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
I had a most cosmic day, my friends!
I didn’t sleep well last night – woke up at 3:00 feeling disturbed and distressed about the state of the world. Came downstairs to play wordle games – sometimes word puzzles are soothing for me. And, as I was toodling around on my laptop, I clicked on my email and found an unexpected message waiting for me there from a dear friend. The message was full of support and kindness – the words were just what I needed. I recognized this was Love speaking to me.
Eventually I went back to bed and slept a couple more hours. When I woke up I felt impelled to go up to Bellingham for a walk. Before I left, I almost messaged my friend, Rebecca, asking her if she’d be able to meet me at the coffee shop in Boulevard Park – I haven’t seen Rebecca for a while and missed her – but I know how busy she is, and felt hesitant to ask for her time. So, without messaging her, I got in my car and headed up to Bellingham, via I-5.
I-5 was really busy, though, and I soon left the freeway to take the backroads up there. On my way up, I actually passed Rebecca’s home and the thought occurred to me that I could just stop by and see if she was available. But, again, I was hesitant to impose on her time, so I kept going.
When I got to Boulevard Park, I found a rock with “JOY” painted on it, nestled on a big piece of driftwood. It was the exactly right thought I needed right then. Cosmic!
I went into Wood’s at Boulevard Park and ordered myself a mocha. As I was ordering my drink, I glanced over and saw a couple waiting for their coffees – and the way they were standing they looked like they were dancers holding ballet positions. The man looked to be in ballet position 2, and the woman to be in ballet position 4 – and they looked so beautiful standing there that I, of course, had to say something. “You look like dancers posing,” I said. “You’re beautiful!” And they both started grinning and laughing. The man said he was just trying to stretch his legs after his drive from Bellevue. He asked me if I was a local, and I said I was from Bow, twenty minutes to the south. I learned they were from Boston, but the man was in Bellevue on business for a couple weeks, and had brought his wife, Sofi, with him. They were lovely. When they got their drinks, they turned and smiled and wished me a good day, and I wished them the same.
When I got my mocha I stepped out of the coffee shop and saw before me little Bear, Rebecca’s pup, standing in front of me! And there was Rebecca!!! Cosmic!!!
We sat down at a picnic table in the park and talked and laughed and talked and cried and laughed some more, and chatted with the people who walked by on the sidewalk. And in this manner we met:
– Sue (in the jaunty turquoise hat), who comes down from Vancouver every month with her husband to eat at Magdalena’s Creperie in Fairhaven. (Today she’d had a Belgian chocolate/banana/caramel-filled crepe topped with whipped cream – she showed us a picture on her cellphone. Yum! )
– Everett, from Michigan, who asked Rebecca and I if we’d like him to take our photo for us. I handed him my phone the wrong way and it took us a while to figure out that he was having problems taking our picture because the camera was pointed at him, rather than us. 
That gave us all a good laugh. And then, once our photo was taken, I, of course, had to take HIS photo.
– Mikey and Grant, whom I’d noticed when I’d driven through Fairhaven earlier. I’d seen them pointing up the hill and giving directions to a couple on the sidewalk. I saw these two men again in Boulevard Park. I told them I’d witnessed them giving directions in Fairhaven, and they nodded and smiled. They introduced themselves as Mikey and Grant, and Mikey said he’d always wanted to be a person who could give directions to someone else, and today it had finally happened that he knew how to get to the place someone wanted to go!
– Steven, who went weaving by us on his skateboard like a pro. He stopped to chat with us, and even went back and did some more weaving for me so’s I could get a photo and a video.
After we’d finished our drinks, we headed down the boardwalk for some exercise. This is when we met two sweet new pup-friends – who, for reasons of privacy, I shall refer to as Pup 1 and Pup 2. Little Bear really enjoyed meeting new pup friends, too.
When we got to the top of the Taylor Dock ramp, we decided to go back to Boulevard Park by way of the path that meets up with the Boulevard Park road. And there were more people to meet! We waved to the Jehovah’s Witnesses at the top of the ramp – we’re all old friends now; said hi to a young man as we passed him reading a book in his van-home; and hugged and said goodbye when we reached the park.
I discovered today that Rebecca is the perfect person to meet new people with – she gets it! She understands those connections that keep our world turning.
And how cosmic to run into her today! What a gift from the Cosmos!
Scott and I took this week’s Monday Hike on the South Baker Lake Trail to Anderson Point. Anderson Creek was low enough today that we were able to cross over without any problems. This is the first time we’ve made it to the other side since the bridge washed out.
We met some way cool hikers from Ohio and Pennsylvania down at Anderson Point: Tom, Steve, Mark, and another Mark.
After our hike to Baker Lake, Scott took me out for a birthday dinner at the Chuckanut Manor. My former student, Drew, was working there tonight and seeing him always brings me such joy. He’s one of those people who just shines out good will and kindness and enthusiasm for life.
Drew apparently let out server know who we were, because when Melissa came up to our table she knew our names. She saw I was wearing my amber necklace and asked me about it. It turns out she is a rock-lover, too!
Melissa asked us if we’d like drinks. I asked her what kinds of mocktails she had. Did she have anything with lavender maybe? Melissa, as it happens, has been a bartender for years, and is great at creating new drinks – so, for me, she created a carbonated lavender-lemonade – and it was perfect!
At the end of our dinner, Melissa came up to me and said she’d heard it was my birthday (Drew again, I’m pretty sure ), and she had a present for me. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an amethyst stone and handed it to me! “Really?! You’re giving this to me?!” I asked, blown away by her generosity. She said this is what she does for people’s birthdays now – she gives them rocks. (I turned to the young bartender, who was grinning, and asked if she’d given HIM rocks, and he nodded his head and laughed.) When Melissa discovered I, too, was a rock-lover, she knew she needed to give ME a rock. Whoah.
But she wasn’t done, yet. A few minutes later Melissa came back, reached into her pocket, and pulled out another rock! – this one was a slice of a petrified tree. She said her father had given her a bunch of these, and now it was bringing her joy to share them with others, and she handed me the petrified wood.
My friends, I have had a wonderful day – a lovely hike in the cool green woods to Baker Lake; a delicious dinner; well wishes from my Facebook friends; and ROCKS!!!!
Life IS good.
I’d never heard of Charlie Kirk until his death. It doesn’t sound like he and I had much in common, politically or otherwise. But his death has put me in mourning – not for him, personally – as I said I’d never heard of him – but I’m in mourning for my country. I’m in mourning for all the schoolchildren killed by guns, and the resort to violence that has taken the lives of people on both the left and the right. I’m in mourning for the death of basic civility and respect for life. I’m in mourning for the death of decency in our political system.
But here’s what’s keeping me going through my mourning: Every day I encounter people who still show kindness, who still show generosity. These aren’t celebrities and politicians – these are just “regular” people who have the courage to get out of bed every day and face whatever the world throws at them. These are our world’s real heroes. For our world’s kind people, I am grateful.
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
Dear Father-Mother,
Help us all to know Your love
and express it to one another
– with no one excluded,
no one left out,
no one on the outside,
and no one without.
May your love thaw
the hearts frozen with fear,
and numbed with hate –
may all creation feel You here.
May we wake to see a new day
where we see we all are one –
cells of the same cosmic Body –
rays of the same Sun.
Karen Molenaar Terrell
Scott and I are in that back-and-forth serpentining line to get through security at the airport. I have a smile on my face. I’m trying to maintain this as my default face. Sometimes, as people wind past me, they respond with their own smiles to my smile. I love when that happens. Connections!
One man – maybe our eldest son’s age – glances up and sees my smile and smiles this sweet smile that contains joy and humor and kindness. A healing smile. When we pass each other again, I point out to him that we’ll be passing each other again soon, and we’ll get to smile more smiles. He starts laughing. The next time we wind past each other I tell him that this looks like it will be our last smile-exchange. He grins and says, “It’s been a pleasure!”
We meet again at that place where we need to load our stuff into bins. There is a shortage of bins, so my smile partner and I go and find bins to give to the people behind us. When we get through the people-scanner machine and the baggage-scanner machine, we meet again on the other side of security. We introduce ourselves – he says his name is “Kareem” and I (who have now mastered the comedic timing of presenting my name just right), pause before saying, “Karen.” He starts laughing. He says he’s bound for Michigan, and I tell him we’re on our way to Pittsburgh, and we wish each other safe travels before parting.
When Scott and I get seated on the plane, we discover that there’s an empty seat on the other side of us. This is sort of miraculous – our plane is completely full, except for that one seat. When it comes time for the flight attendant to do the safety presentation, she sees the empty seat and uses it as her staging area. She is fun. She and Scott, who’s sitting in the middle seat, banter cheerfully for a bit, before the safety presentation starts. For the first time in years probably, I am glued to the safety presentation. Every so often she looks over at me and sees my rapt attention, and starts grinning. When she finishes I tell her she did a FANTASTIC job! “I should have videotaped it!” I say, and she starts laughing.
The flight is uneventful. As I look down on the earth 30,000′ below, I send out love to all the humanity passing below us. I feel the plane embraced in Love. I see all the people in it are expressions of Love. We are in a bubble of Love.
When we land, we need to take the underground train to get to our rental car. As we load into the train, a sweet brown-skinned woman of about my age gestures to the pole she’s holding onto, and invites me to share it with her. Kindness. Everyone taking care of each other.
I have found hope for the world in my fellow travelers.
Exactly 20 years ago today I published my first book on Amazon, Blessings: Adventures of a Madcap Christian Scientist. This first book still has a special place in my heart. So many loved ones supported and encouraged me as I put Blessings together: I think it was my friend, Marjorie, who first told me about print-on-demand publishing companies and encouraged me to look into getting my book in print; Mel, the wife of the man who had saved my dad and his teammates on K2 in 1953, was instrumental in keeping me going – every time I’d hit a glitch she would call me out of the blue – like magic! – to tell me how much she was looking forward to seeing my book in print; and other friends took the time to read my manuscript and give me helpful feedback. I completed the manuscript in time to give typed copies to my mom, and my aunts Junie and Elsie for Mother’s day in 2005. And on August 9, 2005, I published it with CreateSpace – an Amazon publishing company.
After I published it, friends encouraged me to submit it to the Writer’s Digest people to get feedback on it. Their feedback was encouraging:
“Blessings” subtitle, “Adventures of a Madcap Christian Scientist,” draws immediate attention to the book, and , as it turns out, proves a very apt choice. Ms. Terrell’s sense of humor is appealing on many different levels throughout, and is a most welcome addition often found lacking in similar books. The introduction does a good job of explaining who the author is and why she wrote her book; likewise, the linear notes on the back cover peak the reader’s interest. The book’s length is just about right for an inspirational title, short enough to read in one sitting if desired. From a technical standpoint, the author has clearly studied the craft of writing: her style is smooth and easy to read. Blessings is a book that should have wide appeal to readers of all – or no religious background.
On the downside: The cover of this book leaves much to be desired. In short, it is bland and unappealing – completely the opposite of the content.
***
(I hadn’t even known that the cover was going to be part of the feedback.)
A year or so later, I republished my book (with a new cover), and then, when there were a couple other books in the series, I changed the cover again so all the books in the series looked like they belonged together.
Blessings has brought so many new friends into my life and connected me with people all over the world. Blessings has been a blessing to me.
An AI-generated review on Amazon says: “Customers say
Customers find the book inspirational, particularly appreciating its prayerful approach to life. They describe it as heartwarming and an interesting memoir, with one customer noting how the author shares her life stories with joy. The writing style receives positive feedback for being beautifully written, and customers value the author’s honesty in sharing her experiences.
Inspirational message Heartwarming story Writing style Honesty”
***
Here are some actual human reviews:
RobertJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Karen for Writing this Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2009
Verified Purchase
To echo the reviews of others, I did laugh, I did cry, this book touched my soul. My wife and I read it out loud on a snowy New Hampshire day and there were numerous times when I had to pause as the lump formed in my throat. I’ve been a Christian Scientist for most of my adult life and this book tells my story and the story of many fellow travelers. I recommend this book highly for anyone who would like to see how prayer can make a difference in your life, in ways both large and small.
SB
5.0 out of 5 stars Light-hearted book packs a powerful punch
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2010
First, I confess that prior to reading this book, I had run into the author on Amazon’s discussion forums and was smitten by her genuinely effervescent and kind personality. When I heard she had written a book, I was excited to get my hands on it.
Terrell’s gentle, humorous journal introduced Christian Science to me, and I read this while going through a particularly dark period in life. Her words flow easily over everyday situations while imbuing an underlying spirituality, all without a trace of condescension or arrogance – just awe and appreciation for life. Her alternating reference, probably reflecting the view of Christian Science, to God as either She or He, was acutely refreshing, as I’ve struggled with (among other things) Abrahamic religions’ emphasis on maleness.
I connected with “Blessings” because the author effortlessly lets the reader into her world. She helped remind me of the vast diversity of spiritual experiences in our world when I was ready to give up on the idea.
Fred Lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2007
One reviewer recommends this book to those who may need a lift. I recommend this book for anyone including, devoted Christian Scientists. When I came across it I wondered if it would be appropriate as a Christmas gift to my wife who is a Christian Scientist. I think it is a wonderful sharing. Karen becomes your friend, someone you know and love and you know if she knew you, she would love you the way you want to be loved. I may be wrong, but I don’t believe anyone else could have written this book. It is a stand alone item that gives us a window of life that is rare indeed.
Lisa Kristy
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
Karen has touched my soul with her heartwarming and hilarious rendition of the road less traveled. Everyone I know has had to listen to me go on and on about how great a read this is! Whether you want to laugh, cry, or just smile about life again, read this!!!
_
5.0 out of 5 stars All the great reviews influenced me … and they were right!!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2011
Verified Purchase
OK, after reading the reviews, I thought this might make a nice Christmas present for a friend. When it arrived I decided to “peek” at a few pages, but couldn’t put it down. I finished reading it in one sitting. But how to review the book is a challenge. It leaves you with such a joyful uplifted feeling and one of appreciation and relevance. At first I found myself saying, “I want to know this woman” and after I finished the book I felt I did.
Karen brings very positive reinforcement into the reader’s experience and the easy flowing style just melts in your mouth like comfort food. I found dozens of instances where I saw a parallel in my own life, that were entertaining and inspirational in a down to earth sort of way.
I’m wearing a smile having read this and can’t think of a better way to pass an evening than this quick roller-coaster ride through another’s eyes of refreshing gratitude.
It touched my heart and soul. Highly recommended.
I started at the ramp that leads to Taylor Dock and sort of wandered from there down to Boulevard Park, and then wandered from the park down the trail that leads to downtown. Along the way I encountered Eric, who I learned was a retired teacher like me – and we talked about the joys of teaching; I ran into my old friend, Dan, with his sweet pup, Jakada, (Jakada just turned a year old yesterday!); and I saw a doe and her youngsters nonchalantly criss-crossing the path in front of a bicyclist who was grinning at them.
When I got to the little loop of the trail that I’d decided would be my turnaround point, I saw a man gazing out at the water from one of the benches there. He was the picture of “peace” and I asked him if I could take his picture. I asked him his name and he told me his name was “Mark Anthony.” “Really?!” I asked, thinking of Cleopatra’s Mark Anthony. And he laughed and said yes, he really was named “Mark Anthony” and he loved having that name. He asked my name and I told him, “Get this – I’m Karen!” And he laughed and said I was one of the good Karens. I grinned back at him, and said, “I love having my name, too!” We shook hands – a “Mark Anthony” and a “Karen” – and wished each other a great day.
When I got back to the park I started back up the boardwalk, and this is when I saw something that made me tear up at the beauty of it: Three people were walking ahead of me on the boardwalk – what I guessed to be a mother with her grown children – and they had their arms around each other as they walked. I thought, “This is what Love looks like.” When they stopped ahead of me, I stopped with them, and told them how touched I’d been by the love I’d seen between them. I learned, then, that the mother, Oonagh (pronounced Ooh-nah), was up from Santa Fe, and her son, Ian, had come from New York City, to visit Annika (Oonagh’s daughter and Ian’s sister), who lives in Bellingham. I could relate to this. I told them my son and his wife and my grandbaby lived in California, and we’d just visited them a few weeks ago. I knew how precious this time together was for them.
I decided to take the steps up to the top of the little knoll that separates one part of the boardwalk from the other. I walked the length of the knoll to Thom Bishop’s bench (I’ve written posts about Thom Bishop’s bench before) and there I ran into a sweet pup named Sage and her human, Bruce, who was sitting on the bench. Sage was very sweet and came up for a pet on the head. I asked Bruce if I could take her picture, and he said sure. So I barked to get her to look at me – and that’s probably why she looks a little surprised.
Back down on the boardwalk, little Guiness pup brought her human over to say hi to me. Guiness put her paws on my legs and smiled up at me and stayed until I gave her some scratches and pets. Such a sweetie!
When I got back to the ramp, Oonagh, who was sitting with her son and daughter on a bench at the bottom of the ramp, called over to me, “Hi Karen!” I smiled at my new friends and said, “There you are!”
At the top of the ramp, I decided I wasn’t done with my walk, yet, and headed for Fairhaven. When I entered the Colophon, I was greeted by the hostess who led me to my favorite table in the corner. Taryn was there today – it was good to see her again. And I was served by a cheery server who was new to me, but fit right in with kindness of the Colophon.
Smiles and pups, new friends and peace. I find the best therapy on my Bellingham walks.
“I walk with Love along the way,
And O, it is a holy day;
No more I suffer cruel fear,
I feel God’s presence with me here;
The joy that none can take away
Is mine; I walk with Love today.”
– Minnie M.H. Ayers, Christian Science Hymnal #139
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 