Finding Joy Within Sorrow

photo credit: Blake Lasater

 In yesterday’s blog, I hailed the wonder of joyful living. A few people tell me I was wrong. I fully understand that sometimes things happen in our lives, and we are overcome with grief. I know this is true, and I think grief should be honored. Cry when you feel like it, and ask for help if you can’t stand the pain alone. These are parts of active grieving and I think they are necessary. One person told me it was impossible to be joyous when so many people in this world are starving, homeless, seemingly without hope. I remember one of my favorite wise men saying that no matter how bad we feel, it won’t change what someone is experiencing. And writing this reminds me of another author who said that what we do in the present changes the future and redeems the past. This stream-of-consciousness post is to clear my thoughts. What has come from it, for me, is the knowledge that joy is still there within the grief. At some point, we begin to see glimmers of that light. My hope is that we’re not afraid to accept our feelings of joy and sadness, even when they occur simultaneously. When we witness children in need, we can hold them high in our thoughts, leading humankind to acknowledge their need and seeing how, individually and collectively, to supply it. There is a solution to every problem, and joy, love, and compassion lead the way to answers. 

“My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulcher, in which human belief has buried its fondest earthly hopes. With white fingers they point upward to a new and glorified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health P 299:11

Happiness is Unselfish

 A Little Night Magic - by J. Clement Wall -- judyclementwall.com

Waking up joyfully, full of expectations for good, anticipating hot coffee, study, and meditation — life is good! I love days with nowhere to be and no one to see. When I got around to checking Facebook, many friends were talking about the same thing: how happy they felt, for no particular reason. Then Judy Wall posted this drawing she calls “A Little Night Magic” and I realized exactly how thoughts spread through us all. I feel like everyone I know is happily following their dreams and enjoying their family and friends. We are all anticipating spring and planting flowers and walking in the woods. Babies are being born and plans are being made for lives to be flexible and family-oriented. I know families who have shown how it is possible to work together productively and create nests of loving support for each other. Strangers are meeting up and sharing homes and working for the common good. For instance, my neighbor needed help with home repairs and met an aging drag queen who is a master carpenter and needed a place to stay temporarily. Let’s never forget we’re all in this together! Namaste…

"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

A Freedom Before Unknown

 

photo credit: Sandy Starbird

Be with those who help your being. I've always loved that thought, haven't you? More and more, I find myself reveling in the company of friends, and being even more content in solitude. This seeming conundrum feels similar to the realization that I'm not a body: It's both exhilarating and calming! I'm excited that I needn't be a victim of the false beliefs of material life. I'm content in knowing there is so much to realize in this unfolding Life. Thinking back through the years and recognizing momentous friendships which have helped change my perspective from life to Life, I am grateful beyond words. The Love I feel for these precious people is eternal, and with this knowledge comes a freedom before unknown. 

"Mind has set me free from every error. Divine Love fills every avenue, flows through every channel and removes every obstruction."
[This is an excerpt from an article entitled "Body" by Mary Baker Eddy, filed in the Congressional Library, January 19, 1886]

Holiest of All Spots

 

An unexpected phone call today caused me to think of the above Course in Miracles quote.​ While I never thought of a particular friend as an enemy, things had come between us years ago and we had drifted apart. I continued sending her a birthday card over the years, and this year sent one for Christmas, also. And this morning I received a phone call from her. It was wonderful to hear the voice of this woman who had been my best friend for years. She was like a second mother to my children when they were infants and toddlers, and I have missed her friendship. We probably won't see much of each other, and we most likely won't talk on the phone very often, but it feels as though an empty space has been sewn together, and I am grateful. 

"Forget not that a shadow held between your brother and yourself obscures the face of Christ and memory of God. And would you trade Them for an ancient hate? The ground whereon you stand is holy ground because of Them Who, standing there with you, have blessed it with Their innocence and peace." A Course In Miracles T26-IX-2

"Holy inspiration has created states of mind which have been able to nullify the action of the flames, as in the Bible case of the three young Hebrew captives, cast into the Babylonian furnace, while an opposite mental state might produce spontaneous combustion." Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 161:5

Life Master

I became a life master today. As I write those words, I realize they sound a lot cooler than the actuality is. It is a designation by the American Contract Bridge League to show that you know what you’re doing. I took up this game in the early 80s, and quit when other obligations took me away from it. I didn’t think I’d ever play again, but when I retired I discovered there are three duplicate bridge groups in our area, and I’ve been active in them up until the pandemic changed the way we sit together at tables. Also, in order to become a life master, you must have gold and silver points, which are usually attained only at larger tournaments. But when walk-in club play was limited, things heated up online — and I found out how much I truly love that form of competition! Today, I earned the last 1.5 silver points needed to attain this ranking. I never thought it would happen, and I’m over-the-moon thrilled!

“A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 128:13-19

Expressions of Joy

 

Twenty years ago, it seems I spent much more time every day in prayerful study and contemplation than I do now. Or maybe that’s not so. When I stop to think about it, nowadays every interaction is an expression of Love, with a fearlessness which grows daily. These seeds were planted and are still being nurtured by moment-to-moment expressions of joy. No matter what we do on a daily basis, this Love can be expressed in many ways – actually, in every way! And by loving yourself, you’re loving everyone. By living fearlessly, you’re spreading this confidence to all. I will go forth with loving gratitude today and expect only Good.

“If we look to the body for pleasure, we find pain; for Life, we find death; for Truth, we find error; for Spirit, we find its opposite, matter. Now reverse this action. Look away from the body into Truth and Love, the Principle of all happiness, harmony, and immortality. 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 260

Good Friends

I got a phone call this evening from a couple of old friends who had spent the day together, hiking in the snowy woods and enjoying each others’ company. We got to know each other 30 years ago when our children became friends. There is nothing like sharing laughs with people you really, truly like; women with whom you’ve shared years of memories and good times. We can tell each other anything, including the good, bad, and even ugly. I feel so fortunate to know women like these two, and particularly fortunate because the years have brought close connections from many directions. The gratitude I feel for all of you is boundless! Thank you for Being …

 "You rest within the peace of God today, and call upon your brothers from your rest to draw them to their rest, along with you. You will be faithful to your trust today, forgetting no one, bringing everyone into the boundless circle of your peace, the holy sanctuary where you rest. Open the temple doors and let them come from far across the world, and near as well; your distant brothers and your closest friends; bid them all enter here and rest with you." A Course in Miracles W-pI.109.8.