I first picked up a copy of the Course in the early 1980s at a bookstore in Washington, DC, having recently left graduate school for the big city. It was only a short time before its three volumes were placed on my bookshelf, soon to be forgotten. The Course's message that everything before us in this world is an illusion seemed too challenging to digest for someone starting a new career in economics at a federal government agency. 

But in mid-2019, having survived the downsizing efforts of several moves, the Course volumes again drew my attention. Perhaps it was my greater patience, retirement from the work world, or an enhanced desire for spiritual understanding that naturally comes with age, but I stuck with it this time. 

Subsequently, I have focused on applying the teachings of the Course to that of the Bible. 

James Marino