A number of years ago, during the peak of our logistics consulting practice, we probably would have dismissed the idea of living at Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association. We had a lovely home in a picturesque New England town, and the thought of living elsewhere wouldn’t have occurred to us.

Eventually, like many of our Christian Science friends, we outgrew some of the more rigid concepts of home that we had formerly cherished. So, as we prayed deeply for direction and for a higher, more spiritual understanding of home, the concept of living at the BA was presented to us. By then, we were ready. We put our house on the market and within months we had moved to our new home at the BA. Now we are enjoying an active and energetic lifestyle at the BA, including a full sense of home.

For those interested in our Independent Living program, please consider our introductory offer:  Have a free three-day stay to explore life at the BA.

To learn more, call us anytime at 617-734-5600, or send an email to independent@chbenevolent.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Although made from a simple, bittersweet ganache, adding a few special ingredients to a classic recipe makes these truffles anything but ordinary.

Ingredients

Truffle base

• 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 9 ounces high–quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped, divided

Chocolate coating

• 8 ounces high–quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
• Unsweetened cocoa powder (optional; for rolling)

Preparation

For truffle base:
Bring cream to simmer in small, heavy saucepan. Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm, 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir 7 ounces of chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Remove from heat. Add 2 ounces of chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in cream. Chill truffle base until firm enough to roll, about 3 hours.

Line rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Roll 2 teaspoons truffle base between fingertips into ball. Transfer to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffle base. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

For chocolate coating:
Line another rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of simmering water just until melted. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Scoop some of the warm (not hot), melted chocolate into palm of hand. Place 1 chilled truffle in hand and roll in palm to coat. Transfer to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining melted chocolate and truffles, rewarming chocolate if necessary. Roll in cocoa powder if desired. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Yield: Makes about 30 truffles

Do ahead Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Steve Carlson, a life-long Christian Scientist and a former editor for the Christian Science periodicals, will take on the role of host and “talent coordinator” for the evening. Steve’s professionally-recognized ability as a comic impressionist will shine as he introduces the 1940s film, “The Talk of the Town.” According to Steve, “You just never know who might show up.”

Recently, the BA’s Monty Haas had the pleasure of talking with Steve and “friends.” Listen to the clip below.

For more details about the BA’s Night at the Movies, click here.

Valentine’s Day is February 14, and I’ve been combing the card and candy aisles for weeks looking for just the right message or treat for friends, family, and colleagues. I’m a sucker for celebrating holidays. But not everyone enjoys the thought of celebrating Valentine’s Day. Many are tired of overpriced flowers and commercial junk that fill the stores, or the pressure to be with the “perfect” person on that particular day. Many choose to ignore the holiday, and some even celebrate “Anti” Valentine’s Day.

Maybe it is time for us to repurpose Valentine’s Day. Inspiring ideas have surfaced in recent years that can bring new meaning to the holiday. Here are some that I like:

• “Rebooting” Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day –The focus of Generosity Day is practicing generosity with everyone you meet that day.
• On a similar theme, Valentine’s Day occurs in the same week as Random Acts of Kindness Week, which inspires people to practice kindness and pass it on to others.
• February 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day, celebrated around the world—a national day where an entire country is challenged to do something kind to a friend or stranger for no reason at all.

While I really like the idea of Acts of Kindness, the word “random” includes a sense of hazard, chance, accident, or aimlessness. My understanding of kindness is that it springs from its link to divine Love.  Kindness is an expression of God — “God is known in loving kindness…” (Christian Science Hymnal # 76). So I like to think of Purposeful Acts of Kindness.

For repurposing Valentine’s Day, I suggest we celebrate Purposeful Acts of Kindness on behalf of Christian Science nursing during the week of February 13-19.

A few ideas for Purposeful Acts of Kindness

• Donate your time at a local Christian Science facility the week of February 13–19.
• Volunteer to adopt a garden or a flower box.
• Read to a patient.
• Take baked goods to the staff or Christian Science nurses at the facility.
• Donate in-kind gifts to a Christian Science facility.
• Check out their website — many facilities maintain a wish-list on their website of items they greatly need.
• Subscriptions to the Christian Science periodicals are always appreciated.
• Write a thank you note to a Christian Science nurse, Christian Science nursing facility, or visiting service. If you have experienced a healing with the support of Christian Science nursing, take the time to express gratitude for that healing by writing a note of gratitude, giving a testimony in church, or writing a testimony for the periodicals.
• Donate directly to the facility or to the visiting Christian Science nursing service, or perhaps to the benevolence fund that helps those who are unable to pay for all or a portion of their care.

If everyone who has ever been blessed by (or known someone who has been blessed by) Christian Science nursing made a commitment to practice Purposeful Acts of Kindness – can you imagine what an outpouring of kindness there would be?

Join together February 13 – 19 in support of Christian Science nursing with an act of kindness.

Share your ideas for acts of kindness in the comment section below…

During a visit to the BA this past year, Christian Scientist and Bible Scholar Deanna Mummert spoke with the BA’s  Monty Haas about experiences and insights she gained while teaching Ethics to M.B.A. students at Johns Hopkins University. Deanna said, “The students would bring up the issue of God a lot in class. I can’t, and you could never as a professor bring it up…but if the students bring it up, you can certainly answer questions and let the discussion flow…I recognized how our spiritual thoughts really guide us in everything we do.”

In the clip below, Deanna talks about how important it is for individuals in the business world to be guided by their personal, moral compasses.

In a recent interview with the BA, musician Ian Ethan Case told us: “I try to keep that sense of mortal, human ego out of it completely because that’s the only way that I can clearly discern what’s really there in the music…what Truth is really telling me and showing me.”

Ian will be giving a special concert at the BA on February 3. He has performed in over 60 music halls, teahouses, colleges, and cafes across the US. He has also appeared on television and radio stations in California, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.

Ian began exploring music at the age of five, while taking piano lessons using the Suzuki Method. From there he branched out, eventually learning to play the drums, saxophone, guitar, and African kalimba. All of Ian’s musical background (including studies at Berklee College of Music) seemed to lead to his discovery of the instrument he is most known for playing today, the double-necked guitar.

When asked if the playing process was intuitive, Ian explained, “I think of it almost…in a way, like prayer. It’s really listening for what’s there.” Later, he went on to say, “Take away all the wood and strings and other equipment and…the whole human picture that’s physically associated with music, and what’s left [are] just these ideas…and that’s what I’m really trying to tune into.”

Along with the double-necked guitar, kalimba, and fretless guitar, Ian incorporates a looping device into his live performance — which allows him to layer sounds while playing. Ian pointed out that, “Sometimes if I don’t explain it well, people think that there [is] an audio CD I [am] playing along [with], but it’s all live.”

To hear samples of his music, learn more about Ian Ethan himself, and to read audience comments, visit ianethan.com.

Bible scholar Deanna Mummert discovers a BA-style vacation…

Bible scholar and former Johns Hopkins Ethics Professor, Deanna Mummert, spent a few days here at the BA in November and generously shared her Biblical perspectives with us. She presented her talk “Greater works? Are you joking? The Gospel of John’s unique portrait of Jesus.”

For many years Deanna worked as an executive in the energy industry, leading energy acquisition teams. She has written for the Christian Science periodicals, given Bible talks throughout the US and in England, and is currently on the faculty of Bible Study Seminars.

Listen to the audio clip below to hear Deanna describe her first (and lasting) impressions of the BA.

Monty Haas talks with Christian Science nurse, Alison Alioto, about the importance of Health Care Proxies.

Christian Scientists value their right to turn to God in prayer for healing. But if there’s a situation where you cannot speak for yourself, a Health Care Proxy allows you to name someone you trust to make health care decisions for you. Without a proxy, your specific health care wishes may not be carried out. Each state has different policies in place regarding what happens when no Health Care Proxy has been named. It may be the physician, the state, etc. Many people assume that without a Health Care Proxy, the nearest relative can speak for an individual, but this is often not the case. In Massachusetts for example, only the Health Care Proxy has the legal authority to make health care decisions on another’s behalf.

In the audio clip below, Monty Haas asks Alison Alioto, Director of the BA’s Visiting Christian Science Nursing Service, about Health Care Proxies. Alison provides some surprising answers…

1.  Have a Health Care Proxy and distribute copies of your executed copy.
2. If you are eligible for Medicare (and most Christian Scientists that are 65 or over are eligible for Medicare):
• Get your Medicare card now. You can even apply online.
• Keep your Medicare card in an easily accessible location (just as you do your Social Security card).
• Be familiar with the Christian Science benefits offered by Medicare at a religious nonmedical health care institution (RNHCI), such as the BA. Check out Medicare Benefits Part A & B.
3. If you have health care insurance policies:
• Keep your policy(s) in an accessible location. You will need to bring the policy to a Christian Science facility in order for them to bill the insurance company.
• Be familiar with the terms of your insurance. For instance, is pre-certification required prior to admission?
• Be sure that your policy actually covers Christian Science benefits (for CS practitioners and/or CS nursing) if that is a benefit you requested.

I’m happy to talk with you and share our resources about any of these issues. Please email, write, or call with your questions. Or post your comments directly on this blog.

Contact info:

Website:                              chbenevolent.org

Twitter:                               @janivatoler

E-mail:                                 jtoler@chbenevolent.org or inquiry@chbenevolent.org

Phone:                                 617-734-5600

We were delighted with the turnout at last Friday’s Yule Log Tea! It was such a joyful hour filled with friendship, laughter…and cake!

Our festivities began with a meet and greet, in which friends were able to connect with each other, some for the first time in a year or more. All watched as the decorated Yule Log (specially selected from a large, fallen tree on the BA’s property) was placed carefully in the fireplace by two BA employees. After the lighting of our Yule Log, there was plenty of Buche de Noel (a log-shaped, cream-filled cake covered in icing) and tea for everyone.

Buche de Noel

The BA has been holding its annual Yule Log Tea for over five years now. The Yule Log tradition did not start with the BA, though. For hundreds of years people have been celebrating the coming of light back into the world after the long, dark days of winter by burning specially-chosen logs. According to a treasured tradition, as long as the Yule Log continues to burn, the celebration goes on — and all unnecessary work is put on hold.

We hope you will join us during next year’s Tea.

If you want to learn more about the history of the Yule Log, visit www.noelnoelnoel.com.