Contributing To The Delinquency

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photo credit: Aaron Springston

What would you think if you heard I had been issued a citation for “contributing to the delinquency of minors”? The Boston Globe has started a program called Fresh Start, where people can ask them to forgive and forget. In other words, the newspaper will consider updating old articles about lesser crimes and misdemeanors, or hiding them from Internet search engines. The debate between people is now: Is this a fresh start or a cover-up? So back to my first sentence: Yes, I was issued such a citation, but it’s not what it sounds like! My son was 14 and going to The Principia in St Louis. It was spring break and he was visiting with some lifelong friends who lived on our street. About 10 o’clock, he called and asked if he could stay awhile because they were having fun. Of course I agreed, and went to sleep shortly thereafter. The phone rang at 1 a.m. and it was Aaron asking me if I could come to get them; that they were in jail. It turns out they had taken a walk on this beautiful spring night (it’s perfectly safe to do this in Eureka Springs), and they had been picked up by a new policeman and charged with curfew violation. When I went to get the teenagers, I was given a ticket for contributing to the delinquency of a minor because I didn’t know where my children were! This caused quite a brouhaha in our village with letters to the editor and even an editorial written about the whole situation. In a couple of weeks, the chief of police apologized and expunged my record. But what if he hadn’t? If this ticket showed up on my record from an internet search, what doors might have closed to me? Obviously, I’m all for this wonderful program called Fresh Start! 

“It would sometimes seem as if truth were rejected because meekness and spirituality are the conditions of its acceptance, while Christendom generally demands so much less.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health page 343:21

The Humanity Behind the Headline

 

Behind every headline there is a human being with a story. When we hear about frightening events, real people just like us have been affected. When we read about uplifting stories of people’s lives, those are actual people with friends and pets and sorrows and joys. An earthquake, a car accident, any event affects someone with a story. When we hear about a diplomat being tortured or a bomb blowing up in a public place, we feel bad for the people involved, rarely the place which has been destroyed. When we hear about half-a-million deaths because of Covid-19, it’s tempting to ignore the families left behind, grieving the loss of someone they love. Everybody has a story and good journalism brings them to life for us, allowing us to see the humanity behind the headline. In a world of headline readers, it’s nice to ponder the rest of the story sometimes!

   
“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” Mary Baker Eddy

Uplifting Dialogues

"School Rules" painting by William Holbrook Beard

Do you ever feel a kinship with others which is so perfect that you know you are one Self, united in Creation? Perfect unity precludes conflict, and we feel this perfection with people whom we love no matter whether they agree with our every idea or not. It seems difficult, if not impossible, to feel this wholeness with everyone, especially those who are diametrically opposed toward our beliefs.  Today I will practice enjoying the middle road of conversations. If someone wants to talk about things I think are wrong, or foolish, or simply counter to my thoughts, I will listen with the purpose of understanding, not responding. I will find ways to encourage deep thinking without jumping up on my high horse and insisting that my way is the only way. It really doesn’t matter what the topic of conversation is, there is a middle ground to be found and an uplifting dialogue to be had. I want that. I want that a lot.

“Atonement is the exemplification of man's unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love. Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 18:1-5

Empty Vessels

 

photo credit: Gerry Toler

Many of life’s experiences are humbling. They help us to admit that we know nothing or that we’re wrong. I’ve gone through phases in the last 60 years when I didn’t want to admit either of these things, but now I am willing. On this beautiful nearly-spring day, join me in having no opinions and allowing beliefs to dissolve. Let’s see what shows up when we are an empty vessel! 

"We cannot fill vessels already full. They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error. Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 201:13-15

Changeless

photo credit: Gabrielle Schäfer

We seem like such fragile beings, with our emotional, physical, and mental states easily influenced by the circumstances surrounding us. Perhaps it’s the enforced isolation we have experienced during the last year which has caused so much “stuff” to surface. I think it’s a good thing to recognize the source of our pain, face it, and deal with it in whatever way necessary. In the last few weeks, numerous people have confided to me issues regarding their parents. One can’t release the blame and guilt associated with an abusive situation, another is upset because her father was in prison when she was born and she didn’t know who he was until recently, then there is the recurring situation when someone is adopted and they feel a part of their lives is missing. All of these situations can seem dire, but everything is being experienced by how we interpret it, and that is a choice. True forgiveness lies in not blaming. When we let that go, there is nothing to forgive. I’ve been there, and I know it can seem impossible. As I told one young person, no matter what someone did to you, nothing can touch the real you. And what is real? That which does not change. Namaste...

“Mortal error will vanish in a moral chemicalization. This mental fermentation has begun, and will continue until all errors of belief yield to understanding. Belief is changeable, but spiritual understanding is changeless.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 96:21

Grateful For You

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my Dutch friend in Paris

Today I want to express gratitude for the people I have met through these daily writings, and the old friends I have kept in touch with whom I may have lost track of otherwise. I’ve met a court reporter in California, a violinist in The Netherlands, a deep-thinking writer in Chicago, all when they read my blog which is linked daily on Twitter — or maybe somewhere else! But my point is that I’m grateful for the connections, for the Love expressed, and for the deepening understanding we’re sharing together. I appreciate your kind understanding when I write about my fears and sorrows. I love having you to celebrate with during times of joy and accomplishment. It’s been almost a decade since I began writing to you daily. I love it when you write to me or leave comments on the blog! We’re all in this together, and I am grateful...

“Being is holiness, harmony, immortality. It is already proved that a knowledge of this, even in small degree, will uplift the physical and moral standard of mortals, will increase longevity, will purify and elevate character. Thus progress will finally destroy all error, and bring immortality to light.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 492:7

Whom Do I Call My Enemy?

 

This Morning I Pray for My Enemies

Joy Harjo - 1951-

And whom do I call my enemy?

An enemy must be worthy of engagement.

I turn in the direction of the sun and keep walking.

It’s the heart that asks the question, not my furious mind.

The heart is the smaller cousin of the sun.

It sees and knows everything.

It hears the gnashing even as it hears the blessing.

The door to the mind should only open from the heart.

An enemy who gets in, risks the danger of becoming a friend.