Knowledge is freedom (from stress)

Image credit: Cottonbro Studio (Pexels).

Recently, I attended a discussion panel on atrial fibrillation. This is a heart condition that I was diagnosed with about five years ago, although I suspect I’ve had it since my latter years in Boston (when I was still swimming in the Krazy Sauce of Christian Science), so maybe since 2008 or 2009. I believe that to be so, as I do recall occasionally feeling symptoms of it back about then. The symptoms were very occasional, and mild. I’ll be honest, it scared me sometimes, but in my Christian Science-addled mind, I didn’t know what to do, so I kind of did a combination of ignore and deny, with a side of prayer thrown in for good measure. Fortunately, atrial fibrillation is generally, at least in early stages, not serious, and it is the most common form of arrhythmia (approximately 200,000 people in Canada have been diagnosed with it). However, if you don’t do something about it, it can get serious and lead to heart failure and, most commonly, to stroke.

Sacrament

This is #17 in a series of posts looking at the 26 Christian Science Weekly Bible Lesson subjects, chosen by Mary Baker Eddy, and rotated twice per year. These lessons are the sermon at each Christian Science church worldwide, and are read by Christian Scientists daily. Today’s subject is “Sacrament”. Look for other posts in the category Lesson Sermon Subjects. 

A decade ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

I’ve scheduled this post to go up on the ten-year anniversary of the date I made my first post on this blog. As I’m writing this, it’s just over two months until this auspicious anniversary. I get reflective at times like this, and now I feel like I want to wax a bit nostalgic. So, dear readers, please indulge me.

Why not just move on and live and let live?

Sandy Lake – Bowron Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. Image credit: Emerging Gently.

The title of this post sums up some comments on posts that I’ve been receiving lately. It’s various versions of, “Why don’t you just move on?” or “Just let it go?” It does make me think, do I hold on to things I shouldn’t? Would it be better for me to let it all go and move on. Or, have I? I don’t really agree with what I see as the sentiment behind many of the comments. After all, I think most Americans would get pretty upset at anyone who loudly said they should just get over September 11th. Would you tell a parent who grieves their dead child to “get over it”? I don’t think so. However, these comments do also spur my thought in a good way by making me step back for a moment and make sure I’m not just wallowing in self pity here. That is something I do not want to do. I do not want to be shackled to my past.

Blog Update

I thought about posting this on April 1st. Since I returned to writing regularly here again, back in January, I’ve been posting weekly. I’ve come to realize that this is not really a pace that I can reasonably sustain with new and worthwhile content. I don’t want to waste your time or attention with stuff that I don’t think is worthwhile that I’ve written just because I want to post something every week. I’m also ever mindful of not wanting to cover ground that I’ve already covered. Life is also taking away from time to spend here. My wife and I are relocating to a different part of the province soon, so it’s going to get busy.

Lucky kid…

Recently, I had to take a family member to the emergency room at our local hospital. No big deal, it was just a nasty stomach virus that was making the rounds–painful and unpleasant, but not serious or life threatening. They were hooked up to an intravenous drip of saline and an anti-nausea medication to rehydrate them and quell their violent symptoms, and their condition improved quickly.

Why yes, we do have a vice or two…

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?”
(Matthew 6:25 – King James Version)

Man

This is #14 in a series of posts looking at the 26 Christian Science Weekly Bible Lesson subjects, chosen by Mary Baker Eddy, and rotated twice per year. These lessons are the sermon at each Christian Science church worldwide, and are read by Christian Scientists daily. Today’s subject is “Man”. Look for other posts in the category Lesson Sermon Subjects. 

So, tell me about your childhood…

 

Isaac Lake – Bowron Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. Image credit: Emerging Gently.

I’ve been on a mental health journey for the past few months, and through counselling and therapy, I have been finding out a lot about myself and what literally, on the most basic levels, “makes me tick”. Until recently, I proudly thought that I had exorcised most of the Christian Science “demons” from my life. How wrong I was! All I had done was pick the low-hanging fruit (for me, anyway): conditioning myself to go to the doctor, take painkillers and cold meds, and to reach for antibiotics when I need them, that was all was easy (for some former Christian Scientists, I realize that this is difficult). I do it without even a second thought now, and have done so for several years. I was reveling in the idea that I was a “normal human being” now. But, as I’ve discovered, Christian Science is still engrained in me in a deep way, running in the background, like so-called “running processes”–those little computer programs that are part of the operating system. You’re usually never aware of them–until you are.

Leaving Christian Science saved me

Sometimes, I step back and wonder how I survived being a Christian Scientist. I think most of us who’ve left Christian Science do this–especially when we’ve been faced with, and overcome a serious physical ailment or injury. Since I left Christian Science about nine years ago, I’ve faced a few. However, the one that gives me pause is one involving the “C” word: cancer. Now, before anyone gets alarmed, let me assure you, it was not a serious form of cancer, and it is one that is rarely fatal.