The High Mountains of Redeeming Love / Supplements / Friday: Shakespeare at School

God lives in the Beauty of every leaf of every tree and in you and in me. (photo by Wm. C. Anderson)

I recently mentioned to my friend,
Sonny McCutcheon,
That in the summer of 1963
I traveled to
Philmont Scout Ranch.
It was one of the great Scouting adventures
of my young life.
And I was truly Blessed by many.

       Waite Phillips

Philmont Scout Ranch
is the Boy Scouts of America’s
largest national High Adventure Base.
Its 34 staffed camps and 55 trail camps
provide an unforgettable adventure
in the high country along hundreds of miles
of rugged, rocky trails.

Waite Phillips developed a ranch
out of an old land grant in 1922
and amassed more than 300,000 acres
of mountains and plains in a place he named
Philmont.

Phillips believed in sharing his wealth.
In this spirit, he offered 35,857 acres of his ranch
to the Boy Scouts of America in 1938
to serve as a national wilderness camping area.

Waite added his best camping land in 1941,
the Villa Philmonte and the headquarters of the
farming and ranching operation.

The second gift was made so that,
“Many, rather than few”
could enjoy his rich and beautiful land.
Phillips was quoted in the Tulsa Daily World saying:

“That ranch represents an ideal of my youth …
and has meant a lot to my son and his pals.
Now I want to make it available to other boys.
I’d be selfish to hold it for my individual use.”

As an endowment,
he included in the gift
his 23-story Philtower Building
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Every year
around 20,000 Scouts
and many other adults
use Philmont for camping
adventure and Training.

God truly Blesses His children
with many gifts.
One of the most beautiful
was the life of
Waite Phillips.
And the Gifts of his
Truly Benevolent Heart
Keep on giving.
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Werner with Alex and Annie Anderson.

My deeply loved Scoutmaster,
Werner Bendorf,
a man who was a Father
and a Savior to me
and so many others,
arranged for me to go to Philmont.
And the precious people at
the First Christian Church,
privately and without anyone knowing,
paid for the trip.
They also paid,
in the same dignified
and Loving (and Christian) manner,
for my participation in the
1964 National Scout Jamboree.
Even I was unaware
of their financial gifts.
and no,
I was not a member
of the Church.

“Be careful not to do
your ‘acts of righteousness’
before men, to be seen by them.
If you do, you will have no reward
from your Father in Heaven.
So when you give to the needy,
don’t announce it with trumpets
like the hypocrites do . . .
But when you give to the needy,
don’t let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving may be in secret.
And your Father
who sees what is done in secret
will reward you.”
 – Matthew 6: 1-4

I am on the right – the only Boy Scout in the group – the others were all Explorer Scouts, and the sons of Physicians. My dear friend, Ervin Addy III, is helping me hold the sign.

There are many good people
on this Earth,
and I am Blessed
that so many Loved me
and without condition.
I found the Love of God
flowed through their Hearts
and into mine.
It resides there
still.

We hiked in the Beautiful Mountains
for two and a half weeks.
It was truly a Life changing
and deeply enriching experience for me.
I left weighing 125 pounds
and returned weighing 89 pounds.
We consumed a lot of quickly prepared
dehydrated meals and fish we caught
in the very cold streams,
and whatever else we could catch
and not properly cook.
Who had the time to cook?
We were busy
starving.
(Just call it a diet.)

               The Tooth of Time

We ate things that moved,
and some that didn’t.
Hey, we were really hungry!
It was a survival trip
and we were all Eagle Scouts.
The only warning we offered others was:
Just don’t put your hand between me
and my next bite!
When you are that famished,
it is highly likely that your fingers
will taste like chicken too!

I recall everyone so looking forward
to a great steak dinner
when our ordeal was over.
We found a restaurant
and, yes, we all ordered
the biggest steak
on the menu.
No one, not one person,
took more than two bites.
We came to the strange realization
that our stomachs had shrunk
and could hold
no more.

I remember my precious Mother, Marie,
made an appointment for me
to see our family physician,
Dr. Ford, the day after I returned.
I never thought much about that until later.

       One of many activities.

About twenty years after this
truly awakening experience,
I visited with my Mother about the trip
and seeing the good Doctor upon my return.
She shared with me that she was afraid
I was near death.
I asked her what the Doctor said
after he examined me,
and she laughed really loud and stated,
“He told me he had never met
a finer physical specimen.”

   Marie Anderson

Crisp, fresh air,
friendship and fun
in the Sun,
walking up and down
mountains
for over a hundred miles
with little to eat?
Yes,
that will bring you
a good result
from any physical exam,
and whole lot more.

Lying beside
speaking rivers,
resting truly
for the very first time,
the streams of mercy
never ceasing
brought a clarity to my mind
and an unknown peace
to my troubled Heart.
From my lonely vigil
that bound a wandering soul
ever searching
and growing apart
from the Love of God
in me,
I climbed the
high mountains
of Redeeming Love.

I am there
still.

Little did my Mother know,
my adventure proved to strengthen me
in a much, much more
significant and needed way.

                Baldy Mountain

My Dear Friends,
I discovered the Amazing Presence of God
in the mountains of New Mexico.
I found a reason to be.
And I came to know that He
lives within everything He created,
and that He lives within me.
Until then, I never knew
the Power and the Beauty of such Love,
not until I found
that God lives in the Beauty
of every leaf of every tree,
and in you,
and in me.

Whenever I reflect
upon being so deeply embedded
in God’s unbelievable World,
and embraced by all that Beauty,
I melt into tears inside.

  God truly Blesses His children.

And as I remember
such Love as God expresses,
I hear the beautiful music
of rustling leaves,
in the softly caressing breeze,
and the birds
as they sing in their Sacred trees.
And I see His little insects
and other precious creations
scurry around on the ground,
in their attempt to survive the day,
so happy in the world
they appear to be,
reminding me of the tremendous Love
they have for their Life.

All of God’s creations
Love Life.
They are among
the greatest teachers
on the Earth,
if we but listen quietly and watch
and learn.
They teach us about
the Love of Life.
And slowly, patiently,
we can begin to value
and Love our
Life.

        God’s unbelievable World

Sometimes the precious birds
are swallowed into the sky,
and mysteries are unveiled in the silence
of their absence.
The small miracles they are,
are suddenly met by what is no longer there.
Their vibrant passion for Life
is absence truly felt,
something that even the poorest
of the poor in Spirit
can come to know.
The luxury of their fragile little lives
intersects with the awareness
of ours.
And now,
we are poorer,
being denied
their precious and beautiful song,
their passionate
flight.

        Mysteries are unveiled.

Often I wonder,
does God feel the same
when, with blind eyes,
we wander from the fold,
when we
are no longer in sight,
No longer in flight,
in the direction
of His Love?

              Healing Love.

An odor of the Sacred Earth
graces the senses,
A mixture of sweet air
and forest grasses.
It hints at a secret of wonder,
revealing a truth
we thought not about,
until we became so alone:
how sadly you feel
when something Divine
no longer
is with you.

The Miracle is gone.

You watch and wait.
Your mind wanders.
It searches for the memory
and nearly touches something.

The powerful way God displays unconditional Love.

Suddenly,
you feel
God is aware of your presence.
He sees you Worship in His Cathedral
of forest green.
Then a miracle appears:
A small friend
Dressed in the finery
of early morning feathery array,
and your Heart also
takes flight,
your Faith is affirmed,
and you know,
you will never
walk alone.

Embraced by all that Beauty.

“Break forth into singing,
you mountains, O forest,
and every tree in it.”
– Isaiah 44:23

Yes,
truly beautiful memories
remind me of the powerful way
God displays unconditional Love
in everything He creates.

My Precious Friends,
please,
GET  OUT  OF  THE  HOUSE!
Go into your real Home,
the Beautiful Cathedral,
God has built for you.
It is far, far more breathtaking
than any house you have ever entered.

And there are significant, subtle
and very serious considerations:
Our homes, offices and classrooms
essentially contain nothing but
straight lines and ninety degree angles.
Nature doesn’t deal in straight lines.

      His Cathedral of forest green.

Natural things move along complex paths,
not straight from point to point.
Natural phenomena have thresholds and edges,
not linear changes at the outside perimeter.

Tree branches, horizons and landscapes
are jagged and bent.
Things move in arcs and circles,
relationships are complex and cyclical.
Almost nothing in nature is linear,
particularly in complex systems.

In the REAL world,
almost no linear relationships exist.
Nature constantly runs at the edge
of disorder, roughness, commotion
and violent disorder
(in case you haven’t noticed the weather)
with no linearity in sight.

The cumulative effect
of constant exposure
to artificial man-made constructions such as
straight lines and ninety degree angles
upon our pliable, programmable and fragile brains
is to SQUELCH  NEEDED  CREATIVITY.

Natural things move along complex paths.

And MOST importantly –
the unending, repetitive sameness of life
can become so monotonous, boring
and painful
that children, and adults,
will seek an end to it all,
sometimes even life itself.

Our children cannot thrive or possibly survive,
if they do not think outside the box,
you know,
the boxes that look like rooms.

This is why solitary confinement in prison
is cruel and unusual punishment.
Confinement in ANY room is.

So,
GET  OUT  OF  THE  HOUSE ! !
And go into the breathtakingly beautiful
REAL world of God’s
Nature.

And stay there,
with your precious children,
for as long as you can.

   Listen until you can see sound.

Take the time to truly relax.
Sit down,
Yes,
In the dirt and on the leaves,
Breath deeply,
Close your eyes,
And just listen.
Listen until you can see
Sound.
What you will hear
Is the Voice of your Creator.

“Let the rivers clap their hands,
    let the mountains
sing together for joy”
– Psalm 98:8

Yes,
He is all around.

If you listen long enough,
And come to rest your tired eyes,
In the stillness of pure delight
You begin to see with your Heart,
And discover that God
Is not just all above and beside you,
He is within.

       You will never walk alone.

And you
become part of all the Beauty
that surrounds you
and begin to blend in,
for you are Beautiful too.
You
and everything you feel and see and do
become One
with all that is precious and alive
In the natural world,
One with God’s truly Beautiful Dream.
And you will never, ever
Want to leave.

Some do not.

    In the stillness of pure delight.

As parents,
We build a foundation of Love
By giving unconditional love to our children.
And as they experience this
Most beautiful form of Love,
They begin to glimpse the true Nature
Of the Love of God
That comes through us.

“The whole earth
is full of his Glory.”
– Isaiah 6:3

The unconditional Nature
Of this Love
Always brings joy
and a serene and secure feeling
To our children,
Which is
God’s Promise to me
And to you.

   As I am with God, I am in Prayer.

This Love
is Healing Love.
It helps our children
to strengthen their Faith
in us and in God,
and to grow
with inner wisdom and knowledge,
to be compassionate
and Loving
to all others
and every living thing.

 In the still small Voice,
as I am with God,
I am in Prayer,
in Paradise.

Goodnight.

The true Nature of the Love of God.

“Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end
And the path I’ll be retracing
When I’m homeward bound again.”
– Marta Keen Thompson

My Precious Friends,
may I highly recommend that you
enjoy truly breathtaking scenes
from many of God’s miraculous creations.
Be immersed in the Word of God
while you take in the magnificent redwood forests,
the California coast, Hawaiian tropics,
the Black Hills of South Dakota,
Alaska’s icy wonders and many more.
Hymns and beautiful music accompany
Scripture
to help you relax and surrender
the burdens of the day
during a time of daily prayer and meditation.
“Reflections”
airs on Daystar early every morning.
The time varies from
about 1:30 a.m to 5:00 a.m.
Set your recorder.
It provides a peaceful time
for me
to be still and hear the Lord.
I know you will benefit too.
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Become One with all that is precious and alive.

Boy Scouts of America sites:

National Eagle Scout Association
Order of the Arrow
National Scout Jamboree
BSA Foundation
Boys’ Life
Scouting Magazine

       In the Beauty of every leaf .

Top 5 supplements for optimal health
by Dr. Jennifer Landa, Chief Medical Officer of BodyLogicMD

There are several vitamin and mineral supplements that both men and women should take on a daily basis and a few others that come more highly recommended for each gender.

For men and women:

• Multivitamin. Everyone can benefit from a multivitamin. This is a great way to avoid taking a million pills every day and still supplement the nutrients you need. When choosing a multi, examine the label – find one that offers the nutrients you need most. For example, if you have a family history of eye disease, you may want to choose a multivitamin with lutein or if prostate cancer is a concern, choose a multi with boron.

• Fish Oil. The effectiveness of fish oil supplements for warding off heart disease and preventing cognitive decline has been questioned by recent studies. More careful examination of the study questioning the efficacy of fish oil against cognitive decline suggests their findings are weak. The supplements used in the study were low in DHA – the key component linked to cognitive function. Despite what the media suggests, you can benefit from the powerful omega-3s found in fish oil. Omega-3s are linked to higher levels of HDL (“good” cholesterol), improved metabolism and better nutrient absorption. Just be sure to choose high-quality supplements with high levels of DHA and EPA.

• Vitamin D3. If you haven’t heard by now, sufficient levels of vitamin D are essential for maintaining good health. Low vitamin D has been linked to several types of cancer, weight gain, depression, poor nutrient absorption and low bone density. Vitamin D3 is the most bioavailable form (most readily available for absorption in the body). The sun’s rays, when absorbed by the skin, convert to D3 in the body; however most Americans do not get enough sun year round. Studies have shown that high doses of vitamin D3 supplements – more than 800 IU/day – can have great benefits.

• Coenzyme CoQ10 is well-known as an inflammation fighter. Inflammation in often the root cause of excess pounds, arthritis, headaches and heart disease. Daily doses of 100 mcg of CoQ10 have been shown to improve many of these conditions – but be sure to choose a soft gel over the powder capsule.

• Folic Acid (Folate). Most people are familiar with the importance of folate for women during their childbearing years to decrease the risk of children born with disorders of the brain and spinal cord. However, you may not be aware of the numerous benefits folate has for men and women of all ages. Folate is an essential B-vitamin that has been proven to lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and improve arterial blood flow – lowering your risk of hypertension and heart disease as well.

For women:

• Calcium is renowned for its healthy body benefits: strong bones, healthy teeth, muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission and blood clotting. Due to its multiple functions in the body, calcium intake must remain sufficient throughout the lifespan. Inadequate consumption of calcium forces the body to leech calcium from the bones to fulfill necessary task throughout the body – over time this can lead to brittle bones, fractures and osteoporosis. Women are more susceptible to these conditions than men due to the loss of estrogen that occurs with menopause. Estrogen facilitates absorption and retention of calcium. Vitamin D is necessary for optimal absorption of calcium. Women should try to achieve 1500 to 2000 mg of calcium per day through food consumption and supplements.

• Iron supplements are not for every woman, but women should work with their doctor to carefully monitor iron levels, because many women experience lower levels due to monthly menstruation. Iron is vital for transport of oxygen to your brain, muscles and organs. Women with low iron may experience bruising, fatigue, weakness or have difficulty concentrating.

For men:

• Boron is essential for improving testosterone levels in men and plays a role in maintaining cognitive function. Adequate levels of boron have been linked to prostate health. In studies, men with adequate levels have been shown to reduce their risk of prostate cancer by 65 percent.

• Selenium. Selenium is found in abundance in soil and is generally easily obtained from the food supply. In some areas of the country, poor soil conditions lead to low levels of selenium. Inadequate levels of selenium have been linked to an increased incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease and impaired male fertility. Talk to your doctor before supplementing selenium – excessive levels can worsen certain diseases and conditions.

Remember: Supplements do not replace a healthy, balanced diet. Strive to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains and lean proteins in moderate portions.

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IMPORTANT DATES
April 6 (Wednesday) Screening of Hamlet at The Modern Art Museum (11:00 am)
April 29 Scarborough Renaissance Festival
May 1 Tuition Due for 2016-2017 school year
May 2 & 3 (MONDAY & TUESDAY) Annual Anderson School Shakespeare Production (Hamlet) at Stage West Theater
May 15 (SUNDAY) Preparation for Adventure Trip
May 16-20 Adventure Trip to Little Rock, Ark.
May 20 Last Day of School
(See William’s Weblog at andersonschool.net for trip details (posted Wed. at 7:00 p.m.)

     You will never, ever want to leave.