I’ve been attending CSLT for two years now and its place in my life is amazingly huge. Raised Catholic – including Catholic school through the 8^th grade – I eventually came to a deeply felt distrust of institutionalized religion.

A distrust deep enough to send me seeking through the usual list of alternatives:

• Wicca — From which I learned great lessons I still live by
• Zen — Is there a writer who speaks more sweetly and humorously to the soul than Pema Chodron?
• Congregational Church — Briefly, when my late husband was active in the choir.

But there was nothing which brought about regular attendance or active participation until now, in Tucson, with CSLT. As with so many others I’ve found my spiritual home here and the beginnings of truly wonderful friendships.

One of the best lessons I’m studying here is to actually, finally let go of the belief that I must compensate somehow for all the “mistakes I’ve made”. That is — only after paying for them is it possible to move on.

Well, I’ve learned you can put those bags down, and decide to travel lighter.  Although some lessons aren’t exactly new news…

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy  not on fighting the old but on building the new.” — Socrates

Recognizing CSLT’s importance to me, I joined the Board officially in January. It’s a sweet challenge to imagine how we can grow this special place into a larger, “home-owning”, continually learning, life-enhancing, soul-strengthening community.

Or, as Dr. Holmes would have us remember:  “The one who dares to fling thought out into Universal Intelligence, with the assurance of one who realizes his divine nature and its relation to the Universe — and dares to claim all there is — will find an ever-creative good at hand to aid him, God will honor his request…. Let us, then, enlarge our thought processes, and dare to think in Universal terms. Let us dare to believe that every constructive word is invincible! ”   The Science of Mind 142.3

I, personally, am quite eager to see what beauty emerges as all of us together dream, nurture and build an ever-more-perfect CSLT.

And, I am so totally grateful that I got myself into my car and drove to CSLT that first time and every time since then.

— Mariann Moery