Then Shall You Truly Dance

 Dear Friends,

Kevin passed on last night. Having just finished a brutal phone interview with the organ donor folks, I'm too tired to articulate my feelings. But this poem by Gibran comes close. 

"Then Almitra spoke, saying, We would ask now of Death.

And he said:

You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honour.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance."

Kahlil Gibran

Sending Love

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There has been a situation in my life which helps me to be empathetic toward those who have loved ones who are ill. I had to call an ambulance for my Kevin tonight and he is at the hospital. It doesn’t appear to be Covid, but there are some alarming symptoms. The photo I include is of the wall in his computer porch. He painted it yesterday and loves it so much. I am visualizing him sitting there in the sunshine, looking at the wall he enjoyed composing. It is a beautiful expression of him. Not being able to be with him, not knowing what is happening, brings the situation facing millions into focus for me. It’s not easy living and loving in this time of covid, huh? I send healing love to everyone hurting tonight, for whatever reason, no matter who you are or where you are. May the families of those in hospitals find comfort in knowing that love has no boundaries. I know Kevin feels my love as solidly as that of his dogs, and vice versa. Time to tuck the dogs into bed with some comforting words. Love to all...

"Spirit blesses man, but man cannot 'tell whence it cometh.' By it the sick are healed, the sorrowing are comforted, and the sinning are reformed. These are the effects of one universal God, the invisible good dwelling in eternal Science." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 78:28

Love Sweet Love

 

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love." "Come on people now, Smile on your brother, Everybody get together, Try to love one another right now." "I see skies of blue, And clouds of white, The bright blessed day, The dark sacred night, And I think to myself, What a wonderful world." "All you need is love, All you need is love, All you need is love, love, Love is all you need." "You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will be as one."

“Human hate has no legitimate mandate and no kingdom. Love is enthroned.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health 454:9-10

Dead End Path?

 ​                                                photo credit: Aaron Springston

When we think of extremist religious groups, perhaps the Islamic group al Qaeda comes to mind. Because Jesus was a man who spurned violence as much as he turned away from riches and power, we think of Christianity as a medium for peace and love. Unfortunately, this is not always true. The teachings of Jesus were simple: love your neighbor as yourself and God above all else. We are currently discovering many appalling things about our country's people, and the fact that many are waging violence because they think God is telling them to do so is frightening. It is beyond my ability to grasp this idea. Obviously pastors and others in charge are leading their flocks down dead-end paths. And for what reason? Our incoming president is a devout Catholic. The Reverend Raphael Warnock, newly elected senator from Georgia, is a Baptist minister, for goodness sakes! Why would Christians -- or anyone -- be opposed to good people simply because they are Democrats? I can only think of one reason: they have been demonized by religious leaders. I hope we can all remember that Jesus did not mean to start a religion; he came to teach us the way to peace, how to love without judgment, and to be empathetic to the plight of others. I pray for the day we can free ourselves of political parties and religious sects, allowing the purity of living from the heart without the ritual and rule of power-hungry leaders. Namaste...

"The Science Jesus taught and lived must triumph over all material beliefs about life, substance, and intelligence, and the multitudinous errors growing from such beliefs. Love must triumph over hate." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 43:27

I'll Meet You In The Field...

 

photo credit: Nick Franchi

Well, it's been cold for quite some time! A dear friend stopped by for a visit today and it was like a breath of fresh air. Now that it's a bit warmer, I encourage everyone to get outside and breathe, even if you can't visit with friends for whatever the reasons. Carol and I felt comfortable sitting in the living room, as far away from each other as possible, but tomorrow should be warm enough to have a friends' circle out in the street, if we so choose. For everyone who is able to walk, take advantage of it! Oh, how nice it would be to go to Crystal Bridges and walk in the gardens, or sit in the sunshine and hear music and laughter. Writing these words bring to mind a favorite poem, so I shall leave you with it:

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase 'each other'

doesn’t make any sense.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.” Rumi

Introspection

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Introspection is my word of the month. For many reasons, there is a need for self-examination in our world, and that looking within is obviously an individual project. Am I acting in certain ways because I think it’s what is expected of me, or am I being true to my inner Self? Am I jumping up on my proverbial high horse and looking down on others with a sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude? Maybe. It’s always been a personal fault. My pettiness could be interpreted in much the same way as I’m interpreting the actions of others, so I’m going to pay attention to that, sincerely. There is such beauty and goodness in this world. My prayer is to add to that glory...

“If a friend informs us of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are ‘not as other men’? During many years the author has been most grateful for merited rebuke. The wrong lies in unmerited censure, — in the falsehood which does no one any good.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 8:30

The Steering Mechanism of Human Experience

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photo credit: Aaron Springston

"Human thought is actually the steering mechanism of human experience." This statement I read recently can be interpreted in different ways, but I see how it has been demonstrated in my own life. Decades ago, I felt like a victim of life's circumstances. Of the top five stress-producing situations in life, I constantly was in the midst of two or three of them. It was a never-ending drama, with sadness which I tried to quelch by staying stoned all the time. It took years of concentrated effort to calm my thoughts and erase my addictions, but the reward has been happiness. It's easy to slip back into ways of thinking which bring distress -- such as being upset over political happenings, fear of disease, worry about children and loved ones. While I have not made a New Year's resolution to stop thinking this way, I have vowed to be thankful and to be aware of where my thought is steering me. I have preached to others the importance of our first thoughts upon waking and our last mental images before going to sleep. I've been lax in the good habits which became mine through practice. No matter what my waking thought is tomorrow morning, I want to turn it into this daily prayer which was given to us by Mary Baker Eddy: "'Thy kingdom come:' let the reign of divine Life, Truth, and Love be established in me, and rule out of me all sin [erroneous thoughts of separation]; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!"