grape vines ripped out from the protective cocoon by human hands that don’t realize the secret hidden inside what they prune mama gently grabs her baby In her mouth and climbs through the briar branches – a tunnel of sweet roses, thorns, and twigs and scurries and hurries to find a new home for her little one she pauses once as the human looks at her and softly says, “Hello there!” in awe and wonder and then she continues on her journey to make a new nest for her little rat kit in the roses, thorns, and twigs -Karen Molenaar Terrell
I float in the current of Love carried and buoyed above all doubts and fears and pain and tears. God loves me! – and I feel the presence and power of Love unfolding healing in me. Joy abounds! I arrive and walk on holy ground. – Karen Molenaar Terrell
Love has no choice but to love Truth has no choice but to be true Life has no choice but to live I have no choice but to do the will of my Creator to express Love reflect Truth manifest Life all we are comes from God all we can be is what God made us to be – happy, whole, healthy, and free -Karen Molenaar Terrell
An alpine butterfly flits among the flowers on Table Mountain. Photo by Karen Molenaar Terrell.
I can’t sleep and go to my friends’ FB walls treasure-hunting for hope; for love that calls to all creation; for jewels of inspiration and wisdom that go beyond human rules and resonate with the rhythm beating in my own heart. And I bring back these gifts: A poem about father-love; A photo of a puppy nestled in her new human’s arms; A painting of a golden sunrise; Posts about epic bike rides and happy-together times; Pictures from mountain climbs; The blessing from a flute; Photos of home-grown fruits; and everywhere magic. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
There’s a large part of this story that’s not mine to share and I’ll leave to my friend to share if she wants. But I think I can share this part:
Looking back on Facebook at the history of our friendship, it looks like we met on November 8, 2018, and became immediate friends. I was taking my walk on the Bellingham boardwalk when I first met her. It was a cold day. She wore a hat, I remember. I recognized a kinship – I saw in her expression a shared experience. I opened my heart to hear her story and she poured her heart out to me. Heart-to-heart. I felt so privileged by that – by her trust in me.
I understood some of what she was going through – I’d gone through a similar experience about ten years before. I’m not sure what I said to her. I might have told her that I understood – that I’d been there, too – that I knew she was in a scary place – but that she was also in a really amazing place – that she was completely free to create a whole new life for herself and that I knew that was scary, but that I thought she’d find it was also really exhilarating. An adventure!
I went home and found her on FB and discovered we had a bunch of friends in common. That was cool. And I asked her to be my FB friend.
Through the last four years we’ve sometimes run into each other by magic – not purposefully, but always perfectly. We’ve come upon each other at rallies and in the supermarket and walking along a street. When it was my turn to get a COVID vaccine, I was a little freaked out, and I contacted my friend because I knew she was working at the vaccination site and I knew I could count on her to help walk me through what I had to do. She was a blessing to me during that time.
And today I ran into her at the supermarket. She shared with me that last weekend, through her new role at work, she was in a position to help someone who told her that she “most likely” had saved his life.
As she was sharing her story I started crying. And then she started crying. And we hugged and cried and laughed together. She asked me if I remembered where she was when we’d first met, and I nodded and said, “And now you’re saving lives!”
In the last few days, I’ve felt the Cosmos reaching out to me with hope and reassurance and love. I’m being constantly reminded of all the Good in the world. I’m so grateful for that.
I was working in the yard when our neighbor walked by with his daughter and his little five-year-old grandson.
Karen: Dmitri, you’ve grown so big! It’s so good to see you again! (I wave.) Dmitri waves back and then runs across the lawn to give me a big hug. I feel my eyes tear up a little bit. Karen: Dmitri, it’s been a long time and you might not remember me, but… Dmitri: (looking up at me) I remember you. I remember you like hugs. Karen: And that’s why you gave me a hug? Dmitri: (nodding) Yes.
May the little children of the world save us, one heart at a time. ❤
Sunset over flooded fields in Skagit County, Washington State. Photo by Karen Molenaar Terrell.
So much has changed in the last day, week, year – and I feel great fear. But then Clara Kitty curls up on my lap and I see Love is still here and a butterfly flutters by the window and flits through the blue sky and I feel Life moving ‘round me in an eternal satisfied sigh. Life and Love: what’s true and real can never change or die. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
It is time, my friends. It is time to blast the world with over-the-top joy. It is time to roll out our big cannons of jocularity and good will and rain humongo missiles of love and kindness upon the mental landscape. It is time to step up to the front and lock arms with one another and protect the battered, bullied and beleaguered with the unbreakable shield of Love and Truth. We are in control here. With Love leading the charge, we are not the beaten, but the unbeatable. May the bullies, bigots, and busybodies be transformed by your unbreakable courage. May the stodgy and stingy be transformed by your irrepressible good will to all.
The time for the kind-hearted has come! Amen. Karen
“Your influence for good depends upon the weight you throw into the right scale. The good you do and embody gives you the only power obtainable. Evil is not power. It is a mockery of strength, which erelong betrays its weakness and falls, never to rise.” – Mary Baker Eddy
“At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good.” – Mary Baker Eddy
This is what happens when you give a little kid (me) a virtual pack of crayons. Rembrandt, I ain’t. But I needed something cheery on my wall, and I ain’t apologizing.
The promise will be fulfilled – joy, peace, love, hope – all of creation living in rainbow light. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
Dear young friend, I remember thinking my life was over at your age when he no longer loved me I couldn’t imagine how I’d go on how it would be what the future would hold for me I thought I’d never find anyone else who would love me like he had I imagined going through life alone without love, without connection, without a family or home of my own
I wanted to die
And now here I am forty years later and so grateful that relationship didn’t last because I wouldn’t have what I have now – my family, my home, my career – if that first relationship hadn’t crashed and all the time between then and today all the distance traveled all the lessons learned has made me see what a laughably small part that relationship held in my life or my heart
dare to live dare to move on and see all the magic life holds yet for thee as long as YOU can love you have a reason to be -Karen Molenaar Terrell
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 