Friends

 
I spent the afternoon with a friend who is in the hospital. She has lost the light in her eyes, so I read Mary Oliver essays to her, with lots of long pauses and occasional recounting of times we have shared. My heart swells with the Love I feel for this wonderful woman. Before I left to visit her, another old friend, Kriste-lee, artist extraordinaire, came by my house for an unexpected visit. We hadn’t seen each other in almost two years, other than a brief chance meeting in a public setting. Seeing these women with whom I’ve shared Life was uplifting and, also, a cause for much introspective remembering. Our time together is precious, dear Friends. I cherish you…

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 248:3

Brouhahas

Perhaps I'm experiencing Covid fatigue. For the last few years, I’ve played duplicate bridge. Past writings have applauded the different life views I get to hear; ideas which my regular social circle might not proffer. At the first of the pandemic, our club stopped meeting because of our extremely close contact at the bridge table. We started to play again a couple of months ago, shortly thereafter deciding we needed to wear masks, and so we have. Some people strongly disagree with this decision and there has been a bit of a brouhaha over the mandate. Tensions have mounted. Despite my personal vow to remain calm and open-minded, when a woman began to espouse extreme political views yesterday I told her exactly what I thought about it. This exchange caused me to realize it’s time for me to back off from the situation, as being in close quarters with so many people doesn’t feel like the thing to do right now. There are many times in my life I have felt the need to be quiet and listen for guidance. Hopefully a correction in thought will occur, before I alienate any more sweet little old conservative ladies. Ohmmmmm... :)

“Choke these errors in their early stages, if you would not cherish an army of conspirators against health, happiness, and success.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 405:9-11

Ego Busters

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The teachings of A Course in Miracles reveal many ideas which could be called ego-busters, any one of which may ruffle our feathers! I like to think I’m quietly listening for Spirit to speak through me today and everyday, but I know that’s not always true. Often I have an uneasy feeling somewhere around the solar plexus, or maybe there’s an odd, tired feeling in my spine, both of which I’ve learned to recognize as symptoms of an errant ego making itself known. Sometimes I might be self-righteous in response to a situation, or perhaps I feel defensive when I’m not absolutely sure about my position. When these things happen, I can choose to back up, perhaps apologize to someone, and start over with a fresh perspective, because my words and/or actions were coming from a self-righteous source. And so, dear Reader, please feel free to tell me if you think I’m wrong, or point out a situation in which I may have been insensitive. I promise not to take it personally! 

"Eloquence re-echoes the strains of Truth and Love. It is due to inspiration rather than to erudition." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 88:26-27

Ripening Into Immortality

Ken & Sandy Starbird in my gallery, Eureka Thyme

I grew up in a small town and have lived all my life in close proximity to it, so there are many people I’ve known for decades. Looking back at my dearest friends through the years, most of us have grown apart, finding that we no longer share the same viewpoints or interests.  Friendships ebb and flow, change over the years, and mature into majestic alliances. The treasured relationships which have endured are so sweet! Loving God extends into loving Its expression, in the form of other humans. I am grateful for the burgeoning understanding which allows me to love without fear, to extend a hand when needed, and never fear the consequences. Namaste!

“Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful. Men and women of riper years and larger lessons ought to ripen into health and immortality, instead of lapsing into darkness or gloom.” Mary Baker Eddy-Science & Health Page 249:3-7

In the beginning ...

 From Mary Oliver's Upstream: 

"In the beginning I was so young and such a stranger to myself I hardly existed. I had to go out into the world and see it and hear it and react to it, before I knew at all who I was, what I was, what I wanted to be. Wordsworth studied himself and found the subject astonishing. Actually what he studied was his relationship to the harmonies and also the discords of the natural world. That’s what created the excitement." 

Mary Oliver

Fear Not...

 Sometimes we instill fear in our children even before they're born. Most mothers-to-be are worried about a myriad of things, having been taught to believe it's necessary to do that. From the moment we stand up and toddle about we hear: Be careful, don't fall! When I was a child, I loved to walk in the woods alone, and the only warnings I was given had to do with snakes or perhaps the occasional wild carnivore. Nowadays, everything from ticks to the sun may attack us, and we go to great lengths to protect ourselves, putting poisons on our skin to avoid something we perceive to be worse. This is yet another example of the material illusions we have made for ourselves. As I go through this day, I will notice what learned behaviors are ruling my life, holding me in fear rather than Love. The words of a great teacher come to mind: Perfect Love casts out fear!

“Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 261:4-7

And It Was Good ...

 

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I love to sit on my back deck, where nothing exists other than a forest and the insects and birds talking to me. My gratitude for this peace is all-encompassing. Of course, we are conditioned to feel guilty when we are happy in spite of other people’s misery and fear, so the thought crossed my mind that I should feel bad for others. But this was quickly corrected because I know that no matter how badly I feel about the plight of another, it will do nothing to improve their lot. This does not mean that I have no compassion for them, but that I correct the picture of despair in my thoughts and see them according to the first book of Genesis rather than the second: God created everything and it was good. That is the spiritual reality of Life. So rather than dwelling on images burned into my retina by my knowledge of world events,  I translate them into the purity of creation in its natural state​:​ Love.  The compassion I feel for all of the earth is not dimmed by my turning away from the material picture; rather it expands to include everything in the panoply of this Love, unmarred by fires and earthquakes and pandemics and political unrest. This is the least I can do for my earthly family — or perhaps it’s the most.

“The notion of a material universe is utterly opposed to the theory of man as evolved from Mind. Such fundamental errors send falsity into all human doctrines and conclusions, and do not accord infinity to Deity. Error tills the whole ground in this material theory, which is entirely a false view, destructive to existence and happiness.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 545:11