I'VE ALWAYS BEEN fascinated with stories of the people who homesteaded on the American plains. The land was divided up on the virgin prairies. Settlers who cleared and improved up to 160 acres, building homes and barns, planting trees—and of course raising successful crops—would at the end of five years own the deed to that land. It was a rugged, rigorous enterprise, in which these pioneers faced hardship, loneliness, and sacrifice. But they were driven by a hopeful, resilient will to work. They supported one another. And they developed that immense swath of farmland into a national breadbasket like none the world had ever known.
This month's cover article, "Clearing the View for the World," was written by a true pioneer in Christian Science's second century, Leigh Daugherty. Leigh passed away just recently, and we will miss her; we've treasured her spirituality, intellect, and humanity. There's so much in this article about the fruitful work that she loved—most recently as Manager, The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy—exploring the "still new territory" of Christian healing. Her article's core message is perhaps best summed up in this passage: "... one pioneer's efforts to clear a field give all those who pass by a broader view."
Everyone who writes for these pages engages in pioneering efforts. They tell how they've worked and prayed in the field. How they've helped and supported one another through commitment to the work of Church. Yes, they tell how they've coped with hardship, loneliness, and sacrifice—but always, they explain in unique and varied ways how they've seen the inevitable fruition of their efforts through hope and spiritual advancement. "The laborers are few in this vineyard of Mind-sowing and reaping," wrote Mary Baker Eddy, "but let them apply to the waiting grain the curving sickle of Mind's eternal circle, and bind it with bands of Soul" (Unity of Good, p. 12). With this pioneer spirit, broader views and more bountiful healing harvests await us all.
