We are words in the same poem.
We are notes in the same song.
We are cells of the same body.
We are rays of the same sun.
We are brushstrokes in the same painting.
We’re all a part of the One.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
We sit at a table outside the restaurant
and chat and watch people pass by
and there is magic out there!
A young man with a bright smile
walks by, holding a small bouquet.
I smile at him and point to the flowers,
and he grins and says, “A first date.”
“That’s so sweet!” I say, and his smile
gets even brighter.
A little chap of three or four walks by
with his mom and he turns and looks
at me and I wave. He waves back,
serious about our exchange – a little man.
My heart melts.
A woman passes by with her grandbaby –
she sees our grandma faces light up
and brings her little one to our circle
so we can share in her grandmother-joy.
She is not called “Grandma” she tells us –
she is “Nanna” and she is enjoying
her last days with her grandbaby
before he moves to the east coast
with his parents. All of our grandbabies
live out of state and we understand
what she’s feeling right now.
“Enjoy these precious moments,” I say,
and she nods and smiles and hugs
her grandbaby close before moving on.
At the table next to us there is a baby
in a stroller and she smiles at me and gives
me high fives with both her feet and hands
all at once. A high twenty!
Such joy!
And now the man who’d had the bouquet
walks by on the other side of the street.
He is with his date and they are laughing
and chatting and getting to know each other.
He sees me watching and waves and grins
and I wave back.
Magic everywhere!
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
Do you feel it, too?
There’s something of import
in the wind. Something
bigger than we’ve known.
A reckoning. A waking.
A transformation.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
I woke up in the dark,
thinking my thoughts,
finishing conversations
in my head and presenting
my bullet points to prove
I’m right, then – snap! –
in an instant all of the talking
in my head stopped
and Love said, “I am here.”
I am humbled by Love.
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
I feel the shadow of depression
moving in and I’m filled
with dread and fear –
my instinct to turn and flee.
But instead I pause, take a breath,
and face the shadow – see
it for what it is – just a cloud
floating by. It will pass.
It won’t last.
But I will.
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
A dear friend asks me “Why?
Where was God?”
And I struggle to find an answer.
I try to go metaphysical –
“Darkness doesn’t have a source,”
I say. “It’s just the absence of light.”
I say, “Blaming God, Love, for this
is like blaming the light
for the darkness –
blaming Love for hate,
blaming Truth for lies.”
And I believe what I’m saying, but…
I don’t have the magic words
that are going to ease the pain,
mend broken hearts, bring clarity
to what’s unfathomable.
Here’s what I have: I can love.
I can love like there’s no tomorrow.
And that’s what I offer.
Love is here.
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
– I Kings
Feel the presence of Love,
surrounding, abounding,
infinite, undiluted, never-ending
Good, filling all space and thought.
Behold the light rising on a new day,
steadily filling the darkness as it comes –
irresistible, unstoppable, invincible,
unflappable.
The birds stir and sing in a new morning.
A gentle breeze filled with the fragrance
of sweet life wafts by us.
The world wakes.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
Before the day begins
before the headlines and breaking news
I wake in the quiet of the middle of the night,
climb into the lap of universal Mother-Love
and feel her pull me close,
comforting, assuring,
“All is well. All, all is well.”
I nestle in under Her shoulder,
and feel the vibrations of Love’s cosmic humming.
The light is beginning to fill the sky now
and I prepare for the new day
with Love’s assurance still with me,
“All is well. All, all is well.”
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
Peace. Be still. Listen.
Do you hear the song of Love
calling to your heart?
Do you feel the cool breeze of kindness
blowing over our humanity’s fevered skin?
Do you see the kinship in the sun
and moon, oceans and air we all share?
Does the sweet fragrance of spring remind you
of things more important than hate
and fear and war?
The call to Love is universal
and irresistible. It will not be ignored.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
Photo by Karen Molenaar Terrell.
I can imagine it –
all the world waking up one morning
as if from a strange dream –
shaking our heads to clear the last
of it from our thoughts
and looking around at the beauty
surrounding us – the beauty
that’s always been here –
as if we’re seeing it for the first time.
I can imagine us blinking our eyes
at the wonder of the first sunrise
after our collective awakening.
Looking at each other with new eyes –
recognizing the Love that’s always
bound and connected us to each other.
Seeing in each other the splendor
of our universal body.
I can imagine it like it’s happening
right now.
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 