On the last day (Monday) of the WAVES convention, Anthony (my nephew) and I were among the last to leave. Christian Andréason and Leigh Anne Marshall left an hour prior to us, so we sat and spoke with JohnNY until the last possible moment before departure. The connection and the energy shared within the walls of the hotel was so comforting that to step a foot beyond its doors felt like receiving an electric stroke. Yet, the journey must continue; this abyss must not die, but one must walk beyond its borders to share an image, a small ounce of it with others. So, we made the step, reluctantly at first, but in full gear.

I telephoned my sister Tracy to let her know of our departure. I shared with her our desire to stay for another day, but we knew that would only delay the feelings felt. Anthony and I had a bus to catch from Chicago to Philadelphia, a night’s journey that would get us there first thing the following morning.

We left for the bus station, bidding JohnNY farewell, watching him stand still, looking at us as our shuttle slowly disappeared out of view. Our shuttle dropped us off at the train station; we agreed that it was easier maneuvering through traffic via train to the bus station than to attempt to do it by shuttle. However, one of the things that neither of us thought about was our tiredness and how our bodies ached at the thought of pulling suitcases. We continued on our journey.

As we arrived at the train station, a man walked up to us and offered his help. Although suspicious at first, I felt somewhat comforted by a higher presence and agreed to allow him to help us. He pulled our suitcases as far as he was able to do it, and someone else appeared from nowhere offering help and continued until he could not go anymore. Then another person appeared and offered help. It was a sight to see, watching one of two people at any given time pulling our luggage for us. It was an amazing experience. At one point, one woman spoke and described her deed to me as, “This is my one good deed for today; I felt compelled to help you and I will go with you until I can not go any more.” I smiled and thanked her. Her eyes lit up, sparkling in acceptance. There were others after her, and they assisted us to the place where we waited for our bus.

Moments passed, and we were informed of a slight delay due to the traffic in Chicago. We stood waiting. A few minutes later, a young woman appeared, lingering closely but far enough from us. Moments slipped by, then something compelled me to walk towards her to say hi. She responded but was mesmerized by the bouquet of flowers that I carried. I explained to her that I was taking them to my great grandmother. Her eyes were fixated on the flowers. Then, as if she remembered my presence, she proceeded to share about her day’s activities. She talked about going to visit her family, visiting her friend’s place later in the evening, and much more. I listened quietly at first and just gave her my attention. She continued talking for what seem like five minutes or more, and then wandered away. She never introduced herself; she just shared something about herself, and then left.

I looked at Anthony, and he was amusing himself with circling the suitcases and counting. My thoughts drifted to my morning’s visit with WAVES and then to the remainder of the trip ahead. Some moment later, Anthony tugged on my hand to alert me that the young woman was lingering closely again. I told Anthony that I felt her presence coming closer. He laughed and replied, “Auntie, you always do that, feel people’s energy.” I smiled at his words but also at the image of colourful lights drawing close and moving back. I turned to the young lady and smiled. Although she acknowledged me, I felt her looking at something else besides me. Unaware, Anthony saw this too, and said, “Auntie, I think she is looking at the bouquet of flowers. I think she likes them. Maybe we can give her a rose.”

“That would be a great idea, “ I replied.

“Auntie, you can give her my rose that the man gave me this morning.”

I asked Anthony if he wanted to give the rose to her, but no amount of coaxing encouraged him to be that brave; yet he agreed to go with me.

I approached the young lady, giving her the rose and encouraging her on her journey. Immediately, she started to open up more about her life, her feelings of loneliness, her insecurities in life and her goal that she no longer wanted to follow for fear that she could not make it. Once more, I felt compelled to stand and speak with this woman; it was as if this moment was inscribed in an invisible patterned cloth and I needed to fulfill my part. So I prayed for guidance.

I told her, “Your life is like a rose. A person must plant the seed, water it, attend to the plant and nurture it. When you ignore any aspects of the plant, it does not receive proper nutrition. Your life is like a rose plant; with nutrition, it blossoms and grows into a beautiful rose. You will continue growing into that beautiful rose. Don’t give up; this is only one part of your life.” Many more words were said, but for some reason those words were imprinted in my memory as well.

The young lady turned to me, saying, “You do not realize what it meant to meet you. I can’t believe there are people in the world who care about a stranger. My nickname is Rose; all my friends and family call me that now. I would like to blossom like a rose so that I will start thinking about a better future and helping people. Maybe I will start thinking about college again. Will I really make that much of a difference? ”

“Yes, you will,” I said. “Keep stepping forward in everything you do. You are more than this; you can be anything that you set your heart to. Don’t settle for less,” I replied.

Rose looked at me with teary eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but could not seem to find the words. She stood there, looking around, and then looked back at me. She spoke, “No one has ever spoken like that to me before. Thank you!”

She bid us farewell and said that she was going toward her platform to wait for her bus. I stood watching her go, smiling and thanking God for my presence in this young lady’s life, however brief it was. My mind drifted, replaying all the events in my mind. We never fully understand the extent of our kindness in a person’s life.

Anthony’s voice and questions brought my thoughts back to the present moment. He asked, “Auntie, how do you do that? How do you tell people stuff like that and they smile and feel better? Where do you get it all from?”

My first response was laughter, not at the questions asked, but at how wise were the questions coming from an 8-year-old boy. I responded with the only possible response: “God whispers into my ear and heart what to say to others.”

“Does he do that to everyone?” Anthony asked.

“Yes, but you will only hear him if you listen really carefully.”

Anthony looked at me, and said, “Okay God, I am listening.”

I stood there wanting to laugh at his facial expression but kept serious knowing the importance of this child’s quest.

In the minute’s silence that followed, a thought occurred to me. The book, you forgot to give her the book. Immediately, I knew what the spirit spoke of. When I first saw Rose, I felt a need to give her a copy of Embraced By The Light. I had two extra copies with me that I received at the convention to share with others. Yet, when I saw her, I brushed off the feeling because I already had in my mind the individuals who would receive the books. Secondly, I was too lazy to open my suitcase in public to search for the book. Although my initial thoughts of sharing the book were to share it with someone I knew, I felt that God was going to change my perspective before my summer journey ended. I finally muttered to myself, “She is gone; I missed the chance.”

Anthony’s voice interrupted my thoughts, “Auntie, I didn’t hear his voice. Bet ya Betty hears his voice all the time and all those people with the praying power at the hotel.”

“Yes she does, and they do, and you do too.” I proceeded to explain to him how he hears God’s voice daily by being kind to his sister, family, and friends; by being obedient to his parents, teachers, adults, and me; and by doing the right thing. Most importantly, I said, “God loves you, Anthony; this is his message for you today.”

“Really, God loves me. Yahoo! God loves me.” He repeated these words, jumping up and down in the air. What a sight! What a precious moment for a child.

Suddenly I felt a small tug on my energy and turned around to see Rose walking towards me once more. I smiled and waved at her. When we were within hearing reach, she spoke. “I don’t mean to bother you but I felt that I had to come back and thank you for talking to me the way you did. You changed my life.” I smiled and asked her to hold on for a moment. I laid down my suitcase, opened it and frantically searched for a copy of the Embraced By The Light book. I found it, pulled it out, turned to her and said, “I am glad you returned. This is for you.”

Rose looked at me, then at the book, as if unsure of my intentions, but slowly took it out of my hand. She then proceeded to tell me that she liked reading and would read it as soon as she returned home. I told her a short version of Betty’s story, speaking more of her journey in heaven, then a little about my Chicago experience.

As I spoke, Rose’s energy changed. It was like her spirit awakened. It was like turning a dimmer light switch from dim to bright. Her eyes twinkled and a smile curved on her lips. She stood perfectly still, listening. Around us, all time seemed to cease; everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. When the energy around her brightened enough, my voice slowed to a halt and I felt like I was zapped back into normal time. I stood quietly trying to recall and figure out an explanation of what just occurred, but none came. Once more Rose thanked me and left.

It was as if her spirit drew her back towards me to receive the book. A thought crossed my mind as I watched her walk away. Embraced by the Light is like a key to some, unlocking the forgotten door. To others it represents a bridge, bridging the gap from formalized and traditional religion into an awareness of truth. To others, the pages reveal a lesson of truth. The lesson lies not only in the issues with which to concur, but in the story of how one unveils the truth -- the higher truth that lies within and beyond. To some, it is like a rose, one that blossoms, bringing truth, awareness, comfort and love. To each individual, this book brings its own tokens, a jewel, a gem, one unique to the creator and to the individual who receives. Embraced by the Light is the beginning, a key, a doorway, a bridge, a rose, bringing with it a message of unconditional love for each individual in this vast universe.

We are but one! One in love and one in unity.