Saturday, May 11, 2013

O Love, our Mother, ever near . . . .


Violets on my desk

a detail of one of my portraits -- oil on canvas

I recall one night when I woke up frightened and confused. For some reason I felt intuitively that my son was in danger.  So there I was, struggling in the stillness of the dark, trying to find an inner composure that would allow me to pray.  Suddenly, softly, and far off in the distance, I heard a nightingale sing.  As I listened, a message from God came and calmed my anxiety: "God is simultaneously with you, and your son, and with all of His creation." . . .

I recognized the answer to healing my fear was in my love for God.  He is All.  He encompasses everyone, everywhere.  And He is good. I knew that my son's link with God, as well as my own, was secure. I could see how this spiritual connection defined us as strong, alert, and peaceful.

To this day, specific parts of my prayer that night remain memorable: "O Father-Mother, I thank You for knowing that I'm in the peace of Your presence. This peace is embracing all Your children, including my son and me. You are giving us the strength to know that we are whole because we live in Thee." . . .

And so I could say with confidence, "I know that You are guiding my son—Your child—and that Your blessings are always with him. Thank you, God!"

The weakness I'd felt before was giving way to a calm strength. And to my great relief, my fear for my son's safety disappeared. This to me was a sure sign that God was with me—and also with my son, at that very moment, wherever he was.  Infinite intelligence and Love can never be confined by time or distance.

A week or so later, I received a letter from my son. He wrote that at the very hour when I had been struggling and praying for him, he had been traveling on a train for 48 hours, and had just reached his destination. Because the train was overcrowded, he hadn't been able to get to the exit fast enough, especially since he was carrying some heavy luggage. By the time he reached the door, the train had begun to move out of the station, and was picking up speed. He didn't realize how fast the train was moving, and jumped out the door, luggage and all, landing flat on his back, his bags thrown far away. People nearby were shocked at what they saw, and came running. But my son said they were surprised he had no serious injuries. He got up, collected his belongings, and moved on.

As I read his letter, I was sure that prayer had made a difference that night. And I was awed at how God's wisdom had involved me—I felt that through my prayer I had seen His care for my son's safety. Even though fear had confronted me, divine Love had awakened me to think intelligently about God and His child.

God, who in His might and power is also a tender Father-Mother, and Guardian, is keeping watch over each of His-Her children. I like to think your prayers and mine are so full of the power of Love that they are helping to secure the safety of all the children of the world. The prayers of God-loving people everywhere can bring immeasurable blessings.
An excerpt from my article TRAIN OF THOUGHT, published in the Christian Science Sentinel




May they who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength.
--Scriptures, Judges 5:31


The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men – from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms.
 -- Oliver Wendell Holmes


I remember my mother's prayers
and they have always followed me.
They have clung to me all my life.






-- Abraham Lincoln






The Boston Sculptors Gallery is pleased to announce its first outdoor exhibition 
of monumental, site-specific artworks, co-sponsored by The First Church of Christ, Scientist. 
In a convergence of imagination and civic pride, over two dozen 
art installations from Boston Sculptors Gallery members 
will be displayed on The Christian Science Plaza from 
Wednesday, May 1 to Thursday, October 31, 2013

                  
Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love.
-- Mildred B Vermont








Truth, Life, and Love will never lose their claim on us.  And here let me add: --

Truth happifies life in the hamlet or town;
Life lessens all pride – its pomp and its frown –
Love comes to our tears like a soft summer shower,
To beautify, bless, and inspire man’s power.

--Mary Baker Eddy




Mother – that was the bank 
where we deposited
all our hurts and worries.
-- T. DeWitt Talmage


The Boston Sculptors Gallery 


Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being
to do the impossible. -- Marion C. Garretty 


The Boston Sculptors Gallery 

Spanish Proverb: An ounce of mother
is worth a pound of clergy.



A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.

-- Dorothy Canfield Fisher

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavour by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.
- Washington Irving (1783-1859)



A single moment of understanding
can flood a whole life with meaning.
-- Unknown Author



years ago a small painting I did of Canadian Geese

Jesus-- The kingdom of Heaven is within you... Seek ye first the kingdom of Heaven and all things will be added unto you.

He who is plenteously provided for from within,
needs but little from without.
-- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I tell you the truth,
if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there"
and it will move.

--Scriptures, Matthew 17:20

Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.
--Scriptures, 1 John 3:18 NRSV






My mom is a never-ending song in my heart
of comfort, happiness, and being.
I may sometimes forget the words
but I always remember the tune.
--Graycie Harmon






Warmly,
Eva-Maria