“It’s clear that love was not a distant pale geography to Mrs. Eddy but the land that was under her feet.”

Another way that my life could change to serve the Cause better, is in having more love.  Recently a family member and I read to each other the places we had put post-its in our We Knew MBE books.  It was interesting how many of them were about Love and love – when neither of us was aware that that was happening in our saving these places. 

It’s clear that love was not a distant pale geography to Mrs. Eddy but the land that was under her feet.  She loved her enemies – giving her best prayers and preparations for a visit from someone who was behaving like an enemy (and never showed up) (p. 212).  Or spontaneously giving beautiful peaches to the girl who had been hindering her carriage to stare at her (and the intrusions stopped.)  She didn’t “use” Love but just loved.  She speaks of the importance of feeling love in our prayers.  She tells a clergyman that his answer to her question (about what the light was that had come to this age) was too intellectual and asks why he didn’t say “Love” (p. 336).  And she speaks of not “pouncing” on students when sin needed to be corrected (p. 125).  She said that it wasn’t that she tried to love but that love just happened before she even realized it.  And, of course, there are the numerous accounts of her teaching in classes how it is Love that heals.  Her teaching was all about Love. 

The night after we read these passages to each other I had to stay up late with some branch church work.  An issue had been fizzing up all day on email. As I stayed awake in bed afterwards, I thought of Mrs. Eddy’s lessons about Love and love, and it seemed very possible to feel love for all those involved.  The love was given to me.  The next morning when I checked email there were two apologies to the group and one modified and gentled response.  Why do I ever forget about Love?