Spring house cleaning

A friend just put her condo on the market. In preparation she’s been really sprucing it up. She discovered a special joy by including some mental house cleaning. As she sorted and tossed accumulated books, clothes, other stuff, she also sorted and tossed unwanted thoughts that had cluttered her head for too long, no longer productive or useful. Her mental house sparkled when she finished. Probably her condo is sparkling too! She found this poem somewhere, and sent it along.


CLEANING HOUSE FOR 2007

Last week I threw out Worry, it was getting in the way.
I brought in goals God-centered, and I’m living these today.

I threw out a book about “My past”-- should have tossed it long ago;
Pages of bad memories, don’t know why I kept them so.

Hate, resentment, anger – Small grungy books tossed out
Bad habits, nothing useful They’d make anybody pout.

I found some spiffy new books too, “I CAN,” “I WILL,” “I MUST.” Threw out “I might,” “I think” and “I ought.” You should've seen the dust.

The doorbell rang, it was my pal, I hadn't seen him in a while.
It was my Father (you know, God) and I really like His style.

He helped me do some cleaning and brought some gifts Himself -
Like “Prayer,” “Hope,” “Faith,” “Love,” – and placed them gently on the shelf.

God brought this special item, it sits just inside the door.

It’s such a treasure - PEACE. So nothing bugs me anymore.

I discarded Worry last of all – there just wasn't any space.
Yes, I've got my house in order. Looks great around the place.

It's good to do house cleaning, you feel so refreshed and new.

As you toss what has no meaning. you realize you’re a happier you.

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We should become more familiar with good than with evil,
and guard against false beliefs
as watchfully as we bar our doors
against the approach of thieves and murderers.

Mary Baker Eddy

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God's protection isn't flimsy

exquisite work of art

Someone sent this story about a Marine on a Pacific Island in WW II.

Separated from his unit during intense fighting, he took refuge on a high ridge in one of several small caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that as the enemy swept up the hill, they would search the caves and he would be killed.

While he waited, he prayed, “Dear Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will, though, I love you and trust you. Amen.”

As he listened to the enemy searching for him, a little spider began her work on a web – right across the cave door. Strand after strand the spider weaved.

It struck the Marine as funny that while he had hoped for a brick wall, the Lord had sent him a spider. He figured God had a sense of humor.

The enemy drew closer. From the darkness of his hiding place, he could see them approach, and he got ready to make his last stand. After a glance in his direction, though, the patrol moved on. He realized that the spider web across the cave opening indicated that the cave was empty.

Humbly, the soldier prayed, “Lord forgive me, I had forgotten that in your eyes a spider’s web is as good as a brick wall.”

Whether this exact story is true or not, the point is a good one - as many WW II GIs, and today's soldiers as well, can affirm - that God's protection isn't flimsy, and it can come in surprising ways.

Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, remains under His protection. (Psalm 91)

When is seeing not believing?

Seeing is believing. Isn’t it? Sometimes.

The physical senses claim to tell us everything that’s real and true – but they often fall short. As I see it, what they observe is a counterfeit of the “big picture” – of what’s true from God’s point of view.

If God is infinite Spirit, and I believe He/She is, then Spirit is going to see things very differently than its opposite, matter. Matter by its very nature is limited and constantly changing, so it reports a material world that is limited and constantly changing. Spirit by its infinite nature is unlimited and changeless, and gives a very different report.

So when I’m tempted to be upset or angry about something or someone, I try to realize that whatever has ruffled my feathers is not the whole story. And that I need to go to God to find out what He/She knows about His creation in order to have the best perspective for finding a solution.

When I really follow through this way, this spiritual outlook has the effect of lifting me above the turmoil, so that I can become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Regardless of the fact that the photo at the top looks like a great tourist spot with a fantastic view of the falls, it's actually a painting on the surface of a flat brick wall. If we run eagerly to see the waterfall, we’ll bump our noses on the wall.

The Pepsi's are actually not in the truck, but painted on the flat side and back.

Even though these appear 3-dimensional and real, (and at better resolution, they do!)

they are both just clever paintings.

Pretty, and amazing, illusions.

So when emotions that are not so pretty, roil us up and tempt us to react, it’s a good idea to step back first and find out what’s real. My experience has been that when I ask God what's going on, He/She is always glad to tell me. When I'm willing to subordinate how I think I want to react to what God is telling me, then I can respond intelligently and wisely.

Dancing horse

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Cecil Frances Alexander

Somebody sent this amazing video. Yes, it’s a dancing horse.

Just feel the incredible love between horse and rider, the intelligent communication between them; their total focus as they dance their way to equestrian fame. Just for fun, watch the tail. Who choreographed the tail?

Love, intelligence, communication, timing, grace, discipline, joy, one Mind.

While spectacular sunsets remind us of God’s love expressed in quiet gifts, what about this? This is a joyous, bouncy gift.

Thank you, dear Father-Mother for surprising us with the infinite ways you show your love.

What is prayer to you?

peaceful place to pray

Recently Kevin Ladd, psychology professor at Indiana University South Bend, received from the John Templeton Foundation, a $735,000 grant to support his research into prayer

Ladd points out that even 10 percent of atheists pray. What prayer is to one person, he says, would not be prayer to another. He wants to define prayer and discover how people engage in prayer.

It’s certainly true that there are many forms of prayer, and many different ways to pray. One of my favorite definitions of prayer is this one by Mary Baker Eddy in her little book, No and Yes. “True prayer is not asking God for love; it is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection. Prayer is the utilization of the love wherewith He loves us.”

Then she describes what prayer does. “Prayer begets an awakened desire to be and do good. It makes new and scientific discoveries of God, of His goodness and power. It shows us more clearly than we saw before, what we already have and are; and most of all, it shows us what God is.”

Maybe we can look at prayer types this way:

1. Mountaintop prayer – where we’re asking nothing for ourselves, except to learn how to love as Jesus loved.
   
2. Walking on the mountain path prayer – where we are asking questions, looking for a higher view, or maybe some sense of direction in our lives.
   
3. "Just get me out of this valley!" prayer – a very basic, “Please help me, God!”

We might pray all three kinds in one day!

May you find the prayer that’s meaningful to you, that helps you through your day, or gives your heart peace, or helps you be a better person.

Another type of prayer
Jesus prayer

Letting divine Love be true north

finding true north

It remains a mystery how my two good friends could go so wrong. It was easy (for me) to see exactly what changes needed to be made so that their lives could get back on track. Trouble is, neither of them felt anything was wrong with their attitudes, or how they lived. Fact is, they didn’t even know each other.

So what did they have in common? Me, as chief and self-appointed critic.

I do try to listen to God a lot. So while I was dithering about my friends, I was also kind of praying, and God, whom I alternate between calling Father-Mother, and Love, asked these questions. “Andrew needs to change? Ed needs to change? What’s wrong with this picture?”

When we are willing to listen, and hear the answers from God’s point of view – even things we think we really don’t want to hear – God has a way of speaking to each of us in a way we’ll understand. I got the point right away. God was telling me I was not their boss. That He/She is in charge of all His children, and is constantly speaking to each of us, telling us whatever we are willing to hear.

Appreciating God’s part in this conversation, I backed off from the dithering. The next day a dear friend reminded me of the best way to help difficult people in our lives -- to love them. To love whatever it is God loves about them. And if we cannot think what God could possibly love about them, that’s OK, because God knows what He loves about them.

Whatever they need to sort out in their lives, will get sorted out much more quickly as we love and support their true selves as God knows them. Whatever they may be indulging that is ungodlike will dissolve sooner in the bright light of love.

I was immensely grateful to realign my thoughts with healing, rather than criticizing. It feels so natural to side with Father-Mother Love. As a compass needle swings naturally to the north, so God is my true north. I know I’m on the right track when my goal is just to love God's creation, when I am divine Love centered.

Families are for caring

Significant day

Recently I was an honored guest at an eight-year-old’s First Communion. He was well aware of the significance of this special occasion, and basked in the approval of teachers, peers, and family as he accepted God into his life.

The priest’s sermon extolled family. He told us that what we do is more important than what we say – a wonderful launching point for discussing the many opportunities parents have for character building by example. But the sermon took a different direction – that parents should not just talk about church, but actually bring the children to church. He said at their church they were all one family who cared for each other.

His words struck me as a worthy aspiration for every church family – to care for one another.

I immediately thought of my own church family – of individuals who are hunters and gatherers. They hunt for those who need nurturing, and gather them into their arms – literally and figuratively. They find ways to include them and to make them feel useful and appreciated.

I’m not real good at that, so those who spot and utilize these opportunities for compassionate caring hold a special place of awe approaching sainthood in my heart.

There are other unsung saints as well. One church member just donated a kidney to a high school classmate who was having trouble finding a match. Would every Christian Scientist do this? Probably not. But it was his way of being family to a stranger who had now become a friend. It was incredibly selfless, compassionate, and generous. He says simply that Christian Scientists and doctors share a common goal – healing. And the donation was his contribution.

Every family should be known for such caring for one another.

What is God like?

A friend sent this today.

The challenge to the kids was to come up with TV commercials in which you can substitute God for what the product promises to do. How well did they do? You decide.

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What God is like – thanks to

television commercials from the 80s

God is like... BAYER ASPIRIN
He works miracles.

God is like... A FORD
He's got a better idea.

God is like.. COKE
He's the real thing.

God is like... HALLMARK
He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like... TIDE
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

God is like... GENERAL ELECTRIC
He brings good things to life.

God is like... SEARS
He has everything.

God is like... ALKA-SELTZER
Try him, you'll like Him.

God is like... SCOTCH TAPE
You can't see him, but
He’s holding everything together.

God is like... DELTA
He's ready when you are.

God is like... ALLSTATE
You're in good hands with Him.

God is like... VO-5 Hair Spray
He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like... DIAL SOAP
Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wisheverybody did?

God is like... The U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice willkeep Him from His appointed destination.

Life is not a card game

Prayer better than luck!

A friend in the interior design field believes in prayer rather than luck. Life is not a card game, he would agree. He is usually grinning from ear to ear with some amazing story about how a client needed a certain product that was no longer produced, or unavailable, or some other hopeless sounding theme.

My friend prays to know how God’s love fits into the service he is providing his client. If the answer is to proceed with the unavailable product, he starts making phone calls, and always finds, often in unexpected ways, exactly the amount needed for the job.

This happens not once or twice, but often enough that he sees a law of eternal good operating – not for a special person, or a special business. But a Life-law of good already in place, already active for all of humanity. My friend taps into that law when he prays to be a blessing for his clients and his community. Then he hears the ideas he needs to go forward with the projects he feels God has given him to do.

My friend loves to be of service, making people’s lives more beautiful, more harmonious, more joyful. His life embraces the spirit of Anne Hawks’ simple prayer-poem, comtemporarily reworded:

I need You every hour;
Teach me Your will;
And Your rich promise, Lord,
In me fulfill.

Humpback Whale Rescue

God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God's nature. . .
God blessed them . . .
"Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
For every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth."
The Message

This blog, among other things, chronicles unusual animal/people relationships, because I believe deeply that the Creator of the universe put man here to tend and steward this world. That commission includes looking after the creatures. Here's another of those amazing stories where man and wild animal intelligently, gently, and briefly intersect.

Marine Mammal Center photo

December 14, 2005, Peter Fimrite of The San Francisco Chronicle, reported a great rescue. Here’s Fimrite’s tale:

A humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands nudged its rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter.

It felt to me like it was thanking us, knowing that it was free and that we had helped it," James Moskito, one of the rescue divers, said Tuesday. "It stopped about a foot away from me, pushed me around a little bit and had some fun."

Sunday's daring rescue was the first successful attempt on the West Coast to free an entangled humpback, said Shelbi Stoudt, stranding manager for the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.

The 45- to 50-foot female humpback, estimated to weigh 50 tons, was on the humpbacks' usual migratory route between the Northern California coast and Baja California when it became entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots.

It was spotted by a crab fisherman at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in the open water east of the Farallones, about 18 miles off the coast of San Francisco.

Mick Menigoz of Novato, who organizes whale watching and shark diving expeditions on his boat the New Superfish, got a call for help Sunday morning, alerted the Marine Mammal Center and gathered a team of divers.

By 2:30 p.m., the rescuers had reached the whale and evaluated the situation. Team members realized the only way to save the endangered leviathan was to dive into the water and cut the ropes.

It was a very risky maneuver, Stoudt said, because the mere flip of a humpback's massive tail can kill a man.

"I was the first diver in the water, and my heart sank when I saw all the lines wrapped around it," said Moskito, a 40-year-old Pleasanton resident who works with "Great White Adventures," a cage-diving outfit that contracts with Menigoz. "I really didn't think we were going to be able to save it."

Moskito said about 20 crab-pot ropes, which are 240 feet long with weights every 60 feet, were wrapped around the animal. Rope was wrapped at least four times around the tail, the back and the left front flipper, and there was a line in the whale's mouth.

The crab pot lines were cinched so tight, Moskito said, that the rope was digging into the animal's blubber and leaving visible cuts.

At least 12 crab traps, weighing 90 pounds each, hung off the whale, the divers said. The combined weight was pulling the whale downward, forcing it to struggle mightily to keep its blow- hole out of the water.

Moskito and three other divers spent about an hour cutting the ropes with a special curved knife. The whale floated passively in the water the whole time, he said, giving off a strange kind of vibration.

"When I was cutting the line going through the mouth, its eye was there winking at me, watching me," Moskito said. "It was an epic moment of my life."

When the whale realized it was free, it began swimming around in circles, according to the rescuers. Moskito said it swam to each diver, nuzzled him and then swam to the next one.

"It seemed kind of affectionate, like a dog that's happy to see you,'' Moskito said. "I never felt threatened. It was an amazing, unbelievable experience."

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You can read the whole story with photos at:
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/14/MNGNKG7Q0V1.DTL

God gives the lesser idea of Himself
for a link to the greater, and in return,
the higher always protects the lower.

Mary Baker Eddy