The Cookie Thief

I stumbled upon a delightful thing today! The University of California Medical School, San Diego, has a Center for Mindfulness in its Department of Family Medicine and Public Health. In it, I saw this poem. Dr. Wayne Dyer introduced me to it years ago and I was delighted to read it today! Please enjoy “The Cookie Thief” by Valerie Cox.

Cookie Thief

“A woman was waiting at the airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene

She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,
As the gustly "cookie thief" diminished her stock
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I'd blacken his eye!"

With each cookie she took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he'd do.
with a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, and he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, "Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he's also so rude,
Why, he didn't even show any gratitude!"

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look at the "thieving ingrate".

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.
There were her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!

"If mine are here," she moaned with despair.
"Then the others were his and he tried to share!"
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!!!!”

By: Valerie Cox

Whole-i-ness, Expressed

 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Love your neighbor as yourself. What a lovely world it is when we love ourselves more, and then let that love flow out to our neighbors. When we honor ourselves as reflections of Love, we are able to do no harm to others, because we wouldn't do it unto ourselves. Our purpose is to see this ever-present truth in everything. When I am interacting with someone who is living in fear, someone who turns every situation into a threat, I will turn it around in my​ ​​perception by seeing the situation differently. This allows me to release any thoughts of trying to change their attitude, any words of correction, ​and ​all attack thoughts of any kind. I will live ​by Love and express it with words and actions as I move through this day, knowing that whole-i-ness expressed is my only purpose.

"We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives."
Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248:25-29

Good Advice From Will Smith

 

I heard an interview with Will Smith where he was answering questions about his spiritual studies. There were a number of things I loved about this hour-long conversation, but I was especially pleased to hear that he and his wife had devoted a year of study to a number of religious disciplines -- a year to each path! They did this to grow in their knowledge, and to deepen their relationship. Toward the end of this video, he is asked this question: If you could create one law for everyone to follow, what would it be? His answer was that everyone would have to repeat back what was just said to them before they can respond to it. He expounded on this idea by saying that we are often not clear on what was said, whether we aren't listening deeply, or simply are misunderstanding the words. He said that we often paint the words of others, adding to whatever we hear, embellishing or taking away from the actual statement. He ended by expressing the importance of clearing our own vision, so we have a purified space from which to relate to others. I am using this photograph today because Kevin Wright, editor of the Gonzales, Texas newspaper, is talking with a conservative legislator at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. It would bode well for the politician if the journalist was misunderstanding!

​"​For communication embraces everything, and in the peace it re-establishes, love comes of itself.” A Course in Miracles Chapter 15 XI:7

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:​11-14

Free Floating

creation of Sandy Starbird 

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 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

Joined in Purpose

 

[I do not know who manipulated these photos of art in the Louvre during the pandemic - but there is a whole series which may be found online]

Have you noticed people making major shifts in their lives? These changes do not seem to be painful, but rather are beautifully flowing shifts which seem almost effortless in their perfection. I love seeing people coming alive with the excitement of doing things which bring them happiness and deep fulfillment! Whether it's moving to another part of the globe, or starting a new career, or "retiring" and finding that life is just beginning, people are changing their focus in major ways. It's so wonderful that we're feeling free to follow our heart and move into the space of Love which fulfills our function. And how do we know what that is? Listen inwardly and trust what you hear!!

“Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:18-21

“When brothers join in purpose in the world of fear, they stand already at the edge of the real world. Perhaps they still look back, and think they see an idol that they want. Yet has their path been surely set away from idols toward reality.” A Course in Miracles 

Reactions in an Abnormal Society

 

photo credit: Richard Quick

Dr. Gabor Maté's writing and videos have caused me to look at my environment in a different way. Watching people react to the pandemic, I’ve wondered why some folks survive and thrive, while others seem to shrink and retreat into fearful ways of living. Dr. Maté has caused me to ask what behaviors children are exhibiting in reaction to trauma inflicted upon them by our society — shootings in school, the fear they are taught to exhibit toward anything outside their homes — worse yet, the fear precipitated inside their homes. And what of our adults? Trauma from childhood has affected far too many of us. We don’t know how to handle the abuses from family, friends, teachers and others in positions of authority. What if we recognized the source of mass shootings and other horrendous crimes? It’s too easy to say the cause is video games, mass media, and violent cartoons. What if we admitted it’s early childhood trauma which we have no idea how to assimilate, translate, and release? It’s time for each and every one of us to delve into the teachings of people like Gabor Maté and others who understand what is happening to us. If I am able to recognize the reactions to trauma in all its forms, perhaps I can release my own and allow others to have the courage to recognize theirs and see where that realization takes them. Namaste, my friends...

“So much of what we call abnormality in this culture is actually normal responses to an abnormal culture. The abnormality does not reside in the pathology of individuals, but in the very culture that drives people into suffering and dysfunction.” — Dr. Gabor Maté

Fearing Love?

 

I heard a program on National Public Radio where people who had been involved with hate groups, who were presently in recovery, were interviewed. There were white nationalists, new-age nazis, and Islamic terrorists. Some wanted out because they realized they were wrong, others had wives who gave them ultimatums when they saw their children behaving in this way, but whatever the reason, they all had something in common: they couldn’t leave without support from groups. It was very similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. The interviewees said they were addicted to the feelings, the strong emotions, which were aroused when they screamed messages of derision toward others. Listening to these dear people talk about their experiences — how and why they were drawn to such a destructive group of people, the way it made them feel, why they had to get away from them — I was struck by how much we truly are all the same. Sometimes we lose our way and think that pain is pleasure, hate is love, and ugliness is beauty. I’m going to double down on my efforts to scatter joy and love my neighbor. It is, indeed, important!

"...fear demands the sacrifice of love, for in love's presence fear cannot abide. For hate to be maintained, love must be feared; and only sometimes present, sometimes gone. Thus is love seen as treacherous, because it seems to come and go uncertainly, and offer no stability to you. You do not see how limited and weak is your allegiance, and how frequently you have demanded that love go away, and leave you quietly alone in 'peace.'" A Course in Miracles T-29.2.7.