Some people are especially memorable because of the qualities they express. I well remember Mrs. Mason, my fourth grade teacher. I'm not so sure I could tell you today what she looked like, but I do recall that she was firm, strong, decisive. I learned a lot from the way she taught math. And then there was my grade school friend Alice. She was such a delight, filled with play and laughter. I probably fell in love with her because to me she seemed like a famous movie star. Well, she wasn't exactly a star. But she did do a few singing appearances with her family on local TV. Now that I think about it, I guess all I really remember about Alice are her qualities.
And then I grew up and found that qualities were still the most defining characteristics for people. To me, this points toward the fact that everyone has a spiritual nature, and that nature is what really defines each individual. There's a lot of evidence these days that society is valuing spirituality more and more. And that's good, because I believe that spirituality is actually our true substance.
I married when I finished college. One day my wife injured herself internally while she was lifting a heavy mattress. She called a Christian Science practitioner to pray for her, to help free her from suffering. The healing was quick. It was powerful. That was a long time ago, but I still think gratefully of my wife's humility—her spiritual receptivity. This quality was key to her healing. And my memory of that practitioner is still strong. How do I remember him? I remember his humility. He had been a sheep herder, a college boxer, a fighting marine who was wounded in World War II and saved through prayer. But humility was the defining quality in his life.
