a world shaken
and six more lives taken
(“May we be blessed
by their memory.”)
the world seems
to be hemorrhaging
what gives it meaning
and beauty
for some misguided duty
to kill all who don’t have
the same beliefs
as the ones who hold the guns
when will war be done?
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
We disagree – my friend and I.
I ask, “Are we okay?”
“Of course! All this is temporary,” he says.
And I realize he’s talking about
something bigger than this life
on this planet
in these mortal bodies.
And my thought zooms out
beyond this planet,
this solar system,
this galaxy,
until our little Earth is no longer
even a tiny blue dot
in infinity.
And all there is
is Love.
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
(Below: NASA photo.)
After the Biden-Trump debate I think many of us were feeling unsettled and discouraged about what we saw there. But in my conversations with others I’ve shared this underlying feeling I’ve had that Love was leading us, and providing for us, and taking care of us – and that something amazing was about to happen. And I think maybe it has!
Here’s a screenshot of a dialogue I had with others the day after the debate.
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” – I Timothy 2:1-2
“Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy has always believed that those who are entitled to vote should do so, and she has also believed that in such matters no one should seek to dictate the actions of others.”
– from Prose Works by Mary Baker Eddy
I appreciate that in the Christian Science movement there’s no official authority telling its members how to vote on issues, or which politicians they should try to elect. Members are expected to vote as individual conscience and understanding dictate. And this, I believe, is as it should be.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science church, was a strong believer in separation of church and state. She writes, in Miscellaneous Writings: “Progress, legitimate to the human race, pours the healing balm of Truth and Love into every wound. It reassures us that no Reign of Terror or rule of error will again unite Church and State, or re-enact, through the civil arm of governments, the horrors of religious persecution.” (No and Yes, p 44) And, warning against the tendency of religious institutions to try to dictate the workings of government, she writes: “It is the pulpit and press, clerical robes and the prohibiting of free speech, that cradles and covers the sins of the world, – all unmitigated systems of crime; and it requires the enlightenment of these worthies, through civil and religious reform, to blot out all inhuman codes. It was the Southern pulpit and press that influenced the people to wrench from man both human and divine rights, in order to subserve the interests of wealth, religious caste, civil and political power.”
When considering the workings of politics, and separation of church and state, I’ve always found these passages in The Bible helpful:
“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” – John 6: 15
“Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
“ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
“They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
“When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.”
– Matthew 22
Amen.
(Excerpted from a post published on October 24, 2012.)
Eye believe it is thyme wants again four a homophone story:
Wants upon a thyme their lived a little buoy who wanted too grow up two bee famous and admired. He spent all his thyme working two reach this goal buy yelling his name from the rooftops and telling people how grate he was – “Eye am the best they’re ever was!” he yelled, hoping people wood believe hymn. “Know won has ever done a better job than mi!” he crowed. Know won was exactly sure what he had done or inn what weigh he was better than anywon else, butt after a while folks started to believe hymn when he said he was the best.
Inn the next village over their lived another little buoy who wanted too grow up and make the whirled a better place. He spent all his thyme working two reach this goal buy bee-ing kind and fair too everywon he met, and helping others when he could. He didn’t have thyme two shout his name from the rooftops, butt the people he helped remembered hymn. They remembered hymn when he served in the Navy and exposed hymnself too radiation inn a nuclear power plant and saved mini lives. They remembered hymn when he helped build houses fore them. They remembered hymn as kind and brave.
When these to little buoys grew up they both became presidents of there country – won of them ran too make the whirled a better place and the other ran too bee admired – butt they each only served won term befour they were voted out of office.
The man who had wanted two make the whirled a better place kept working too make the whirled a better place after he was know longer president. He still built houses for the pour and worked four peace in the whirled.
The man who had wanted too bee famous and admired continued two shout his name from the rooftops, and he continued two bee famous, and he continued two bee admired buy sum.
They both got what they wanted in this life.
The end.
For my friends who are saying that race and gender shouldn’t have any bearing on who a person votes for in the presidential election, let’s look at two hypothetical candidates then and think about who would make the better president, regardless of race and gender:
Hypothetical Candidate 1: White male. Was ordered to pay $83 million for defamation against a woman he raped in a dressing room. Was ordered to pay $25 million to students for creating a fake university to collect their tuition money. Was convicted of illegally influencing the 2016 presidential election by paying hush money to a porn star (whom he had sex with while his wife was pregnant) and hiding where the money came from. Kept classified government documents in his home after being asked to return them. Tried to overturn an election found to be legal and valid by every judge – both Republican and Democrat – who looked at it. Asked his vice president to discount the votes of the more than 81 million people who voted for the other candidate and to declare him the winner. Urged his supporters into a violent insurrection on the nation’s capitol building.
Hypothetical Candidate 2: African-American/Asian-American female. Served as a deputy district attorney for Alameda County and then assistant district attorney in San Francisco before being elected Attorney General for the state of California. Was elected and served as a U.S. senator for four years before being elected as vice president of the United States. She has been happily married for the last ten years and been praised by her step-children and her husband’s ex-wife for her role as a step-mother.
Who, would you say, is the better candidate to be president of the U.S.A. – hypothetical candidate #1 or hypothetical candidate #2?
Here’s what we’ve had so far…
Dear Pres. Biden,
I would like to give you a heartfelt thank you for all your years of service to our country. I’m teary-eyed as I write this. You are brave and honest and have always put our nation before your own personal interests. Thank you for having the courage and wisdom to pass the torch on to the next generation of public servants. You are an honorable man.
Respectfully,
Karen Molenaar Terrell
Right now we’re in that place – that desperate place – where we can see no way out. The greed, hate, and selfishness seem relentless and it seems inevitable that they will win. But, more than once, I’ve been in a place that seemed hopeless – I’ve been in a place where I could see no solution and no way out. More than once I’ve been in a desperate place. And every time Love has opened up a way through. Every. Single. Time.
Love owns the “waiting hours,” too.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
***
Mother’s Evening Prayer
“O gentle presence, peace and joy and power;
O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour,
Thou Love that guards the nestling’s faltering flight!
Keep Thou my child on upward wing to-night.
“Love is our refuge; only with mine eye
Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:
His habitation high is here, and nigh,
His arm encircles me, and mine, and all.
“O make me glad for every scalding tear,
For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!
Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear
No ill, — since God is good, and loss is gain.
“Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing;
In that sweet secret of the narrow way,
Seeking and finding, with the angels sing:
‘Lo, I am with you always’ — watch and pray.
“No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain;
No night drops down upon the troubled breast,
When heaven’s aftersmile earth’s tear-drops gain,
And mother finds her home and heavenly rest.”
– Mary Baker Eddy
This is an old blog post (September 14, 2013), but it came to my thought just now and I thought maybe Pride Month was a good time to repost it:
Okay, I just watched a youtube clip that still has me wiping the tears from my face. I was so moved by this clip – so completely inspired by it. It went waaaay beyond your typical proposal of young man on bended knee proposing to young woman – no, this proposal included a choreographed dance to Betty Who’s upbeat song, Somebody Loves You, and an ensemble cast of parents, friends, youngsters, oldsters – all there to support the handsome couple. This marriage proposal was testament to the power of community and the power of love. And part of what made the proposal so extraordinary, for me, was that the couple wasn’t a man and a woman at all – the couple was a man and a man… in Salt Lake City… Utah. And… did I mention that their mums and dads were there? Friends? Little girls in pinks tutus doing cartwheels? Babies? If you haven’t seen this clip, you gotta watch it – you just gotta!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4HpWQmEXrM
This is the way it’s supposed to be. Acceptance. Support. Celebration. Love.
I look forward to that day when every citizen can share in the exact same rights as every other citizen of our land.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
The last person alive on the planet
wasn’t a dictator, prime minister, or president –
no, it was a cleaning woman
who carefully tidied up the earth,
tucked in the corners, smoothed the wrinkles,
hid the plastic, glitter, and mess
to try to give a good first impression
to whoever lands here next
– Karen Molenaar Terrell
(NASA photo.)
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 