What is gratitude but a powerful camera obscura, a thing focusing light where love, memory, and all within the human heart is present to manifest light. - Mary Baker Eddy (Mis 164:10)
We are all gathered together in what the Bible calls a the “cloud of witnesses" - I think of teachers and practitioners, and fellow students, without whose faithfulness to Christian Science, I can truly say, I would not be here today.
But today I want to express gratitude for one particular practitioner who introduced my mother to C.S.Back in the 1950s before she went into the practice, and she and my mother worked in the same bank - they had become friends - and she invited my mother to join her on Sunday at church. My mother spontaneously said, “You’re one of those Christian Scientists!” - Well, she said that she was and when she wondered how my mother had figured it out, Mom said, "You look like those people I see coming out of the church across from the bus I take to the beach on Sunday mornings - you’re always so full of joy”.
Because of this woman, my mother joined that church and later, after she had gone into the practice, it was because of her work that my mother was healed of a condition that was medically thought to make it impossible to have children.
Twenty six years later, I made a visit to her office because I was in a desperate state. I’d left Christian Science, but when the man who was later to become my husband had been given a potentially fatal diagnosis, I was led back to the place where I knew I would find honesty and hope. It was just an office visit - I only wanted to ask questions - but she met my despair and fear with an uplifted understanding of Life (with a capital L) and her radiant spiritual sense lifted ME. It cast out the fear, it reminded me of what I knew in my heart. I left her office feeling like a different person. And the next day I learned that the symptoms that had led to my future husband’s diagnosis had all disappeared.
I’ve been thinking this week about her faithfulness, the way she kept her thought so transparent to divine Love. Action is more powerful than speech. Her witnessing healed us both. I am so grateful to be part of this part of witnesses.
When I think of the people who were healed when Mrs. Eddy merely passed by in her carriage, I think of this practitioner and the way she let God shine through, wherever she was. I can imagine how many other lives were blessed and transformed by her willingness to live Christian Science 24/7 and she remains, for me, an example of what my own life should be.
- Caryl
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Thanksgiving is a daily occurrence; I recognize and appreciate good things as they occur. But, as I contemplated your e mail, I considered the bigger picture I am thankful for.
I am truly grateful for Christian Science and all that it does for me . Christian Science means there is a better answer, or, there are better answers and explanations for life. And it leads me to be grateful for the Mother Church and the many practitioners scattered around the world. Sometimes I see one name for a whole country and I think, “Wow, there is one brave person.” And that is what gives me confidence that the movement of Christian Science may seem slow and tiny in its numbers but it will not disappear. Taking it closer to home, small, individual Christian Science Churches may struggle but we need not worry that Christian Science will disappear if a local church does.
I need to add that a wonderful part of my life that I am constantly thankful for is Charley; he is my “boyfriend”, my “best friend”, and he is a wonderful person who is always loving and available to me. I cannot fail to mention him in my Thankful E Mail.
- Louise
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Although raised in Christian Science, I started pursuing other paths (both spiritual and health-wise) in college after I could no longer attend Sunday school. After many years, I developed a long list of health problems. While this was happening, I asked my doctor if I was a hypochondriac; he said no because I really did have the problems, they weren’t just imaginary. But I realized on some level that I was creating them – often (thank goodness not always) when I read about a problem, I would end up having it; but I could not seem to stop. Then the doctors started coming up with other diagnoses as well. To be honest, my life wasn’t working well, and the main way I got positive, compassionate attention was through caring health care professionals (which I am sure is true for many people).
After numerous diagnoses, multiple surgeries, and a large number of prescriptions (even in the doctors’ views), I remained in constant pain, no longer able to work (or do much of anything, for that matter). I began turning back to God first by attending Al-Anon, which was helpful, and a Unity Church, which was not so helpful (I tended to fall asleep during the sermons – they lacked the metaphysical depth to keep me interested). I left the unhealthy situation I was in, and (after 20 years) moved back near my parents because I needed their help.
I finally admitted to myself that the only hope I had of finding true healing was through Christian Science; anything else was just symptom management. So, I started reading selections from Science and Health, then added the Bible and other works; shared ideas with Mom; began attending church again, and worked with several practitioners; and of course took Class Instruction!
I am thrilled to say I have made wonderful progress with Christian Science. Long-time issues, some considered incurable, have fallen away as I shift from what had been a pretty extreme pursuit of medical solutions to my problems, to focusing on Spirit (“from sense to Soul”), and learning to rely on God to meet my needs. I have also developed a close relationship with my father; something I never thought would be possible.
I am so grateful for Christian Science, for helping me begin to recognize and understand both God’s allness and omnipotence, and my status as Her beloved child (along with everyone else’s). Among other things, this is helping me be happier; to let go of the past, and forgive both myself and others, with the recognition that others do not ever have power over me, and God forgives any mistakes I may have made. It is also enabling me to help others in many ways. One example: recently I called an acquaintance I’d never called before, to see if she wanted to go to a show with me, and it turned out she was in the hospital. She’d gone in for an outpatient excisional biopsy, and it turned out far more severe than they’d thought, and they’d kept her in the hospital. She asked me to pray for her, and I got right on it. A few days went by, and I was planning to call her, but hadn’t gotten her number back out of my computer yet; then I saw on Facebook that she was back at home, and the results were benign. When I messaged her, she was so glad for my prayers!
Christian Science is awesome! I now know I will have a positive and productive life, something that did not seem possible a decade ago. And I am so grateful!
- Ellen
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Over the years, I've come to realize that the expression of gratitude is more than simply saying “thanks” for something I've gained or learned. It is the acknowledgement, acceptance, and understanding that God is All. I once had a conversation with a friend who was a self-proclaimed and very proud agnostic. She was involved in a vehicle collision that turned out to be minor, though it could have been very serious. When she realized how badly things could have gone and didn't, her response was, “I am so thankful everything turned out okay!” I asked her, “When you are expressing your thanks, who do you think you are thanking?” It caused her to take a step back a reevaluate her “agnostic” viewpoints.
This Thanksgiving, it might seem I don't have a lot to be thankful for. Our little branch church lost two dear members this year, very suddenly, and another member lost an infant child unexpectedly. The membership is drastically and viciously divided over the usage of “this version” versus “that version” in terms of bible translations, to the point where individual members are being targeted. I was elected at First Reader in the midst of all this and the malpractice directed towards the Reader's Platform has been, to put it lightly, jaw-dropping. It's really tempting for mortal mind to make a laundry list of all that is wrong, or could go wrong, and to ask myself why I keep putting myself through all this.
But I find myself turning to God and prayer in the way Jesus taught, even as I'm asking, “what is the point?” There really is nowhere else to go, no place as comforting, satisfying, welcoming and inclusive as the table in the wilderness. What I have learned, what I've gained through the weekly bible lessons, the preparation of the Wednesday lesson, the in-depth study and consecration needed to be a Christian Scientist cannot be undone or underestimated.
So, I must begin by expressing my sincere and heart-felt gratitude for our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy. Where I would be without her gentle, but firm insistence that I deserve more than the pitiful offerings of error, (which are no prize), I cannot fathom, and do not want to. I humbly thank Jesus, our great Teacher and Exemplar, who taught us not only how to use the bounty of the table, but how to share it. I would follow him to the ends of the world. And I am finally and unreservedly grateful to God, my Father and Author. I joyfully walk “in the way Thou hast, be it slow or fast.” I'm so grateful for each individual idea, expressing God, and to God Himself for opening my eyes to the bounty around me. I'm most grateful for Association and the treasure we have there, for the honest and pure teaching we have received and continue to receive.
Much Love and Gratitude to you all
- Genia
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I am so grateful for the beauty and harmony that are unfolding as my daughter and I are knowing and seeing the truth about a very challenging situation. I am very grateful for your help and it is a joy to see my daughter really "getting it." There is so much for which to be grateful in God's wonderful reality and this current situation allows no exception. We are both having a true expectancy of good the Thanksgiving and filled with gratitude for "the evidence of things not seen.”
- Nancy
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Some of the things for which I am grateful include glimpses of spiritual understanding that enable me to look deeper than the surface image, being able to see and appreciate that which is good watching a gorgeous sunrise, my daily time of prayer and meditation when I get up early every morning, being able to go out for a run in the morning before I start work, having enough work that I am not hungry and can pay the bills,usually being able to see good, that of God, in every person, regardless of human circumstance,being able to teach, having the understanding to be able to comprehend and explain many ideas in physics and math, being handy enough that I can do most needed upkeep and repairs on my home, as I have no way to pay others for their help, being able to express joy and love regardless of circumstance, being close to nature and able to spend time there every day, being able to talk and share with the homeless while riding my bike to/from home every day- they enjoy talking with me also, being able to communicate with others in several languages having a 30+ year old car that still gets me there, living in an adequate home with a great view, being able to cook... and many other blessings that attest to creature comforts.
- Tom
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I feel I have never felt such resistance to the expression of gratitude than I have when given this assignment! How ridiculous! Of course man's natural state is one of gracious giving, humility, appreciation, and awe for the kingdom, power, and glory of God. Nothing can stop man's divine right to recognize good and to love it freely. The 'stubborn will' and 'callous breast' are not part of man's spiritual expression. Rather, there is sweetness, willingness, obedience and grace.
I am delighted to give thanks for my ever-developing relationship with God as defined in Christian Science. To know God as my Father-Mother, my Love, Life, Mind, and more recently as 'my best, my ever friend', is to know ceaseless joy. Specifically within the past few months I've found myself turning to God as intimately as one turns for love to a parent or close friend, and I am hugely grateful to feel present comfort when doing so.I am also deeply grateful for the tools I received from taking Christian Science Class Instruction. These tools are have immense utility and purpose everyday and I am so thankful to know that. When I find myself thinking, 'How do I pray about this?!' I often turn to the "magnifiers" Mary Baker Eddy used to divine God, which we studied in Class--Infinite, Eternal, Divine, Supreme, Incorporeal. These words have been particularly strong pillars for constructing and elevating prayer. I've also thought a lot about a phrase repeated in Class Instruction that, as Christian Scientists, we're not in the business of decorating but of moving out. I love that! It reminds me to stay sharply in the realm of Spirit and not mess around trying to 'fix' matter to make it look or feel better. There's nothing good where God is not, so why bother looking for something where it will never be found, or fixing something that was broken from the start? Move out!
Having Mary Baker Eddy as a role model is endlessly inspiring. That we can get to know her through her life and work is the biggest blessing for which I am so thankful. I am still so inspired by our Association assignment to read We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, Vol II and all that I learned about her as a spiritual pioneer, businesswoman, mother, teacher, and healer.
Lastly, I am grateful that our living honestly as Christian Scientists means we are continually pushing ourselves into higher and higher mental realms. I love the often-challenging but phenomenally rewarding requirement for us to give all to God. The endless learning opportunities God gives us comprise a most amazing grace.
- Hilary
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Two weeks age I was on my way to the Chicago area for an ethnic association meeting when I received a call on my mobile phone. It was my mother's care facility calling to inform me that they had called paramedics to take Mom to St. Mary's Hospital for a suspected stroke. I turned around and headed to St. Mary's, Madison, and fortunately I had a copy of Science and Health with me. When I got there I was directed to the room where Mom was laying on a hospital bed connected to all the electronics that hospitals are accustomed these days to connecting their patients to. She babbled incoherently a bit, then went unconscious, although her vital signs were fairly normal. In the flurry of nurses and physicians that flowed through in the ensuing couple hours, they could find no medical answer for her condition...many theories, but no sound answer. I sat reading Science and Health with a very calm mind, and I was not worried in the least; perhaps that seemed odd to the medical personnel, but that is how I felt. She was in God's hands. So I sat and watched her sleep for about 6 hours, and I ministered to the medical personnel (they were worried; they did not know what to do) assuring them that everything would be fine. They could not wake her up, even trying an injection that did the exact opposite. I eventually went home, taking the nurse's station phone number with me so I could call later.
In the morning, I called and her nurse told me Mom had awakened and was hungry, so they promptly fed her. I went to St. Mary's, and Mom was her 'old self', didn't remember what happened, but she was hungry and lucid...no problems whatsoever, so they released her that afternoon.
Next morning; deja vu; again paramedics were called for the same symptoms, and I was promptly informed by facility staff that Mom was again going to St. Mary's.
I took out my Science and Health and began reading, about 10 minutes worth before I left for the hospital.I got to the emergency room and Mom was there, just fine, chatting away with the nurses. I noted that the paramedics had left a chart from the heart monitor in the ambulance; it showed a time sequence with 'atrial fibrillation' that stopped right about the time I picked up S & H.....they fed Mom lunch and released her two hours later.
I am grateful for Mrs. Eddy's guidance and for your instruction, Caryl, that helped me know how to approach this situation, and I am grateful to God for Mom's healing. Proof positive...
- Will Lesnjak
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This Thanksgiving season I feel grateful for many "small" insights I've gained from a more serious study of Christian Science recently. Each insight by itself seems small, but when taken all together, I notice a definite sense of increased spiritual progress and demonstration.
The first thing I've noticed is that my spiritual discernment or intuition has sharpened and increased noticeably in the last couple years. I can discern more easily when family members or friends are sick or upset or worried about something without them saying so directly. As a result, I've often been able to provide a comforting thought or share an idea with someone more quickly than usual and that goes right to the situation and provides a lift to their thought. It also serves to remind me over and over that I am not responsible for any of the answers or solutions myself. God is the source and originator of these angel thoughts and inspirations. I'm just grateful to be more receptive to them and willing to pass them on to whoever has a need.
Another thing I'm grateful for is "rediscovering" the church Manual and reading through it as if it were the first time. I've become much more interested in what's contained in the Manual and thinking about why Mrs. Eddy might have felt it necessary for a particular bylaw or rule or commentary that appears there.
It was a surprise to me to read the particular statement at the front of the Manual that touches on what the reader could expect by following these rules. I had really never paid the Manual much attention up until now and even felt content to let others worry about the bylaws and rules because it didn't really seem necessary to me or relevant. I was willing to just go along and let others be the "enforcer" of conduct. As long as I was following the Commandments faithfully, I figured I was doing okay. It says in brief ".....Of this I am sure, that each Rule and By-law in this Manual will increase the spirituality of him who obeys it, invigorate his capacity to heal the sick, to comfort such as mourn, and to awaken the sinner."
That really got my attention. Could it be that I could actually increase my spirituality and ability to heal just by reading and following this little Manual? I have discovered that since I began to read it more earnestly, I've widened my perspective on many things and become much more consistent in my own personal prayer time and focus. I'm more conscientious of including the rule for motives and acts, the daily prayer, and alertness to duty in my morning communion with God and throughout the day. These tend to stay with me in thought longer each day and in turn I've felt more calm and peaceful and loving throughout my day no matter how busy my workday might be. I always feel more grounded starting each day when I've spent quality time pondering and practicing these guidelines first thing in the morning.
I'm also grateful for the chance to read about the early workers in the movement chronicled in We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, Vol. II this last year. It was invigorating to read their keen observations of Mrs. Eddy as they knew her and feel their raw enthusiasm for Christian Science. In my readings, I discovered that Mrs. Eddy encouraged and expected Christian Scientists to pray about the weather just like any other claim or condition. I've begun to do that more regularly and have been happy to witness that prayer bringing about calm and protection during periods when destructive storms had been predicted and seeing that no destruction was evident in the region afterwards. As I think about the law of God behind those demonstrations, I've been led to consider the idea of balanced divine mental atmosphere. In Love's atmosphere, there couldn't be extremes of weather because God, Spirit is perfectly balanced and orderly. God is pure harmony. Extreme conditions don't have reality within the universe of Spirit. When I remember that God is the only cause of true, harmonious mental atmosphere which is expressed in peace and calm and mild climate conditions, not extremes, I witness the physical atmosphere around me adjust accordingly.
This idea also applies equally perfectly to balanced weight, balanced global resources, balanced checking accounts, balanced temperaments, balanced personalities or identities, balanced government, balanced justice, balanced employment.
All these ideas have been a joy to discover and a blessing for which I am very grateful.
- Margie
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