I Got to Listen in On a Very Important Dialogue...

February 23, 2009...
“God,” my heart cried out meekly, “What is the point? What is the point of these people who come in and out of my life so quickly? In such a way that you allow me fleeting moments to glimpse my love for them. And then they are gone. Why?”

"What do you mean?" God replied. "I am opening your eyes to the world through these people, blessing you with insight and understanding. Aren't you happy?"

"Yes, I am quite happy," said my heart. "I am so incredibly happy to have known each and every one. It is stupendously, marvelously, fantastically, amazingly wonderful…meeting new people, from different places, with unknown backgrounds, speaking different languages, with strange accents, having individual stories, possessing undiscovered futures, with impassioned goals, traveling to far away places, sharing new experiences, exchanging different tales...every day. Learning new dance steps every Friday at Izakaya from Rambo, whose name is actually Alex but whose appearance earns the euphemism for the camo bandana he always wears. Smoking hookah with Benjamin, the shirtless, dredlocked hippie from California who's traveled the world for so many years, his accent is unplaceable. Talking half in English and half in Spanish with Salvatore and teaching him how to play Set while inquiring about his months spent in Wisconsin and New Jersey. Negotiating free Salsa classes in exchange for English lessons with Renato, because he wants to work on a cruise ship where it's required to know English. Ordering jugo de piña y mango from Marie, the bouyant little woman who runs The Muse, and becoming a familiar face with a name...Lana...as I return week after week. Becoming more than just an English teacher to Doris, who I now count as a friend and who I will start going to church with when I live in Cusco. Sharing an entire Saturday afternoon in coffee shops, diving beyond the surface and into warm, crystal depth with Nael, the guy from Switzerland who is working on his fourth language and is a primary school teacher...

"Lord, it amazes me," my heart thudded, "the common thread you've strung between us all. We've ended up in the same place, at the same time and can teach each other things, leaving indellible imprints on one-another's journeys. Or, at the very least, relax into easy connections. Even if only for a matter of days, an hour, five minutes. These people make me laugh and smile every day. In some way, they are a constant encouragement...but then they go away."

God had been listening intently to all my heart said. "And this displeases you?"

My heart thought for a beat. "No, it doesn't displease me. I just wish they could stay. What is the point of bringing these wonderful people into my life when I am only going to miss them in the end? What will happen to each of them? Will I ever see a single one of them again?"

God sighed, exasperated but patient. "Look out there," he instructed.

My heart looked.

"Do you see the green grass? And the rich brown land? And the yellow crops? Do you see the way they all come together like a quilt, timeless and endless?"

My heart saw.

"I wove each piece together. Do you see the hills, each with its own palate of exotic colors, and beyond them the mountains, each with its own dark peaks and rigid contours? I drew them up from flat land and shaped them all."

My heart knew.

"Do you see the snow, cradled within the curves of those peaks and those contours? I placed every flake where it fell."

My heart was still.

"And do you see the clouds? The way they play with the light of the sun, allowing beams of honey and gold to melt across the sky? I painted every cloud and every beam, just after I set the sun and the stars."

My heart could hear God's smile.

"And there's something else I created, more important than all of this...I created you, who beats within her and gives her life. I molded you especially to cherish those fleeting moments, to feel glimpses of love for those strangers, and to miss them when they are gone. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you," my heart replied with no hint of doubt.

"Then here, take this candle. Walk through this darkness, along the path I've laid. Don't try to guess what's at the end. Don't fear the dark. The twists, the turns, the obstacles, will be illuminated as you come to them. You may not see it all right now, but the light I've given you is sufficient to guide you to the end.

"Trust that I know the purpose of each stranger, what will become of them, and whether they will ever re-enter your life. As you trust the ground beneath your feet, trust that the path I've laid for you is one of my great works and that the small light I've provided is enough to see you through. Do you trust me?"

"I do." And my heart meant it. "Thank you for my candle. I love you."

God sighed again, but this time it was an enamored sigh. "You have no idea," he said. "You really just have no idea."