Optical illusion of movement

The things we think we see are not always what they appear to be.  This is often illustrated by illusions.  In this case, the illusion of movement in these drawings is explained.

Thought you might enjoy this brief YouTube.  

Moral courage at the grocery store

Donna's a good friend, a devout Irish-Catholic with a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong, and a willingness to speak out against injustice.

At a post- Christmas gathering she was bemoaning racism.  It's all around, she said, and told this story.

"Just last week I was at the grocery store.  Two customers in front of me was an African-American woman.  The cashier was having a difficult time scanning the items.  The woman in front of me became irate that the check-out was taking so long, and began speaking abusively to customer in front of her.

"When she ranted on and on I stepped between them.  'Excuse me,' I said, 'It is the cashier who is having a hard time scanning the groceries.  It is not this woman's fault.'

"The abusive customer then attacked me with her foul language.  I said, 'Your language is offensive, you're way off base, and you need to shut up (and I don't usually use that term) and find another line.'  The abusive words continued. 

"'Would you like me to call the authorities?' I asked.  Finally she shut up and left.

"The African-American woman was in tears, and thanked me.  'Did you say that because I was colored?' she asked.  'Oh,' I replied, 'Are you colored?  No, what's wrong is wrong.'

"When I finished checking out, a security guard appeared and said, 'I will escort you to your car.'  I told him he didn't need to do that.  Very firmly he repeated, 'I will escort you to your car.'  I thanked him."

Listening to her story, I was grateful to see the completeness of her unselfish interference -- in the presence of the security guard who saw her safely to her car.

I wondered if I would have had that kind of moral courage.  I told Donna she was very courageous.  Her reply?  "Somebody had to do something."

I pray for all mankind daily.  I trust that my prayers support and inspire moral courage where it is needed.  And I respect my friend for hers.

Christmas -- every day

May your path

 to peace and fulfillment

 be bright with hope and promise.

Motherhood

Mothers come in all sizes, shapes, and colors.  Everyone of us has had one or, if we are particulary fortunate, perhaps more than one nurturer has been important in our lives -- grandmothers, aunts, neighbors. 

The best mothering expresses the motherhood of God -- patient yet firm, caring yet wise, nurturing yet willing to let go. 

God's mothering goes a little further, insofar as God is never on a coffee break, never out of town or out of touch, never too busy.

Hope you enjoy the wit and wisdom of an experienced, everyday mom in this video.

Through whose eyes?

A recent comment on another blog (Christian Science Fellowship - Metro Chicago) grabbed my attention. The writer referenced the story of Simon the Pharisee.

Briefly, Simon was a sceptic of Jesus, but invited him anyway to come to dinner. In that culture anyone could come and watch the wealthy eat. But one woman came whose profession made her completely unwelcome. Her motive was to honor Jesus' unconditional love for people even like her.

The tension grew. Simon was offended by her presence and could hardly stand that Jesus allowed this lowest-of-the-low to be near him. Jesus understood the woman's motive -- to somehow become the good and pure and useful person God made her to be. He blessed her deep desire and sent her away telling her her sins were forgiven.

The comment writer left me asking this question: Am I seeing the unwelcome guests in my life through the eyes of Simon -- criticizing, condemning, putting down? Or am I seeing unwelcome guests through the eyes of Jesus -- willing to discern honest repentance, to bless and to heal?

Interactive joy

These monks, it is said, have taken a vow of silence, but wish to be obedient and to make a joyful noise to the Lord.

The appreciation of the audience for creativity and precision adds to the joy.

Hope you enjoy this too.

Singing to the best

Peter, Paul, and Mary

Washington DC, 1963

A recent public TV documentary of the folk singers, Peter, Paul, and Mary, provided insight into their popularlity during turbulant times in the USA. But this post is not about revisiting those times. It's about something Mary said.

After many years performing together, they all went home to their families for what they wryly called a "seven year vacation." When they reunited for a California performance, they felt as if they had never been apart.

Then came Mary's profound observation.

She said, as best I can recall, that as singers, you have this ideal vision of who you are and what you'd like to be. She said she discovered that if you sing to that vision of who you could all be, all of you begin rising to that ideal, and you find you are becoming who you could be.

Soooooo, isn't this a basic truth of all relationships? That if we speak to our best vision of who we are and who the other person is or could be, that support is felt and becomes tangible.

And if God is wholly good, and has made men and women in the likeness of Mind, the image of Truth -- then is there any limit to who we could be or the good we could do?

Praying for those in danger

Look beyond the commercial. The point is selflessness. Asking something special for someone else, not asking for ourselves.

And hey, if you are a praying person, pray for the safety of those whose lives are every day on the front lines.

Among the worthwhile movies

The Blind Side.

True story of what it means to care about one another. If you admire strong women, if you are in the mood for a feel-good movie with funny moments, whose greatest villain is poverty, this may be for you.

The video below isn't the movie trailer (you can go to YouTube for that); this is a good news commentary with his real family, not just the actors in the movie.

A different Easter

In church this morning, a woman told this story. To me it illustrates loving one’s neighbor as oneself. It illustrates the very best in human nature.

On Good Friday last year, their home in Tennessee, along with many others, was badly damaged by a tornado. Surveying the damage, they estimated that it would take months to clear away the debris. Every tree in their yard had been destroyed.

Imagine their surprise on Sunday morning when they looked into their yard and found it filled with neighbors and strangers who had come to help clean up. This family had been on the giving end of charity before, but never on the receiving end. It was very humbling.

The wife approached one of the women, “I can’t believe you are all here on Easter Sunday.” The volunteer replied, “If we can’t help one another on Easter, when can we?”

In two hours the debris had been cleaned up and hauled away. The family was in awe, and deeply grateful.

That volunteer, it seems to me, had a sense of church that went way beyond a physical building. She was living her sense of church.

Avian ballet

These amazingly beautiful starlings perform an aerial ballet. What is the collective intelligence that creates this choreography? And, perhaps equally important, that allows us to appreciate a bunch of little black birds doing something totally and incredibly beautiful?

Redemption for Harold?

Music Man cast takes its curtain call
(phone photo)

The Junior High presented its annual musical last night -- the Music Man.

My grandsons are not in Jr. High yet; and they enjoyed seeing their role models succeed.

It was difficult to imagine in advance how they could pull off some of the trickier scenes, such as the opener in the train. Half a dozen salesmen discuss their trade to the rhythm of the train clacking over the tracks. And we are introduced to their nemesis, Professor Harold Hill.

Then come the talk-a-little-pick-a-little songs by the women of River City, Iowa. Skillyfully carried off!

The kids rose to the occasion. The director must have been very happy for them.

The Music Man is great as a musical. Not so great as a believable story. It's hard to believe Marian-the-Librarian and Harold really will live happily ever after.

But perhaps that's the message: redemption. Maybe he would be a good dad for Winthrop. Harold has already taken him fishing and taught him to have confidence in himself. These are the slender signs on which Marian pins her hopes.

Redemption is huge in the Christian tradition. The various faiths hold that selfishness, greed, lust can be redeemed, and that an honest and useful citizen (i.e. the new man) can replace the deceitful one (the old man). That's what prison ministries are all about.

My hope lies in what I believe to be everyone's innate desire and ability to connect in a meaningful way with their life purpose; to discover strength and fulfillment in an unselfish life, in doing good for others. To find their God to be good and present and active in their lives.

Love for humanity

Chaplains in Iraq

Do you know what Chaplains do? They are out there with the troops, running, marching, doing physical fitness exercises, on the front lines of battle. Unarmed, these dedicated men and women go wherever their soldiers are.

Did you know the United States is unique in providing chaplains for the military? Many countries do not. So in joint exercises allied soldiers are often glad to sit in on US chaplain services.

A couple of Christian Science Army chaplains are making little junkets around the country, explaining their work to fellow church members.

The stories these women tell are of obstacles overcome through prayer -- from preaching to a pack of wild dogs in the desert who lay down and listened attentively before deciding not to have a chaplain for breakfast, to finding the stanima to run regularly with the men, to overcoming obstinate resistance to women in the military.

What stays with me came in the Q&A session after the talk. The question was something like, "How are you as a Christian Science chaplain able to conduct a non-denominational service?"

The answer went beyond the training received in Seminary. "If you have a great love for humanity, you see the holiness in everyone. That's what you connect with."

If you've read this far, you might like to order a book by Kim Schuette, recording the contributions of Christian Science military chaplains from 1917 - 2004. It's a very good read!

The Christian Science Military Ministry: 1917-2004
by Kim M. Schuette
Brockton Publishing Company, Indianpolis, IN
1-317-487-6868
brocktonpublishing@sbcglobal.net

A pittance of time

There's hope, even for those who have trouble relating to the sacrifices of others.

Here's my take on this little video.

Somehow, through all the importance of "self," what I want, when I want it... Somehow through all that, Christ speaks and says, "It isn't all about you. It's about my place in your heart and in your life. And that means valuing one another."

Fighting like cats and dogs?

According to the information sidebar on YouTube, Gabriel and Stanley are best friends. Here is a video of some of their play.






Fighting is not a given. Living in the same household offers opportunities to know and appreciate one another.

Differences can be fun - as the golden and the cat illustrate.

The importance of listening

"Listening, not imitation, may be the greatest form of flattery." Joyce Brothers

To understand people (rather than to flatter them), it's important to listen to them. That's how we learn.

In this world where we feel pressed to multi-task, the fact remains that you cannot really listen to a person and do something else. Everyone needs to feel valued enough to be heard. Children need the full attention of their parents when they are telling them something.

It may take some self-discipline to break the multi-tasking habit. It's worth the effort to value people over the tasks at hand. Just as we want to be listened to, we can find the courtesy to listen to others.

It is a kindness to give our full attention to the people who have something to tell us. It says, "I value you. I respect you. I want to hear your opinion." It isn't necessary to agree with those opinions; it is important to be willing to hear them.

A Turkish proverb reminds us that, "If speaking is silver, then listening is gold."

Downs and ups of friendship

This little story came in a recent email. It has a worthwhile moral.

Oasis in Giza, 1917

Two friends were crossing a desert. It was hot, they were thirsty, and an argument ensued. One friend slapped the other in the face.

The one who was slapped was deeply hurt. He wrote in the sand, “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.

They kept walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in some mire, and panicked. His friend saved him. After he recovered from the ordeal, he wrote on a stone:

“Today my best friend saved my life.

The man who had both slapped and saved his best friend said, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?”

The friend replied, “When someone hurts us we should write it in the sand where winds of forgiveness cover and erase the hurt. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where wind cannot wipe away the memory of goodness done.

Some studies indicate that people live longer and happier lives when they learn to forgive.

What's important, the substance of friendships, is the good achieved. That's worth writing in your heart.

Unspoken trusts

Halloween finery

It's totally secular, Halloween.

Some people decorate their yards with enthusiasm, ghosts, and fake skeletons. Or maybe in the window just a string of pumpkin lights from the Dollar Store.

Kids creatively attired scamper from door to door for treats.

The young man in the amazing tall hat prepared a great spaghetti dinner last night. We had dropped his brother off at soccer practice and I suggested that he be the chef, and I would be his helper. He could tell me what to do.

He rolled that idea around the back of his mind while he talked about other things on the way home. I was careful to give him space to do that mental rolling. Could he trust me to really let him be in charge? Would I really do as he said?

Once settled in the kitchen, he asked, "So, what are we having for dinner?"

He viewed the spaghetti ingredients, then said, "OK, Grandma, you can slice the onions." I sliced and diced cheerfully. Thus began a delightful dinner preparation time together.

It's significant that I'm learning to really pray about each encounter with the grandchildren. It's especially important that our times together be good ones, because the boys are beginning to find their own activities now. We don't have overnights every week like we did when they were younger.

When I am able to really glimpse something of the oneness of God's good purpose, and to be clear that only one intelligent and caring Mind is in control, things go better.

Sometimes things go wonderfully.

The chef/helper idea was, for me, an inspiration from that one Mind. When it popped into my thinking, I realized it had come for a purpose. So I tossed it into the conversational mix.

The result was spectacularly joyous. I am incredibly grateful for these small gifts, these little joys, that add up.

Stowaways - Part 2

Mothering takes different forms.

When you can't be right there with or for your kids, it's always possible to pray for them. What has often comforted me is to realize their Father-Mother God loves and protects all Her children even more than I could if I were right there. Never absent, never on a coffee-break, God's mothering is a presence -- comforting, protecting, cheering, guiding.

There is never a moment when that spiritual mothering is lax, inattentive, bored, or distracted. The way I see it, Mother God nurtures and shelters, while promoting growth in all that is good, that will benefit the children and their world.

While Mom attends her meetings
the stowaways plan some adventures

Stowaways!

Stowaways discovered after take off!

How does a mom mother her children when she has to travel?

There are innovations. It takes creativity and a sense of fun.

What could grab a kid's imagination like planting a couple of small stowaways in his mom's travel purse?

What is there to do except record photos of their adventures?

What does it take to succeed?

Lucille Ball
The Beatles
Ulysses S. Grant
Michael Jordon
Thomas Edison
Walt Disney
Abraham Lincoln

What do these people have in common?

Would you believe they were all failures? Each was told they didn’t have what it takes to achieve anything worthwhile. But, and this is important, they persevered and succeeded anyway.






I would disagree with the conclusion at the end of the YouTube in this way. I would say life = perseverance. People succeed because they persevered through adversity.

We could add Bible heroes to the list above. Noah, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, the prophets; Jesus, Peter, and Paul.

They weren’t heroes because they were exceptionally intelligent or bright or great leaders. They succeeded, every one, because they leaned on God as Mind, Truth, and Life, and persevered through adversity to success.

So if life looks bleak to you right now, don't give up. There is a way to go forward. There is a God who loves and cares about you and for you. It's OK to ask that God to show you what to do to be a blessing. I know "blessing" is a bit of an old-fashioned word, but nothing else says it quite so well.

The reason it's OK to ask God to show you how to be a blessing is because it's a life law that in blessing we are blessed. In being a blessing, we find a way to move forward.

Interview with Bear Grylls

A mountaineer (reluctantly) talks about his faith and how it sustained him as he scaled Mt. Everest.

I love his honesty and modesty. Perhaps you will too.

Should life be fun?

How do we make choices? The shortest distance. The right thing to do. The easiest thing to do. The best of two not very good choices.

Or, sometimes just for the fun of it!

The beauty of mathematics

This mathematical symmetry is making the email rounds again. Thought you might enjoy puzzling it through, if you can.

I'm not sure I ever thought of math as beautiful before I saw this example. Is it a glimpse into the universe of mathematicians, people who live with these concepts all the time, and love and see them everywhere?

Does it make us think that maybe, just maybe, there is a universal intelligence behind everything we see that shows order, beauty, logic?

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321


1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111


9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888


Brilliant, isn't it? And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Chicago Marathon 2009

Smiling at the end

I love my family. Each person is unique of course, but overall they are kind, caring, unselfish, generous.

For example, my brother-in-law has run for several years now in the Chicago Marathon. While he's running, he raises money for the Crisis Center of Southwest Suburbia. This facility shelters victims of domestic violence on a moment's notice. It's a good organization.

He was disappointed in his performance this year because, even though he completed the race, he got worn out at the 20 mile mark, six miles short of the finish line.

To a runner that may be important. To the rest of us, it is simply amazing.

The way I see it, unselfishness counts in that final six-mile push -- even if it isn't a "personal best."

I love the runners' quote from Isaiah,

"Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The forever God who created the ends of the earth doesn’t faint, never wearies? His understanding is so vast, it can’t be search.

He gives power to the faint; to the weary He gives strength. Even the youths faint, and the young men drop in their tracks.

But those who serve the Lord renew their strength; they mount up as though on eagle’s wings. They shall run and not be weary. Those who simply walk will not faint."

For you dog lovers

For all who have marvelled at the unconditional love of dogs for their people, here's someone who has figured it out and set it to music.

To make the world a better place...

... start with the man in the mirror.

These lyrics made famous by Michael Jackson are sung by the writer herself.

As Siedah Garrett says, she knows nothing of his personal life, but Jackson's music touched her.

"If you wanna make the world a better place," she wrote, "start with the man in the mirror."

Don't you love the honesty! We can't change the other guy, so why go through that frustration? What we can improve, is ourselves.

What a concept! Taking that earnest desire a step further, especially if we feel that change is going to be tough, we can ask God to help us.

Here Siedah sings her song. Her spoken intro speaks of her own character as well.

God doesn't make junk

Ever felt you've let God down?

In this well-done little skit, God points out that we cannot possibly let God down, because it is God who holds us up. Not the other way around.

How willing are we to let God chisel away the stuff that isn't us?

Our lives -- an open book

This email has been around before; its message is ever timely.

His name is Tim. He has wild hair, wears a crumpled T-shirt, jeans with holes, and flip-flops. This was his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is bright, thoughtful, and a gentle guy.

Across the street from the campus is a well-coifed, very conservative church congregation. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

Enter Tim, clad in flip flops, jeans, T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Tim starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is packed and he can't find a seat. By now,people are shifting uneasily, but no one says anything, and no one moves over to make a place for him.

Tim gets closer and closer to the pulpit. When he realizes there are no seats up front, he sits down in the aisle. Some smile, but most are uncomfortable with Tim's innocent break with tradition.

The minister sees peripherally, even while he is preaching, way from the back of the church, a deacon slowly making his way toward Tim. This deacon is in his eighties, sports dignified silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit.

He's a godly man, elegant and courtly as he comes down the aisle. Everyone has pretty much tuned out the sermon, and is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and background to understand some college kid perched on the floor?

It takes an eternity for the man to reach the boy. His cane taps rhythmically as all eyes focus on him. The minister clears his throat and waits. And now this elderly Christian drops his cane on the floor. With some difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Tim, smiles at him, and worships with him so he won't be alone.

The congregation is pretty much stunned, embarrassed, silent. Yet everyone begins to breathe again.

The minister sighs deeply, then says, "What I'm preaching today, you will probably not remember. What you have seen today, let's hope you will never forget."

Hmm. What if your life, and mine,
are the only Bible some people will ever read?

Law of the Garbage Truck

This metaphor came in a recent email. Thought it had a good message.

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car sped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy; and I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? That idiot almost ruined your car and could have sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxidriver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage -- full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The taxi driver showed me by example that one key to a stress-free life is to not let garbage trucks determine your happiness.

What happens to you may not be your choice. What you do about it is.

American religious leader Mary Baker Eddy, explained it another way, "Love meeting no response, but still remaining love."

Hubble finds crowd in empty space

Logic insists on reasons for doing, or not doing, something.

Intuition is not logic. Listening to our intuition can help us avoid danger; can help us be in the right place at the right time to recognize a blessing or to be a blessing; helps us make surrendipitous discoveries.

Have you ever followed your intuition, even when it went counter to all logic? And were glad you had?

That's what Scientists did with Hubble when they pointed it at a blank area in outer space -- just to see if possibly anything was there.

Dear (Deer) Story

This photo story came in a recent email. It seems that after the time of the fires in southern California, two guys set out to go fishing in the Pacific. They spotted something swimming ahead of them.

Yes, is was a deer.




Nearly exhausted, it offered little resistance to being hauled on board their fishing boat.

Safely ashore, the men released the deer.


Some have seen this as a metaphor. Sometimes the thing nearest right to do doesn't look very promising. For whatever reason, the deer felt it needed to jump into the ocean and start swimming. Somehow these fishermen came to the very spot where the deer needed rescuing.

So sometimes when it looks like we can't swim another 10 yards on a course that seemed the nearest right thing to do, God will rescue us (or send rescue) and set our feet firmly on the ground again.

Gone for awhile

She's gone again!


Doggone!

Good Buddies, there is a lot going on right now. While it's all good, it looks like blogging is going to be sacrificed for a little while.

May your month of August be filled with blessings and opportunities to bless.

See you after Labor Day (that's early in September for world-wide readers).

"Strangers loved me"

Unified sharing, unified caring.

A retired military chaplain sent this video. It's dear.

The small and the large

Named after Enrico Fermi,

Italian physicist

My nephew is thrilled to have a summer internship at Fermilab.

The summer has almost ended, and he will be leaving soon to continue his studies in physics.

This very thoughtful young man invited his grandparents and me to a tour of Fermilab yesterday. Did you know tours are open to the public? And free? And you can take all the photos you want? And Fermilab maintains a small herd of buffalo?

Snapshot of a photon collision

Apparently Fermilab is about protons and anti-protons shooting around a four-mile circular vacuum in opposite directions and colliding at nearly the speed of light. The physicists are excited about seeing what kind of particles form as a result of these collisions.

Don’t take the movie “Angels and Demons” too seriously, these scientists say. They haven’t found a way to contain a microscopic speck of anti-matter without its self-destructing, much less gather a whole gram of it for nefarious purposes.

Fermilab is also about international good-will and communication and sharing among world scientists.

Flags of nations represented

at Fermilab

It’s also where they discover more about the very small (atoms and quarks) by looking at the very large (galaxies and the universe).

One of the Psalmists who spent a lot of time studying the night sky, maybe David, mused,

“I look up at your macro-skies,

dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.

Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why do you take a second look?
(The Message)

God's chisel

Have you ever wanted something really, really badly, and thought, "I'd do anything to have... whatever."

Or have you ever been at the end of your rope and prayed, "Tell me what you want me to do, God," or "Just tell me what I need to change, and I'll do it!" or "My life is really a mess, dear Lord. If you can use me, take my life; do anything you want."

This fun skit is about a guy who thinks he wants a spiritual re-make.

Connected by God's grace

Thought you might be interested in this little history and music lesson. And a great rendition of an old favorite.

Instruments for the journey

Instrument panel in my brother's plane

A small twin-engine plane has some basic instruments to help the pilot fly safely.

They display important information regarding the relative altitude, attitude, location, and speed of the plane. Pilots learn to trust and depend on the instrument readings.

Wouldn't it be useful to have such instruments to guide us safely here on the ground?

In a way, we do. It’s called prayer – asking God to keep our thoughts at a spiritual altitude safe above destructive emotions, where we can more easily see solutions; asking God to keep us in safe and orderly relationship to our environment.

And then comes our part of the deal: trusting the readings that give us the needed adjustments, and making those adjustments.

And for a compass it’s good to remember that, in spite of sometimes contentious relations, it is mankind’s nature to be attracted to good, and only to good.

We all have an inner moral compass that keeps us on our flight plan and let’s us know when we are veering off track. Found in every major religion, Christians call it the Golden Rule: Take the initiative; treat others the way you would like them to treat you.

Special Family Time

Second cousins bonding

Last weekend, our family gathered for our fourth Family Reunion in, oh, probably 20 years.

While they have not been evenly spaced, each has been wonderful. Maybe this past was the best of all. (Of course, I felt that way after the last one too.) What a great bunch of people!

31 of us showed up, and we had a wonderful time. There were bikes and water activities for the kids. Talented women brought their craft and party skills for spontaneous events.

One spouse makes beautiful glass beads as a hobby, and brought a sampling available for purcase at modest prices.

One couple brought their incomparable pizza/salad skills.

Skilled hands make great pizza!

Dinners were organized by men’s night, women’s night, and catered night.

An uncle, for whom this was his first reunion, commented with happy surprise, “Our extended family is comprised of warm, intelligent, and supportive people...”

I would add to that, “funny” people. One of my impressions is that we laughed for three days straight.

Now the principles of respect, joy, caring, sharing, and unselfed love that brought one family together in harmony and brotherly love are universal principles. They operate impartially for the whole family of man.

Selfishness, criticism, and gossip are foes to peace, harmony, and good-will. They have no place in families, reunion plans, or gatherings of any sort.

One of my prayers in preparation for this family occasion was to honor God, the source of all good, as responsible for gathering those who would be blessed.

Can you imagine my gratitude for the harmony, spontaneity, and good-will expressed?

Walter Cronkite

" And that's the way it is."

Warmth and respect flood America's emotions with news of Walter Cronkite's passing yesterday.

For decades he held the unsought title of "The most trusted man in America."

CBS evening news anchor for many years, Uncle Walter's integrity, humility, and affable manner endeared him to a nation. He set a high journalism standard, pretty much forgotten today - except for a few media such as The Chrsitian Science Monitor.

(OK, I'm prejudiced -- but the Monitor is one of the few remaining media that speaks with integrity and caring.)

Cronkite is a legend, an icon, a father-figure. He will be missed.

The three "C"s

My friend, Wilma, has a son who was in the Miami-Dade Police Force for some years.

One time after a hard day, he commented to his mom that people today are missing the three "C"s.

1. Common sense
2. Common courtesy
3. Common decency

His astute observation gave me pause.

These qualities are called "common" because it is so obviously the nature of man in God's likeness to express good sense which plays out in respect for oneself and for others.

Lack of these is not natural, should be, in fact, uncommon.

So what can I do about it? I can start with myself, with a little self-examination:

• I can double-check my own words and decisions to make sure they are fair, sensible, and honest.
• I can be more patient and courteous.
• I think decency follows as a natural result of patience and courtesy.

And because it is mankind's nature to desire fairness and courteous and decent treatment at the hands of others, then this is a kind of prayer that the Creator answers in ways each of us can understand.

As we change our habits and behaviors to be more unselfish, we find these changes opening opportunities and paths we hadn't seen before.

That's just the way Life works.

perservence

This came in an email -- apparently an ad for hair products -- illustrating the importance of perseverence. It speaks in a universal language of facing adversity with a heart to go forward.

It speaks of finding your talent for making the world a better place and pursuing it -- sometimes against all odds.

A few days away

Doggone!

Taking off again for a few days.



See you sometime next week.

The clothes on the line

This little story came in a recent email. A good reminder for me!



A young couple moved into a new neighborhood

The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside."That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash her clothes. Perhaps she needs a better laundry soap.

Her husband looked on, but remained silent

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman passed the same judgment.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she suddenly has clean clothes! I wonder who helped her learn to do her wash?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

Conclusion: What we see when watching others depends in large degree on the purity of the window through which we look.

Liberty

July 4th Fireworks

in Palos Heights

Palos Heights, like other small towns (I know, officially, it's a city) has a 4th of July tradition. Somewhere west of Lake Katherine, starting at 9:15 P.M., the fireworks begin. This year the booms and brilliant displays lasted only 15 minutes.

A Canada goose honked loudly as it sought what security it could find. A lone swan paddled near the shore – perhaps finding solace in human company.

People, many people, had parked their vehicles where they could find spots on nearby side streets and walked, sometimes several blocks – carrying blankets or folding chairs. After a great, if brief, show, hundreds of people gathered their blankets and folding chairs and headed back to their cars.

What’s it all about, this thing called liberty? While 1776 is important in the birth of the United States, that isn't what this little blog post is about.

Paul wrote of a more universal freedom, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Where the Spirit of kindness is, where truth, patience, good-will, and respect prevail – this is true freedom. For me, this is also what the annual fireworks celebrate.

Who will stand by me?

There's a universal need to be assured that in the rough spots, in a crisis, somebody will be there for us.

This world-song expresses a yearning for that assurance.

I believe Christ, the true idea of God, is always here for us -- on the good days and during the rough ones, in the triumphs and in the crises, standing up for us, comforting, pointing the way to go forward.

Puppies behind bars

This is a win-win program.

The prisoners who train the puppies to be service dogs win, because they rediscover their humanity. They discover love that most of them never knew.

The puppies win because they are cherished companions during their puppyhood, and beloved companions after they graduate. In turn, they save – in the sense of redeeming – lives while they are being trained. Love is surely reflected in love.

The final owners, wounded soldiers, win by having dogs that have been raised and trained with love and dedication. The dogs give the soldiers their lives back. They give families their dads and moms back.

These Oprah interviews with Glen Close are spot-on. You might want to have tissues handy.

Part I



Part II

Heaven and security

Mount Hood, Oregon

My seatmate on the flight back to Chicago lives in pure heaven. Their home is on 500 acres at the foot of a mountain -- with horses, dogs, cats, ducks. Their immediate neighbors are orchards and sheep. Their property backs up to a national forest.

Her husband is a mechanic for a nearby ski resort. She is a vet. They both love what they do.

Then comes the fly in the ointment. They feel tiny earthquake tremors every day. And the mountain, at whose base they enjoy life, is Mt. Hood, considered Oregon's volcano most likely to erupt.

Can heaven really exist on a fault next to a potentially active volcano?

I guess it depends on your definition of heaven. I've loved this one for a long time:

"Heaven. Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy)

There is nothing here about mountains or rivers or national forests. The definition is all mental and spiritual.

While nature nourishes my deepest self, it's also nice to be able to be in the middle of city traffic and find Principle's orderly government or Spirit's benevolent reign. The atmosphere of Soul is wherever I am, and it's pure, health-giving and health-sustaining. It doesn't tremble and it doesn't erupt.

That doesn't mean I won't love to go exploring around Mount Hood some day. It's just a reminder that security and refreshment are already in consciousness, in that kingdom of heaven within.

A few days away

Water Taxi

on the Chciago River

Hello Good Buddies.

Going to be gone for a few days. See you next week.

What's under the surface?

After the manhole cover

was made level

The driveway for our condo needed some repair before seal-coating this year.

In particular a manhole cover was slanted. This indicates a problem beneath the surface. The sewer guys came and found the structure supporting the manhole cover was crumbling. They took out the crumbled stuff, and replaced it with concrete that will last, and now the cover is level again.

Then the surface guys moved in. The two men had an orderly procedure to follow. I was impressed how well they worked as a team.

We could have just seal-coated and left the man hole cover slanted. The driveway would look good on the surface.

Final touches on repairing
the manhole cover

I appreciated the lesson that when something doesn’t seem quite right, it is important to look beneath the surface to find out what is really going on. In relationships, if something doesn’t seem quite right, it can also be useful to delve beneath the surface.

What helps me a lot is to turn to the one Mind, the creator of the universe, and ask what I need to know to better praise and glorify Him/Her. This honest prayer often reveals underlying issues in a sticky relationship. Once recognized, they can be addressed.

Then progress can resume.