November 2017 — Links of Love

A grateful heart a garden is,
Where there is always room
For every lovely, Godlike grace
To come to perfect bloom.
~ Christian Science Hymnal No. 3

Our November eNews is an invitation to expand our capacity to be grateful.

In the United States, Thanksgiving Day will be celebrated in a few weeks. According to a Harris Poll, it ranks just after Christmas as a favorite national holiday. It is a time when we, individually and as a nation, pause to give gratitude and count our blessings. The metaphor in this hymn offers a spiritual insight into the great gain that genuine gratitude brings.

Gratitude is portrayed as the fruitful soil in which spiritual graces flourish. In the Church Manual (Article XVII. Section 2), our Leader Mary Baker Eddy reminds her followers, “Gratitude and love should abide in every heart each day of all the years.”

For this reason and more, we, at High Ridge House, are dedicating ourselves to the enrichment of the heart, — the cultivation of gratitude, the consistent, thankful acknowledgment of good. And, we believe that this is a healing discipline.

As our daily practice, every morning at 9:00AM and again at 7:00PM, we stop and pause for ten minutes of Quiet Time in the entire facility. All activity ceases for prayer. After our morning prayer time, we gather to discuss what will be on our next Prayer Agenda and to express gratitude for our blessings.

During this season, we begin with our deep appreciation for you — our sponsors, donors, volunteers and friends — for the loving support and encouragement that you have given us. We are so grateful for you!

And what might be the blessings that accrue to all who prepare the soil of a grateful heart? We trust that we shall find an abundant harvest of the fruit of the Spirit; that “. . .love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal. 5: 22,23), will “come to perfect bloom. . .” in our hearts and in our lives as we enrich our gratitude.

We invite you to join us in this endeavor.

With gratitude and love from all of us,

Marivic B. Mabanag
Executive Director

Photo Credit: Grace Polk

Medicare Open Enrollment

Are you an American within 3 months of your 65th birthday or beyond? If so, have you enrolled with Social Security in order to take advantage of free Medicare Part A insurance you may be entitled to? If yes, have you explored whether to update your Medicare coverage for 2018 during the once-a-year open enrollment going on through December 7, 2017? For more information on your choices go to: