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Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Heaven’s aftersmile

Got a fun question over the weekend from a site visitor named Carol:

Just wondering what your thoughts are regarding Mrs. Eddy's meaning of the words "When heaven's aftersmile earth's tear-drops gain."

This of course is a line from Mary Baker Eddy’s Mother’s Evening Prayer, a comforting poem that compares mother love to the watchful care a bird takes with her nestling. The final verse reads:

No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain;
No night drops down upon the troubled breast,
When heaven's aftersmile earth's tear-drops gain,
And mother finds her home and heav'nly rest.

So, keeping in mind we’re dealing with bird imagery here, I picture a mother bird with her wings spread over her little ones in a nest, protecting them from the snare and fowler, etc.

Earth’s tear-drops I see as a rainfall, and heaven’s aftersmile as a rainbow. So even the tears bring a glowing radiance that uplifts and blesses.

Have you ever seen a young child’s brilliant smile right when you cheer them up after they’ve been weeping over a broken toy? That’s the kind of aftersmile I picture here. Eyes may be wet with tears, but irrepressible joy breaks through.

And I believe that’s what Eddy means here. Earthliness — materiality — may get our attention for a time, yet it is our disappointment with earth that draws our eyes heavenward, and we see the rainbow of God’s spiritual promise to care for us always. Our earthly troubles always point us Spiritward, and we find that “heav’nly rest” waiting for us.

What does that line mean to you?


Your ideas and inspiration are welcome! Please comment below or Contact Laura.
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19 comments:

  1. Anonymous7/05/2006 08:39:00 PM

    You have put it so beautifully, Laura!

    Yes, to know that every tear has its compensation and is turned into joy if we turn whole heartedly and trustingly to God, this is Heaven smiling at us and drying all tears. Not the way we might have wanted to but in a much better and harmonious way than we could ever imagine - a way which blesses all equally.

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  2. Anonymous7/06/2006 09:54:00 PM

    I never understood that line but just assumed that somehow it would work out to be right.
    And it is! Thanks to you for decoding it for me.
    ObiDon

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  3. Kim7/07/2006 11:21:00 PM

    Hi Laura! I got the same question from a web reader,Carol. She must have been making the rounds with this question!

    Here was my response:

    Perhaps the phrase "When heaven's aftersmile, earth tear-drops gain" is more understandable when you reverse the two sections - "earth teardrops gain heaven's aftersmile."

    This reminds me of Mary Baker Eddy's quote from the chapter on "Marriage" in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. (p.66)

    Sorrow is salutary. Through great tribulation we enter the kingdom. Trials are proofs of God's care. Spiritual development germinates not from seed sown in the soil of material hopes, but when these decay, Love propagates anew the higher joys of Spirit, which have no taint of earth. Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love.

    You're not alone in asking about the word "aftersmile." When I looked it up in my favorite online compilation of dictionaries (www.onelook.com), there was nothing.

    I did a Google search though and found a beautiful article from The Christian Science Monitor from January 28, 2002, entitled "In the aftermath of war." I know I'll never sing those words the same again! http://www.christiansciencemonitor.org/2002/0128/p22s01-hfcs.html

    This article truly is a gem.

    Love ya,

    Kim

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  4. Anonymous6/22/2008 07:23:00 AM

    MBE has created her own word here. Aftersmile is not to be found in the dictionary but does follow the structure of other similar constructions: afterward, aftertime, afterglow, etc. She has demonstrated her connection to divine Minds, even in a small way, by creating the word she needed. Jeff, Mexico

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  5. Unknown11/10/2010 11:16:00 PM

    gee laura.....beautiful and so thotful....have often wondered and while singing her hymn tonite...led to google. here we are years later gaining an insight using rain and rainbow as a fine metaphor

    from suzy and peter in caliv....abdijhoek@gmail

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  6. Laura Matthews11/11/2010 01:04:00 AM

    So glad it was meaningful to you, and thanks for writing.

    Laura
    (now www.thinkStory.biz)

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  7. Victoria Lea9/20/2013 06:15:00 PM

    Here it is 2013 and I don't know if this thread is still active, but I want to add my thanks to you Laura for elucidating the aftersmile sentence.
    Having song this and had it sung to me hundreds and hundreds of times down through the years, I sort of glossed over it just taking it as a poetical way of stating happy outcome. Today, I finally questioned it, wanting something more specific. It's such a nice word. It should catch on and join the common lexicon.
    I also like what the commenter said about reversing the sentence.
    Anyway, it now has more Substance for me. Thanks!

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  8. Anonymous9/20/2013 09:38:00 PM

    Hi, Victoria! Thanks for your nice note! While I don't post entries to the blog anymore, I always see new comments. So glad you found it!

    Warmly,
    Laura Matthews
    (now www.thinkStory.biz)

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  9. Anonymous10/15/2013 01:43:00 PM

    Dear Matthews,
    I liked your comments about aftersmile, but the disrespectful way you referred to our beloved Leader, Discoverer, Founder of Christian Science as "Eddy" is sooo sad. I'm curious why you didn't sign off as "Matthews"??? "MRS." Eddy is one of the two witnesses mentioned in the Bible, and to refer to her just as "Eddy" is the same as referring to Christ Jesus as just plain Jesus or President Obama as Obama is rude and disrespectful no matter how times have changed in literary style.

    Seriously Signed,
    Mrs. Anonymous

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  10. Laura Matthews10/15/2013 02:23:00 PM

    Interesting comment! I often refer to both Jesus and Obama as you've listed here, as do many people I know, and I don't think we ever see it as disrespectful. I've also been called Matthews many times in professional settings, and I've appreciated the equality with the men this represents.

    I've come to think that the "Mrs." is unduly patriarchal and sexist, as there's no male equivalent prefix of the married state. Likewise, when someone achieves prominence historically, such as people like Churchill and Einstein, we begin to refer to them with just their last names. I believe MBE belongs in that category, with the Kennedys and the Pasteurs and the Shakespeares of history. But thanks for writing.

    Warmly,
    Laura Matthews
    (who can only hope to achieve the stature that being called "Matthews" as the only definitive Matthews would indicate)

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  11. Anonymous4/28/2014 10:39:00 AM

    Here it is April 2014 and I was asking myself: what is heaven's aftersmile so I googled it. Found your lovely explanation above.

    What are you doing these days?

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  12. Laura4/28/2014 11:14:00 AM

    It is so fun that people keep finding my blog. I have thought about starting to post here again. In the meantime, I'm in California working as a freelance editor (www.thinkStory.biz) for book authors who are self-publishing. Many of the books I edit have spiritual themes. I also write my own stuff and am active in the community.

    Thanks so much for posting!
    Warmly,
    Laura

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  13. Holly11/05/2014 02:33:00 AM

    Thank you soooo much for this answer. Made that hymn even deeper and more healing and comforting to me!

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  14. Robbie1/31/2019 11:55:00 AM

    2019 and I found your comments re aftersmile. Very good. Thanks.

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  15. Laura1/31/2019 03:04:00 PM

    Thanks, Robbie, that's why I left this up here! Warmly, Laura

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  16. Unknown12/14/2019 08:39:00 PM

    12/14/2019 and the blog continues to be important and helpful, as it was for me tonight. Thank you!

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  17. Laura12/17/2019 10:20:00 AM

    That means a lot! Glad to know the ideas live on. Thanks for leaving a comment. :)

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  18. Anonymous12/25/2019 11:28:00 PM

    It’s Christmas Day and I wanted to let you know I read part of your explanation regarding “aftersmile” at the Wednesday evening meeting. I was grateful to find it.i always put myself in the role of “mother” (..”and mother finds her home”) and then relate it to my children but I’m wondering what the broader sense might me. Any thoughts on that?
    Merry Christmas.
    Cheryl

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  19. Laura12/26/2019 01:13:00 PM

    Hi, Cheryl, thank you for your message! I'm so grateful this posting was helpful to you and thanks for sharing some of it with others.

    As far as thinking beyond what MBE might have meant with her mother bird metaphor (because the whole poem is about birds, which is very sweet), to me she's always really talking about spiritual qualities that we all express. So all of God's creation expresses motherhood since God is Mother.

    A broader sense of its human manifestation might be expressing motherhood throughout our walk of life, no matter how rough the road might be -- comforting strangers, giving an encouraging word when someone seems stressed, listening to those who might feel unheard. Nurturing, guiding, being there in tragedy and triumph. Or even, standing up against hate and trusting that we will be safe in doing so, as the poem says.

    I suppose it comes down to what motherhood means to you, and how you could show those qualities to the world along with to your own literal children. An interesting meditation might be thinking of how Jesus expressed motherhood in his life, and taking it from there.

    I'm kind of thinking out loud here, since I'd never really thought about it before! So thank you so much for the question. Let me know what you think.

    Warmly,
    Laura

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