I read a phrase this morning that said to "take a holistic approach."  Since I don't like to assume that I know anything, I went and looked up holistic.

Here's what Wikipedia says, and I like it!

Holism (from ὅλος holos, a Greek word meaning all, whole, entire, total) is the idea that all the properties of a given system (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone.  Instead, the system as a whole determines in an important way how the parts behave.

The general principle of holism was concisely summarized by Aristotle in the Metaphysics: "The whole is more than the sum of its parts" (1045a10).

and of course, that led to looking up "holy" and under Etymology, Wikipedia says this:

The English word holy dates back to at least the 11th Century with the Old English word hālig, an adjective derived from hāl meaning whole and used to mean 'uninjured, sound, healthy, entire, complete’. The Scottish 'hale' (health, happiness and wholeness.) is the most complete modern form of this Old English root. The modern word 'health' is also derived from the Old English hal. As “wholeness”, holiness may be taken to indicate a state of religious completeness or perfection. The word holy in its modern form appears in Wyclif's Bible of 1382.

So I conclude that holistic, holy, health, hale, all have something in common – addressed the whole, the entirety, and in my Mind, Mrs. Eddy's One Mind!

I love words!

An acronym came to me the other day, based on some books I am reading and rereading, some Ted talks I listened to, and a lot of Spiritually focused pondering -

BODE

Now, the word 'bode' may, thanks to Shakespeare, have a negative connotation to it.  It generally has for me.  For some reason, when I hear 'bode,' I feel a little catch of anxiety, fear.  I'm SURE, based on my first experience with it, and probably from Shakespeare, since he had a gift for catching us up in his words.

Here's the Oxford Dictionary's definition of bode – be a portent of a particular outcome

It doesn't say what kind of outcome – it doesn't say bad or good or anything in between.  It just says a portent of a particular outcome, and I would surmise that WE provide the particulars!

So, if that is true, then here is the particular outcome of my idea of BODE:

Believe I am deserving

Overcome resistance

Do the Work

Experience Grace

Have a great day!  (p.s. interesting that the math to post this is 9 plus 3 or the wholly Spiritual number 12…..)

Had a word come to Mind yesterday.  Yes, Mind, not mind.  Why?  Well, when I looked up the definition this morning and saw where it originated, I KNEW it was Divine Mind knocking on my door!  From Wikipedia -

A vocation (from the Latin verb to call), is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.

This morning I went looking for this page to put some quotes, and couldn't find it.  Why?  I was looking for "The Gathering" rather than "The Forum."  Giggle.  If you haven't been to one, you'll just have to attend a Shift Gathering to understand why I got myself confused for a moment……

I've been reading Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.  I have been drawn to this definition of "earth" in her glossary – "A sphere; a type of eternity and immortality, which are likewise without beginning or end.  To material sense, earth is matter; to spiritual sense, it is a compound idea."

And then this morning I read – page 134: 4-6

"The word martyr, from the Greek, means witness; but those who testified for Truth were so often persecuted unto death, that at length the word martyr was narrowed in its significance and so has come always to mean one who suffers for his convictions."

Interesting, huh?

Actually, I love LOTS of words.  I do prefer to read words I understand, and I do prefer to read simple, clear sentences.  I also prefer to write simple, clear sentences, but i don't always manage to accomplish that.

Recently I've developed a habit of looking up the definition of a word that jumps off the page at me.

That's very simple to do now that I have a Kindle that defines words you click on in a page, or if I like I can go to one of the two dictionaries that are loaded for you when you register with Kindle.

I LOVE my Kindle!

If I'm not reading my Kindle, I can always look up the word in the Kindle dictionary, or I can use one of the three or four, or maybe it's fourteen, dictionaries I have in my house.

And if none of those options appeal, I can always google the word and read through the millions of references that come up as a result of a search.

Interesting to note that there are kazillions of words, and kazillions of ways to look up the definition of a word.

But what does the word really mean? 

The task of answering that question is a little more time consuming than looking up the definition.  Especially when there are so many definitions.  I mean, which one do I accept as the real definition?????

Ah, now we get to the crux of the matter, don't we?

Because it doesn't matter what the word means on Google, or in the dictionary, as much as it matters what it means to the user of the word.  And there are two users – the one writing it, and the one reading it.  Or the one saying it, and the one hearing it.

However, you gotta start somewhere, and when reading, I tend to start with what I think I'm reading, then consider accepted usage (look up the definition), and then I go back and read again to see if I catch a glimmer of understanding as to the intent of the writer or speaker.

If all else fails, and that does happen, I can always fall back on the age old remedy for lack of understanding – Don't judge. 

There are going to be times when I'm not clear to others, and they're not clear to me.  But when we both know that, and don't judge by what we don't understand, we can take it on Trust.

Trust – think I'll go look that up!

Cherish (cherishing, cherished) is a wonderful word, I agree, Jet! And Beca I love the diamond with all its facets shining in a field. What a beckoning symbol of love, clarity, and beauty.