Relationships…there are many kinds.
It seems that I am not too good at the intimate variety based on my history. I have been married and divorced three times. I haven’t had many relationships between, or even dates as a matter of fact.
However, Ernest Holmes reminds us: “Principle is not bound by precedent.”
What does that famous quote mean? It means that the Divine Principle of the Creative Process does not depend upon what has happened in the past. Rather it is forever making all things new, according to our thoughts. That is the rub!
We learn from the Bible that “..you can’t put new wine into old wine-skins.”
In order to have anew kind of relationship, I need to be willing to have a beginners mind about relationships. I cannot let my past become my future.
What kind of relationship would I like to have? I would like a compassionate, honest, caring, tender meeting of the minds. When I was in Edmonton recently I visited with an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in over 8 years. We both look different but I think we still both have the essential nature that drew us together as friends in the first place. She has a great sense-of-humor and is very friendly to everyone. She fearlessly tells the truth no matter what the circumstances.
She told me of a recent trip to Mexico. She was having dental work done so was there for a couple of weeks. One night she went to her favorite seafood restaurant. There was a noisy man from Alberta, her province. This man sounded like a know-it-all rich oil man. He had ordered a steak and was complaining loudly that it was tough. My friend told me that she said, “Well, why would you order a steak at a seafood restaurant? I’m having the shrimp and it is delicious!” The man ordered the shrimp and my friend said, “And by the way, you are going to pay for that steak, too. These servers should not have to pay for your lack of intelligence!” He did pay. The servers thanked her.
Now the reason my friend can get away with such “rude” behavior is that she does everything in a playful-like-a-puppy manner. She has many, many friends. She is planning her retirement thousands of miles away from her current community. When asked if she won’t miss her friends, she simply states that she will make new ones.
That kind of confidence goes a long way in creating conscious relationships.
I am blessed to have many caring, forgiving friends, to. I know when we are together, I am heard and seen. Recently we attended Motown the Musical as part of our Gourmets for God program. This is a picture of some of my friends.
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| June Dickson, Doris Palardy, Diane Hennessy, Rev. Judee Chapman |