be upset and they purposefully “push my buttons”, or if I get upset because I hear certain things which cause me to jump up on my high horse in disagreement and righteous indignation, it just doesn’t matter. A dear friend posted this picture and saying on social media today, and it will remind me to stay in a space of Love, no matter what I hear or see. Love to you!

"As a man thinketh, so is he. Mind is all that feels acts, or impedes action. Ignorant of this, or shrinking from its implied responsibility, the healing effort is made on the wrong side, and thus the conscious control over the body is lost." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 166:3