Category Archives: religion

A Friend Sent Me an Exchange We Shared Years Ago (and it made me teary)

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Today a friend I met on the Amazon Discussion Forums years ago emailed me a copy of an exchange we’d had about Christian Science on the Religion Forum. What made this exchange so remarkable for me was that my friend – who went by the moniker “tokolosi” – wasn’t himself a Christian Scientist, but his questions were genuine and he actually listened to what I had to say. It meant a lot, to me, that he’d saved this exchange from long ago, and took the time to send it to me today. I hadn’t heard from my friend for maybe a year, so his email was unexpected. I needed hope for our world today, and “tokolosi” sent it to me.

(I love the summation our friend “Aardwizzz” gives to the whole exchange, too. It was fun to see his voice pop up there at the end.)

From an Amazon Religion Forum exchange:

Karen Wingoof (me) says:

There seems to be an assumption here that everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian is a creationist, in battle against logic, reason, education, and the science of evolution.

A few months ago—from sheer weariness at being constantly lumped in with the doings and beliefs of conservative Christians—and being expected to either defend them or change them—I decided I would no longer identify myself as a Christian, but as a “Karenian”—no longer responsible for anyone else’s foibles, flaws, beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors but my own. I’ve kind of enjoyed the freedom this has brought me. But, to be completely honest, although I’ve changed the label for myself, I still hold the same beliefs I held when I called myself a “Christian”—and I never held the belief that evolution and science were my enemies. In fact, most of my friends who still identify themselves as Christian believe in the workings of evolution—I can’t think of any friends who might believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth together like The Flintstones.

Regarding my thoughts on Christian Science: In my mind I’ve come to separate Christian Science into two separate parts—there’s CS the religion; and there’s CS as a way of perceiving the world and a way of living. The religion doesn’t really hold much interest for me these days. I’m just not a very religious person (Humoristianity excepted). I’m not into group-think, group-talk, or group-walk. I like having the freedom to follow my own path, and I will never be made to feel responsible for other people’s beliefs or actions—whether they call themselves Christian Scientists, Christians, theists, or Humoristians. I think any sane person recognizes that you’ll find crazies in pretty much every group—and I think any fair and just person would agree that whole groups of people shouldn’t be judged by the actions of the extremists within their membership.

CS as a way of life—as a way of perceiving life—has brought me a lot of good. The practice of CS has taught me how to bring my thoughts close to God—to Love and Truth—and how to experience healing by doing so. I’ve witnessed or experienced healings of (among other things) mastoiditis (the healing was instantaneous—one moment my little brother was screaming in pain, the next moment he was snoring and sleeping and completely healed), bronchitis; an inflamed hand (markers in a blood test indicated rheumatoid arthritis—but, after calling a CS practitioner for support the hand deflated within a couple days and I’ve never experienced a repeat of that condition in the three years since then); the natural delivery of my youngest son after I’d been wheeled down to the OR for a caesarean (one of the nurses was crying—she said she’d never been able to witness a natural delivery before and it was so beautiful); and what my eye doctor said was a melanoma on my eyelid. (I recently asked for a copy of my medical records from the family physician just to make sure I’d remembered all this stuff correctly and hadn’t inadvertently made any of it up—and the records substantiate my memory of events.) I’ve also experienced healings of clinical depression, and healings in relationships, supply, and employment. So. Yeah. I’ve been able to prove, for myself, the healing power found in Love and Truth.

Whew. That took some time and thought. How’d I do? 🙂

Shoot! My battery’s almost dead. I guess I better post this before my computer goes kapooey here.

tokolosi says:

Karen, I’m a bit confused. (OK, in addition to my normal state…) I don’t know much if anything about CS, but for instance, you said “after calling a CS practitioner for support” such and such occurred. What did calling this person accomplish (I mean besides the healing, or why did calling this person make it happen)? And, with the other miraculous healings, what was it that brought about the outcomes? I mean, did you or others “pray” or “lay on hands” or some such? Do you pray to “God” (or more specific, what you perceive is the Christian God)? No snark intended here. Genuinely curious. Thnx.

Karen Wingoof says:

No snark taken. 🙂

(Got my computer plugged-in now, so it should be good. I am starting to run out of energy, though, so… zzzzzzzzz)

For CSists prayer doesn’t mean pleading, cajoling, or begging some higher power to fix everything. What it really means—for me, anyway—is just filling my thoughts up with love, joy, forgiveness, hope, confidence, courage—and when I’m able to do this, I experience healing.

In the case of my puffed-up hand I’d gone to work and shown my hand to my colleagues who expressed a lot of concern for me and shared stories about allergic reactions and infections that had almost killed loved ones—they had me pretty scared—and so I went to the family physician to have it checked-out. He usually jokes around with me, but this time he did not joke. He said that it looked like I had either a serious infection or a serious reaction of some kind and wanted to take blood samples and put me on medications. I told him I didn’t want to take any drugs until I knew for sure what was going on, but I agreed to let them take blood samples. Then I went home and called a CS practitioner. What the practitioner did for me was—well, I remember just feeling this confidence coming from her. I remember laughing with her. The next morning my hand was even more puffed-up, but I wasn’t scared anymore. I knew I was healed even before my hand looked normal. And by the second morning after I’d called the practitioner it had deflated and I was fine.

I called the doctor’s office to get the results of the blood test, and the receptionist told me the blood test indicated markers for rheumatoid arthritis and they wanted me to get in touch with a rheumatoid specialist. I told her I was completely fine. She was shocked. She brought a nurse to the phone. I told the nurse I was fine, and she sort of paused—I could tell she was surprised—and told me that she guessed I didn’t have to do anything more right then, but to let them know if the condition returned—which it hasn’t.

When I was being wheeled to the OR for a C-section, I asked my mom to call a CS practitioner for support—my mom said the practitioner told her, with conviction, “God loves that baby!” The doctors hooked me up to a machine to monitor the baby. I could feel the love in the room—the love from the medical staff—and I had this sense that everything was moving in harmony with Love. Just before they were going to slice me open, the doctors got these surprised looks on their faces, and then they started yelling, “Push! Push!” And the baby was born naturally. Later, when I asked my midwife why I’d been able to have my son naturally, she said, “We don’t know.”

CSists don’t consider healings to be miracles, by the way. CSists see healings as natural and normal and to be expected—the natural outcome of a change of thought.

tokolosi says:

“CSists don’t consider healings to be miracles, by the way. CSists see healings as natural and normal and to be expected—the natural outcome of a change of thought.”

Excellent! (So is the rest.) Mirrors my own thoughts. (Though not associated with any formal/structured philosophy, i.e., “tokolosi 101.”)

Karen Wingoof says:

Ohmygosh, I’m so glad to hear that, tokolosi! I was really nervous about that post. To be honest, I was sorely tempted to just ignore your questions because I suspect that when I talk about this stuff I usually just end up looking like more of a nut than people already know I am. Thanks for asking, and thanks for being so gracious about the answer. 🙂

tokolosi says:

To me, the healings you describe are “miraculous” but not *miracles*. Way-cool s*** happens because we are human, and can happen for sometimes uncanny inexplicable reasons many times associated with focused intention. But nothing “supernatural” is necessary—it’s just part of the *Human* Experience. (Not-very-well articulated tokolosi 101.)

Aardwizzz says:

Well done, tokolosi, well done. Instead of trying to fit Karen’s experience into your worldview, you attempt to fit your experiences into her worldview. And she had done the same for you as she was relating her tale: telling it without expecting anyone to share the belief that goes behind it. I think that’s called “communication,” but I’m not sure, as I see so little of it these days.

150th Anniversary of the Publication of the Christian Science Textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

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“Oh God, I’m going to now read this Christian Science text… and it’s going to be heavy sledding… and I was stunned to read this absolutely magnificent kind of prose… Mary Baker Eddy was a wonderful writer… she writes gorgeously… and I kind of fell in love with it… I didn’t become a Christian Scientist, but I found it tremendously moving.”
– Tony Kushner, talking about the title to his new play, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures.  http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201405151000

Although I might not be considered a very religious person, I am very grateful for what the study of Christian Science has brought into my life – the healings I’ve experienced and my growing understanding of the power and presence of Love. And I’m very grateful to Mary Baker Eddy, the author of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, for giving us the textbook for Christian Science. Science and Health was published back in 1875, but it’s still timely today, 150 years later. Even in 1875 Eddy was talking about consciousness, the nothingness of matter, invention and discovery, evolution, and atomic power – topics that we see being discussed among those who study quantum physics and other physical sciences today. Prophetically, Eddy wrote (on p. 125): “The astronomer will no longer look up to the stars, – he will look out from them upon the universe; and the florist will find his flower before its seed. Thus matter will finally be proved nothing more than a mortal belief, wholly inadequate to affect a man through its supposed organic action or supposed existence. Error will be no longer used in stating truth. The problem of nothingness, or ‘dust to dust,’ will be solved, and mortal mind will be without form and void, for mortality will cease when man beholds himself God’s reflection, even as man sees his reflection in a glass.”

And the topics that are still being debated on religion discussion forums today are topics that Mary Baker Eddy addressed and dealt with almost 150 years ago. God, she told us, was not an anthropomorphic being, but “God” was another name for Love, Truth, Life, Spirit, Mind, Soul, Principle. Hell and heaven were not literal places, she told us, but states of mind. For her, the story of Adam and Eve was an allegory, not an actual event. She was progressive, far-thinking – a visionary.

I’ve read Science and Health from beginning to end probably five or six times. Most recently, I read it through last spring – and, once again, passages popped out at me for the first time that I’d never seen before. It’s, like, every time I read Science and Health the exactly right thought presents itself to me.

I thought that to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Science and Health, I might post some of my favorite passages from the book. But how to choose?! There are so many passages that speak to me and have brought me clarity and healing. I’m going to try to limit myself to twenty-five of my most favorite passages, but this is not going to be easy for me. Okay. Here goes:

The opening sentence to the textbook is profound:
“To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings.” (p. vii)
(What a great way to start the day, right?! – expect blessings! – expect good!)

“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” (p. 494)
(Love supplies all good, and withholds no good.)

“No power can withstand divine Love.” (p. 224)
(Love the hell out of the world.)

“Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals. It is the open fount which cries, ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.'” (p. 13)
(Love loves all Her creation, without discrimination, exclusion, or bias. Loves tells me I am Her precious child.)

“Love must triumph over hate.” (p. 43)
(A promise!)

“Human hate has no legitimate mandate and no kingdom. Love is enthroned.” (p. 454)
(Love is the only power. Love’s government is the only legitimate government.)

“Meet every adverse circumstance as its master.” (p. 419)
(We aren’t victims. As expressions of God, we express all the power of God.)

“Harmony in man is as real and immortal as in music. Discord is unreal and mortal.” (p. 304)
(If it’s discordant, it’s not music; if it’s discordant, it’s not a part of us, or any of God’s creation.)

“At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good. Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil. Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.” (p. 571)
(Good always overcomes evil.)

“Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind.” (p. 291)
(If we feel joy and love we’re in heaven right now.)

“Fear never stopped being or its action.” (p. 151)
(Fear has no power over us.)

“We should master fear, instead of cultivating it.” (p. 197)
(Fear is not the boss of us.)

“The whole earth will be transformed by Truth on its pinions of light, chasing away the darkness of error.” (p. 1910
(Truth wins.)

“Eternal Truth is changing the universe.” (p. 255)
(Truth transforms.)

“…the light of ever-present Love illumines the universe. Hence the eternal wonder, – that infinite God forms and peoples the universe.”
(Imagine all of infinity filled with expressions of Love!)

“Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it.” (p. 57)
(No one can be denied Truth and Love. Happiness comes from sharing Truth and Love.)

“If thought is startled at the strong claim of Science fo the supremacy of God, or Truth, and doubts the supremacy of good, ought we not, contrariwise, to be astounded at the vigorous claims of evil and doubt them, and no longer think it natural to love sin and unnatural to forsake it, – no longer imagine evil to be ever-present and good absent? Truth should not seem so surprising and unnatural as error, and error should not seem so real as truth. Sickness should not seem so real as health.” (p. 130-131)
(The thought that disease is unnatural helped bring me a healing of what seemed to be an infected tooth this summer. I came to the understanding that there is no bad substance, and there is no lack of good substance, and it’s not natural to be diseased.)

“We are sometimes led to believe that darkness is as real as light; but Science affirms darkness to be only a mortal sense of the absence of light, at the coming of which darkness loses the appearance of reality. So sin and sorrow, disease and death, are the suppositional absence of Life, God, and flee as phantoms of error before truth and love.” ( p. 215)
(This helps me answer the question, “Where does the bad stuff come from?” Just as darkness doesn’t have a source, the bad stuff doesn’t have a source – it doesn’t come from anywhere – it’s a big nothing.)

“Mind is the master of the corporeal senses, and can conquer sickness, sin, and death. Exercise this God-given authority. Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action. Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.” (p. 393)
(My mortal body is not the boss of me and I don’t need to look to it to find out how I’m doing. I am the boss of my body.)

“…progress is the law of God…” (p. 233)
and “In Christian Science there is never a retrograde step, never a return to positions outgrown.” (p. 74)
(We don’t need to fear losing ground or losing progress.)

“The time for thinkers has come. Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the portal of humanity.” (p. vii.)
(I find this bolstering.)

“Spiritual rationality and free thought accompany approaching Science, and cannot be put down. They will emancipate humanity, and supplant unscientific means and so-called laws.” (p. 223)
(How reassuring!)

“Christian Scientists must live under the constant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate. They must renounce aggression, oppression and the pride of power. Christianity, with the crown of Love upon her brow, must be their queen of life.” (p. 451)
(A mission and a purpose!)

And I’m going to include the 23rd Psalm (p. 578) , with its spiritual interpretation by Mary Baker Eddy. (Last spring, the line “Love anointeth my head with oil…” brought me a healing of an uncomfortable welty skin condition on the back of my head and down my neck and back – I could feel Love pouring over my skin and the next morning I woke up healed.):

[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want.
[LOVE] maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
[LOVE] leadeth me beside the still waters.
[LOVE] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense]: [Love] leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for [LOVE] is with me; [LOVE’s] rod and [LOVE’S] staff they comfort me.
[LOVE] prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: [LOVE] anointeth my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [LOVE] for ever.

Okay. That’s about 25, I guess. I know I’ll think of more good ones as soon as I publish this post.

Click here to read, or listen to, the full text of Science of Health with Key to the Scriptures for free. The link will take you to the official Christian Science website, which has provided free access to the Christian Science textbook.

Choose Love

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Hello, dear ones!
This Sunday I will be speaking at the Skagit UU Fellowship at 10:30. The topic is “Choose Love.” You are invited to attend in person or via zoom. 
The fellowship hall is located at 500 W Section Street in Mount Vernon, Washington (right behind the post office). Here’s the zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83222201810

It would be lovely to see you this Sunday and celebrate Love together!

Love, Karen 

Let’s…

Choose Love over hate.
Choose Love over fear.
Choose Love over selfishness.
Choose Love.

because…

Fear is not the boss of me.
Hate is not the boss of me.
Selfishness is not the boss of me.
Love is my boss.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell

Forgiveness: Recognizing My Own Flaws

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I have a post on my Facebook wall about trauma – how we shouldn’t expect others to admit to the trauma they’ve caused us, and that it’s enough to know that we deserved more (via MJ Schweiker in “The Feral Spiritualists” group) . And I just need to say this – in my long life, I’m guessing that *I* have been a trauma-giver myself at times. I can imagine saying or doing something thoughtlessly – never with the intent to hurt, but just without thought – and I hope that anyone I might have unintentionally hurt will forgive me, and know that you didn’t deserve to be hurt – that the burden for that hurt lies with me, not you.

Sidenote: Recognizing my own human fallibility and flaws has been a huge gift to me. It’s made it easier for me to forgive others THEIR flaws and foibles. I think most of us are doing the best we can – sometimes under very difficult and challenging circumstances – sometimes in situations where it might not have seemed clear what was “right” and what was “wrong.”

I think if we start with Love, and let Love lead us, we’ll find ourselves in heaven right here. And that’s what I wish for everyone.

“The kingdom of heaven is within you.” – Jesus

“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” – Jesus

“And Love is reflected in love.” – Mary Baker Eddy

(Photo of Mount Shuksan by Karen Molenaar Terrell.)

Shuksan Reflection

Before the Day Begins

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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

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Healing of Tooth Pain

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I’ve been hesitant to share this because I’m not sure how people will react to it, but… what the heck, right? I think it would be shameful if I let my cowardice prevent me from expressing my gratitude.

A couple of weeks ago I began feeling a pain in my tooth that felt suspiciously like the pain I’d had that had led to a root canal a few years ago. Two weeks ago on Friday I ate something hot and the nagging pain went to a throbbing pain that lasted for hours. My dentist’s office isn’t open on Fridays, or the weekend, so going to the dentist was not an option for me.

I reached out to a Christian Science practitioner for her prayerful support, and very soon I felt the pain diminishing. She gave me some thoughts to work with on the topic of “substance.” As I prayed, I focused on these three ideas: 1) Love, God, made everything, and everything Love made was good. So there is no bad substance. 2) There is no lack or limitation of good substance because Love is infinite and unlimited. 3) Disease is unnatural. This became my mantra – “There’s no bad substance. There’s no lack of good substance. Disease is unnatural.”

At some point that weekend I felt like I’d been healed. The pain was gone. I called the practitioner and thanked her for her support, and told her I was going to take it from there. But doubts continued to enter into my thought. I’m going to visit family in California in a couple weeks, and the idea of dealing with tooth pain while I’m down there was concerning.

So on the next Monday morning I called my dentist and went in to see him a couple days later. I described what the pain had felt like the week before, and he did some tests and looked at some x-rays and said everything pointed to a root canal. His office made an appointment for me to see a periodontist the next day.

As I was driving to the periodontist I listened to CS hymns on my CD player. As the singers were singing about “light,” the light shone through the clouds and landed on me. And I realized I wouldn’t be surprised if the periodontist told me I didn’t need a root canal, after all.

X-rays were taken, tests were performed, and guess what? The periodontist told me I didn’t need a root canal, after all. 😃 He said one of my old fillings was going to need to be replaced by a crown at some point, but my regular dentist could do that for me.

Love, God, laughed with me all the way home.

I haven’t felt any tooth pain at all in the last couple of weeks.

I Told Him He Wasn’t Alone

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(Originally posted June 15, 2016.)

About once a week I walk into town to buy a hummus roasted veggie sandwich and to see my friend, Frank, who works at the sandwich place. Frank is gay. We’ve never talked about his gayness or my not-gayness or anyone’s whatever-ness in conversation – I mean – it’s not like people usually approach a new friend, shake hands, and introduce themselves by their labels – “Hi, I’m Karen and I’m a progressive bleeding heart liberal heterosexual female Christian Scientist of mostly European ancestry (although there might be some Basque Reptile Alien in there, too) – and how about you? What are your labels?” – but, yeah, Frank is gay.

This week when Frank asked me how I was, I gave the usual, “I’m good. And how about you?” And he gave the usual, “I’m good.” But this time something made me stop and really look at Frank. And I asked, “Frank, how are you really?” Frank said it had been a rough week.

He said he’d been in a bar earlier in the week, and he’d heard people at the next table over saying – in deliberately loud voices so Frank could hear – “Yeah. Those people in Florida deserved it.” Frank had tried to remain civil to them – he and the bar-tender had had their own conversation – loud enough to be heard – about the terribleness of the tragedy. And the people at the next table spewed out some more hatred. And Frank wondered about them: Hadn’t they ever been targeted for being different in some way? Didn’t they know what that felt like?

I started tearing up. “Frank, where does that hate come from? I don’t understand it.” Frank shook his head sadly, and said he thought it came from ignorance – from people being afraid of what they don’t know. He said he leaves those people in the hands of the Lord – and he didn’t mean that in a vengeful way – but in a “God will help them” way.

I told Frank that I was with him. I told him that he wasn’t alone. And he thanked me and gave me a hug.

Later on I was thinking about what Frank had said – his wondering if those people had ever been targeted for being different – and it made me remember a time, years ago, when I’d been watching a local “town meeting” on television and I’d heard someone say that “All Christian Scientists should be lined up against a wall and shot.” It had been strange and disturbing to hear someone who didn’t know me wish me dead. It stuck with me. I learned something from that.

Anyone could become a target – hatred is a form of insanity, really, and it doesn’t have to make sense – maybe tomorrow it will be stubby people, or extra tall people, or people with green eyes, or left-handed people, who will become the targets.

I think when we take the time to get to know each other – to try to understand each other without judgment or condemnation – to listen to each other – when we take the time to get rid of our own ignorance – we are doing a lot to make the world a better place. It’s been said so many times, but I think it’s true: Love really IS the answer.

Love Has Been Preparing Us

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Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Science and Health (p. 107): “God had been graciously preparing me during many years for the reception of this final revelation of the absolute divine Principle of scientific mental healing.”

What did this “gracious” preparation look like? Well, let’s see… she was widowed at the age of 22, when she was pregnant with her only child. Her son was taken from her when he was four and she didn’t see him again until he was grown. Her second husband was a philanderer and they divorced. She suffered from debilitating illness from an early age. And at the age of 45 she slipped on an icy sidewalk and was so severely injured the doctor declared she was dying.

Maybe God has been “graciously preparing” all of us for what we’re facing now. Think back to all the challenges you’ve faced – the times you were terrified, the times when things seemed hopeless – and then remember the Father-Mother Love that brought you through. Remember the healings. “Hold fast to that which is good.” (Thessalonians 5:21).

I think Love has been preparing all of us – each in our own way, each with our own lessons, giving each of us our own gifts to use right now.

Dear Friends Who Support the Current Administration

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Dear friends who support our current administration –

I feel the need to clarify my feelings and thoughts about what is happening in our country right now. Some of you have accused me of hating our president, and have been puzzled about why I want to pay taxes on what you call “wasteful spending.” Here are my thoughts:

1) No, I do not hate our current president. I do, however, hate what our current president is doing to our country.

2) I actually feel good about paying taxes that support our federal workers, our federal infrastructure, and the well-being of my fellow Americans. For example: I don’t mind paying taxes to support our veterans; those who need medicaid to stay alive; the air traffic controllers who get us safely to our destinations; the rangers who maintain our parks, and rescue our kiesters from our misadventures; the FEMA workers who help our loved ones rebuild their lives after natural disasters; the scientists and researchers of NOAA who help us deal with climate change; or the farmers who, through USAID, provide food for those who are starving. I do not consider any of this “wasteful” spending.

I do not, however, feel good about paying taxes to give tax cuts to billionaires, or to subsidize their private companies.

Karen

“I’m Right Here.”

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I woke up at 2:00 in the morning, feeling scared for the world. I went downstairs to commune with the Cosmos and the cats. Sparky cat settled onto the sofa next to me, and blinked his reassurance. I heard Love say, “I’m right here.”

I went back to bed to sleep a little more, and when I got up I drove up to Fairhaven for my walk on the boardwalk. I haven’t been there for a week and I’ve really missed it. But it seemed empty when I got there – almost like a ghost town. I wondered if maybe the cold was keeping people away, or maybe we aren’t getting as many Canadian visitors as we normally do. It was kind of weird. But then a young woman carrying a cup of coffee smiled at me, and I heard Love say to me, “I’m right here with you.”

I took the boardwalk down to the coffee shop in Boulevard Park and ordered a mocha. I sat on my favorite high chair and swung my legs back and forth while I sipped my drink and toodled around on my phone and watched people. When I left the shop, the baristas called out, “Have a good day!” I thanked them, and then called back, “You, too!” They laughed and nodded their heads. And Love said, “I’m still here.”

Going back on the boardwalk towards Fairhaven was warmer – my back was against the wind. I saw a man coming my direction turn around and walk backwards, and I smiled at him and said, “That’s better, isn’t it?” He grinned and nodded and said it was great exercise to walk backwards, and it was also a lot warmer.

A sweet pup named Remi approached me for a scratch behind the ears. He looked like he was hobbling a little and his human explained that he’d just been through two surgeries – one for his hip and another for his back. She said he’d been paralyzed at some point. But here he was – walking! I told Remi’s human that I was glad he had her, and she said she was glad she had him.

And Love said, “I’m right here.”

I had already decided I was going to treat myself to a breakfast at the Colophon. I hoped I’d get my favorite seat in the corner – but I’d take whatever I was offered. I also hoped Taryn would be there – she always makes me smile.

The hostess recognized me and welcomed me in. She asked me if I’d like my favorite seat in the corner! Then Taryn appeared – she was going to be my server! And THEN – when I got situated in my corner seat, the Four Tops came on the background music channel, singing, “I’ll be there…” and I started cracking up.

I love when the Cosmos has fun with me.