This would be a good time to visit my mom. She’s needing a lot of TLC right now. Gratefully, she’s with my sister and her family. But they live several states away, and because of travel restrictions, I cannot just pack my things and visit them. 

I know I’m not the only one who’s been cut off from physical contact with a loved one. So I’m praying about that. And a big part of my prayer is just asking God for some guidance and quietly listening for ideas—for a more spiritual perspective on the situation. I’ve been grateful over the years for the wise guidance I’ve found in the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science. These teachings have expanded and deepened my understanding of what prayer can be and of how much honest, humble prayer can do to help the one who prays and the ones prayed for. 

An essay Mrs. Eddy wrote titled “Angels” talks about that comforting contact that we long for. She writes: “When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. Oh, may you feel this touch,—it is not the clasping of hands, nor a loved person present; it is more than this: it is a spiritual idea that lights your path!” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 306).