Just as the year ended, Ken Wapnick died, his death as unexpected and as unassuming as his life and work have been. As a close friend of Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford, as the indefatigable editor and teacher of A Course in Miracles, Dr Wapnick delivered the Course to us as a midwife helps to bring a child into the world. His insight and inspiration remain, online and in his books, videos and audio tapes. His warmth and joyous humour live on in the minds and hearts of those who were happy enough to meet him in person.
Having spent his working life teaching us that life is not in the body, but in the deathless mind, now he demonstrates it. This is what the Course says about death: the truth is true, and nothing else is.
Appearances come and go in endless succession; a life seems to end here, another begins there. But in reality we are not born and we do not die. An idea takes shape in our perception for a while, then our perception changes. For peace of mind we need to remember to hold fast to the idea even when the shape seems to have gone.
We grieve for the passing of what was, and fear the still formless soon-to-be. But each new thing, new year, new person, new experience brings its own beauty, when you remember to see look for it. When you have seen it in someone or something that is now gone, you will recognize it again in quite another place or person. 'Christ plays in ten thousand places, Lovely in eyes and lovely in limbs not his...' Think of anyone with love and gratitude, and every one is touched with grace.
All day I have watched the purple vine leaves
Fall into the water.
And now in the moonlight they still fall,
But each leaf is fringed with silver.
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