you make a difference

Spiritual resource to share: a hug



Anyone who thinks they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room. - Christian Todd Whitman : )

I was surprised when a friend commented on a little act of kindness I did many years ago. She just had a baby, and I went to the hospital to visit her and see my new goddaughter. I saw she was uncomfortable and rearranged the pillows for her. Something about that simple act stayed with her and reminded her that we can all be a blessing in the little things we do.

Small things can make a big difference. And it doesn't have to be an annoying difference either!
An act of love, of sharing, of attention and affection can turn a day from bad to good. A little wink of confidence given to a new performer, or a hug of recognition given to a long lost relative can bring a reservoir of assurance right there.

It is from these sparks of kindness that good things grow into great things. FREE HUGS is such a great example of how a little kindness can grow into world wide movement to share some joy and connection! (Click here to read about its humble beginnings.)

Mary Baker Eddy sheds some light on the power of Love, God, behind all these small actions of good from Pulpit and Press ( p. 4).

Is not a man metaphysically and mathematically number one, a unit, and therefore whole number, governed and protected by his divine Principle, God? You have simply to preserve a scientific, positive sense of unity with your divine source, and daily demonstrate this. Then you will find that one is as important a factor as duodecillions in being and doing right, and thus demonstrating deific Principle.

To find out more about the art of kindness and practical healing prayer, contact Kim at kim@kimckorinek.com or add your comments below.

you can try this at home

Spiritual resource to share: your light

It was a long day for both of us. Staying in for dinner wasn't an option. My husband's day was packed as was mine, and we both had projects that involved lots of detail and setbacks.

It was so tempting to be irritated. We needed to talk over a home improvement project and our discussion started out with frustration as we sat down at a restaurant and ordered dinner.

As he was talking, I had this little twinge of a thought. What if, in the midst of a sense of tiredness and iritation, I said something really loving and easy and kind? What if I made it totally unselfish and sincere? What if, right here, with all the justifications for a crabby time talking about yet another detailed project, I smiled and agreed?

It was a little thing perhaps, but one comment, sincerely told, lifted the whole burden of irritation. A little light added to the darkness was all that was needed. A little Christly touch to lift us up. And, as a result, we came up with some pretty good ideas for our home and had a pleasant dinner together.

It struck me how easy this was. Something I'll try at home again and again.

I am come a light into the world,

that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

sayings of Christ Jesus as written in John 12: 46




To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the happy thing about doing good

Spiritual resource to share: your time

 

 

So what's the big happy thing about doing good?

• You realize that God does indeed have infinite resources to bless mankind.
• You find yourself in another's good.
• You see the nature of grief transform into the nurturing opening nature of goodness. 
• You understand that giving and receiving are one. 
• Time flies when you are doing good things. 
• The love that we have for one another - for those who have passed and for those with us now - always leads to more love. We can never lose that.

And besides that, "Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it."

    

And I can prove it.

 

 Last week, my son and I drove across the state to a friend's house to help her clean out her lower level.

 

This is a very dear friend and a special situation as her lower level had become the recipient of the many pictures, slides and memorobilia of her parents both of whom passed on in the last three years. At least twice a day, she walked through her lower level to get to work, reminding her of the need to organize, discard, shelf and repair those things that held such good memories. It was just hard to do on many levels.

 

"Can we help?" I asked. And soon, Gabe and I packed up and were up and out the door.

 

Once we arrived, we set a plan in place and while our friend was at work, we got to work! We were surprised at how quickly we were able to get the placed cleared out! Photos were stored in airtight containers, other memorabilia were boxed and labeled, new shelves were put up and stocked, a couple trips were made to the Goodwill and soon, the unobstructed windows were pouring in light, letting us see a beautiful view of the harbour. A final sweep and wash down of all counters and shelves and we had a whole new space of possibilities!

 

I loved the look on our friend's face when she came in to her house! Happy, surprised, grateful.....and we felt the same way! Immediately, we were talking possibilities of what to do with that sunny open space! How quickly was something that seemed so heavy turned to lightness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

a modern day tares and wheat story

Spiritual resource to share: seeing the wheat, being patient with the tares

I went to a conference last weekend. I was pretty excited to be there, but I knew it would be hosted by a person with whom I have had a hard time appreciating. In addition to a big voice, he seemed to have a big ego, and oftentimes would start his talks with negative stories about some of the kids and parents he worked with, and throughout his talks would highlight these negative stories.

This would be my second conference, and I was determined to see this individual in a more loving light. As the conference progressed, so did the negative stories and disrespectful portrayals of those who made "mistakes." I cringed. I exchanged unkind remarks about this speaker with the person I was sitting near. That's when I realized I was doing a lousy job of seeing this person anywhere near how God must be seeing him -- as made in His image and likeness. I realized I had let myself get caught up in the tares and not the wheat.

So I sat back and really listened at what was happening at this conference. It truly was amazing. The conference had incredibly high ideals. So many people and families had benefitted from the programs that this conference was promoting. All those involved in the conference were volunteers and spent thousands of hours every year to help these programs forward. And now my family was one of the many families who were going to be the beneficiaries of all their hard work. The good that was done was almost overwhelming. The preparation to participate in these programs was thorough, thoughtful and heartwarming.

So, a little course correction was in order. Now, whenever I thought of this person, I would think of his dedication, his big heart (he loved his work) and his generosity with his time and money. Toward the end of the conference, a group of participants got together to write a poem of gratitude to this man. It lovingly joked about his ego and tact (or lack thereof) and poured on the gratitude for the hundreds of lives he touched and for the good that had been acomplished because of his dedicated work. He cried. I teared up and was one of the first to stand up for a standing ovation. And I meant it.

It was a good lesson in being patient with one another for any flaws we may be carrying around, and a reminder that it is the good that we do that is lasting and has meaning - not only for ourselves but for others. The tares and the wheat may be growing side by side in our character, but it is the wheat that wins out.







To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

not feeling inspired enough?

Spiritual resource to share: completeness
Have you ever had a morning that starts out...well, not as inspiring as you wanted? You have done everything you normally do for your spiritual study, but you feel there is something more. I have been working with this thought from Science and Health:

Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud.

To me, it means it doesn't take hours of study, fulfilling a schedule of readings, or logging on a certain amount of time for reflection. Spiritual study is about connecting with inspiration. And it just starts with one idea.

This one idea, even if it seems modest - like gratitude for a kind comment, a humble prayer of praise, or remembering a healing - has deep spiritual roots. It reflects God's omnipotence and has an eternal heritage. It points towards more possibilities for good. This one idea shines and blossoms. It fills you up completely with what is needed for the day.

Just one idea. Complete and satisfying for the day! What one idea has filled you up?




To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Celebrate dignity and freedom/celebrate Martin Luther King

Spiritual resource to share: kindness and service to others




The late Coretta Scott King has been quoted as saying: "The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others."

Martin Luther King's statement "Life's most persistent and urgent question: What are you doing for others?" is answered by this statement from another great humanitarian: "We should measure our love for God by our love for man;and our sense of Science will be measured by our obedience to God, — fulfilling the law of Love, doing good to all; imparting, so far as we reflect them, Truth, Life, and Love to all within the radius of our atmosphere of thought." (from "Love Your Enemies" in Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy ).

In celebration of Martin Luther King's life, I have posted some of his quotes taken from spiritualityandpractice.com , quotationspage.com and time.com:

ON RELATIONSHIPS: "No individual or nation can stand out boasting of being independent. We are interdependent."

ON BOLDNESS: "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up."

ON FREEDOM: "Freedom has always been an expensive thing. History is fit testimony to the fact that freedom is rarely gained without sacrifice and self-denial."

ON VIOLENCE: "Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers."

ON LOVE: "Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it."

ON NONCOMFORMITY: "This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. Dangerous passions of pride, hatred and selfishness are enthroned in our lives; truth lies prostrate on the rugged hills of nameless Calvaries. The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a
nonconforming minority."

ON SILENCE: In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

ON NON-VIOLENCE: Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Enough said. In honor of Martin Luther King, may we all find more ways to be kind and so scatter that mustard seed of peace more widely. Happy day.

photo by time.com

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.