A Higher and More Permanent Peace

 

​Excitement is in the air! Warmer weather, the appearance of flowers, and the hope of full vaccinations allowing us to co-mingle again — well, it’s almost too much to bear! While colder weather and grey days don’t bother me (I enjoy being cozily swaddled in flannel and books), I’m ready to plant something and be outside. I have missed my book club and a spades game I regularly played with three dear friends, but other than that, I really don’t miss anything about the “old” life. I’m a bridge fanatic, and tournaments are more readily available online than they were in real time. I’m almost a Life Master after this year of seclusion. I never was into “party bridge”, but three friends and I play all Monday afternoon, online, with a conference call allowing us to talk on our phones. It’s better than being physically with each other — because we don’t have to go anywhere! I’ve never enjoyed small talk and chit chatting at parties and such, and it sometimes causes me discomfort to be forced into it. The past year has allowed me to realize many things about myself, as I’m sure you have, too. I look forward to embracing life in ways which bring peace and fulfillment!

“This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man’s absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace.” ​Mary Baker Eddy - ​Science & Health Page 265:10-15

Why Are You Happy?

Kevin Wright

I heard of a study which has been in the making for 40+ years. It followed certain people throughout their lives and came to conclusions about why they are or are not happy. Turns out happiness isn’t reliant on how much money people have, nor does it matter what religion they espouse — or not. Happiness isn’t dependent or where people live, what job they have, nor if they’re married or single. But it does have a direct correlation to their interpersonal relationships, their friendships, their interactions with others. While there was no direct correlation to marriage nor job, the way we relate to our spouse or co-workers affects our happiness levels. Those who were not married or didn’t have a job were still happier if they interacted with others on a regular basis. So let’s go out and gather joy, spread happiness, and be Love!

"Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 57:18-21

The Truth About Ourselves

 ​

photo credit: Aaron Springston

An old friend tells me that it has taken her seven decades to stop believing the things her parents told her about herself. They said she was ugly, stupid, worthless, and other horrid things. She believed them, and their words stayed with her until she joined a group of spiritually-aware people who allowed her to see the truth about herself. She no longer feels unworthy of love and goodness. Hallelujah! Her salvation has come! How often we believe lies about the reality of our being. We don’t realize we have chosen guilt for ourselves, but thankfully we are recognizing this and seeing that we have a choice. Nothing outside of our own Self can save us; nothing from outside can bring us peace. The source of salvation and peace lies within. This acceptance is, indeed, cause for celebration!

“Innocence and Truth overcome guilt and error.”  Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 568:1

Mindful Love

 

photo credit: Steve Shogren

​It’s difficult to think we would want anything other than happiness for ourselves. I know from personal experience that there have been many times when it seems I have set myself up for misery, yet I also do not think I did this purposefully, simply Mindlessly. The egotistical leanings of a person who is wild and blue oftentimes leads to poor life choices, and I feel fortunate to have survived and thrived despite turning away from goodness. There is so much beauty in this life, and we need only pay attention in order to experience it. Leaving behind our expectations may seem futile, but I think of it as freeing me to experience Love in its many manifestations. And I am grateful.

"The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by His creation; and when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 515:4-8

True Recognition

photo credit: Aaron Springston

 ​
My thoughts turn today toward the holy relationship. We have many relationships in this life and, if you're like me, you prefer to think of them all as holy! If God is Love, and we express that Love, then isn't everything we do coming from that Love which is our essence? Unfortunately, our human ego often gets in the way. What we think of as love is often colored with human emotions such as guilt, jealousy, lust, and fear. This is a tough admission for any of us to make. A dear friend has been talking to me recently about a romantic relationship he is ending, and it's caused me to examine the reasons my marriages have not become a holy union. The thing that keeps coming back time and again is that each and every entanglement I have ever had was based in some way or another on the words, "I want". Maybe I wanted to be a grown up, maybe I wanted to be IN love, maybe I wanted a love affair like the movies and songs tell us is the be-all, end-all. My friend is feeling sad for the loss of this relationship. He liked so many things about this woman, but there differences which caused their incompatibility. He could have stayed, but there was something missing: It wasn't a holy relationship. It was based on expectation of change and other material desires. My friend innately knows that settling down with someone because it's easy is not what he wants. And I know he will recognize, within himSelf, what it is he's waiting for.

“Will, as a quality of so-called mortal mind, is a wrong-doer; hence it should not be confounded with the term as applied to Mind or to one of God’s qualities.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 597:24-26

Truth Sets Us Free

 ​The Dog Whisperer, (whom I’ve mentioned often in these writings) Cesar Millan, tells us he rehabilitates dogs and trains people. He observes that dogs live in the moment. When he is helping people to understand a dog which seems maimed by past experiences in its life, he always tells us that feeling sorry for the animal is of no benefit. How can this be? The dog is hurting and we're being asked to deny that? Yes!!

A Course in Miracles teaches us it's necessary to give up all beliefs -- not just those we deem to be "bad", but all material beliefs. By letting them go and replacing them with an openness of thought which allows us to hear the Truth of our Being, we experience the miracle which is the natural order of Life. It may not seem logical to say that we can simply release feelings of fear and anger. They can appear very real to us, but if we stop and examine them, do they have any purpose other than to bind us to the past? One dog Cesar worked with was afraid to walk on any floor without a carpet, because it had once gone sliding into a glass door. Upon investigation of its people's reactions, they had immediately reinforced the dog's fears by petting, commiserating, and talking about what a horrible experience it had been. They were holding the dog in fear by acts they thought of as compassion. What Cesar explains is that dogs live in the moment, unless they're held in the past by everyone around them. I’m so grateful for every experience which helps me to discern between belief and reality -- especially when it's shown to me by a dog!

“When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, 'I am hurt!' Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 397:12-16

The Secret Life of Bees

photo credit: Aaron Springston

 "The Secret Life of Bees" is one of my favorite books ever. I've read it twice and listened to it once, but that was years ago. So tonight when I had the opportunity to watch the movie, I was delighted! And rightfully so. The narrator is a broken, young girl whose mother deserted her in every way possible. Its setting is 1960s rural America, with all the racial paranoia you can imagine would be present. I ponder why some people are able to transcend awful events in their lives, while others are stuck in them. I'd love to have a round-table discussion about this. Every person, their experiences, their perceptions of life, they are all individual to us each, and nothing is universal about our pain. The honesty and grace lived by the family our main character is living with (and their love) heal her. By fearlessly looking at the pain and its source, she is able to make sense of it, feel it thoroughly, and find ways to be happy around it, until she will let it go. My focus for this year is: How to know the truth, and how to be an anti-racist. This movie sparked many ideas in my brain and I'm excited to see where they lead. I hope you have a joyous spring day!

"'Love one another', (I John, 3:23) is the most simple and profound counsel of the inspired writer. " Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 572:6