Hi Everyone,
I hope your new year has gotten off to a good start. Mine has been mixed. Every new year is symbolically, a milestone and a blank slate. It brings new hope, and I like that (Not that the New Year is the only time to create new ideas, dreams, etc., but it seems like a good time to start.).
A few weeks ago, a good friend, and a practitioner and long time member of CSLN, Candy Paull made her transition. She had been diagnosed with cancer a few weeks before, and for a while, it seemed like things were hopeful–she was hopeful– but due to a perfect storm of events (Which I won’t go into here), she started going downhill, and was gone quickly. I am grateful that I got to see her a few times before she passed.
For those of you who knew Candy, CSLN is holding a memorial service at the Center For Spiritual Living, 6705 Charlotte Pike, this Saturday ( 3/2/24) at 2 p.m. It is also going to be streamed on our YouTube channel. You can go to YouTube and type in CSLNashville, and should be able to join. Donna Michael will be officiating. My guess is that there will be an opportunity for people to share stories about Candy, and a few of us will be sharing a song, as Candy was a songwriter herself and lover of music. I am honored to be one of the people sharing a song and I hope it will be meaningful for everyone. More about Candy below.
On Sunday, March 10th, CSLN will hold its final service at the building that has been our home for nearly a quarter of a century. We have sold our current building, and will be sharing the Unity campus on Franklin Road on a trial basis, beginning on Sunday, March 17th, at noon (Unity will have their service first, at 9:30). I am honored to be one of the last performers to do a song at our current building, along with Antionette Olesen. I expect a lot of people to show up. If you have ever attended, come by to see some old friends and say goodbye to our home.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF CANDY PAULL:
I met Candy through the Nashville music community many years ago. We both were members of CSLN, but it was only seven or eight years ago, when we both became part of a spiritual sub-group of CSLN, that we got to know each other better, as there was a lot of personal sharing in the group as we got to know and trust each other more. Candy was one of those people who saw the best in others and encouraged them. She did that as a licensed CSLN practitioner, but also did that with just about anyone she knew. She had tremendous faith in our teaching, and used it during some tough times in her life to find her way through situations where it was hard to see a positive outcome. But her faith and positive attitude created the kind of positive outcomes no one could have envisioned–that was Candy. In addition to being a fine songwriter, she was a literary writer, with several books published, including “The Art Of Abundance” and “The Art Of Encouragement” to name a couple. She had just opened an Etsy store, creating and selling online greeting cards with positive sayings–some of them from her books–when she became ill.
Candy was a light, because she could always find the light in a dark situation–for others and for herself. I will miss her–we all will. Thank you, Candy for your love, wisdom, faith, and encouragement.
That’s it for this edition. Everyone have a great March, and don’t forget to spring forward on Sunday, March 10th.
Thanks for reading this newsletter.
Gordon