The
Little Story With A Big Heart {}
I
want to tell you a little story you are a part of. Around July 5 my
son, Ran, wrote to me asking me to come to Costa Rica, saying, I need
you. I dropped everything and began to make arrangements to come. On
July 10 I arrived.
Shortly
after, a woman named Linda knocked on the door where I was typing
away on the keyboard of this computer thoroughly engrossed in what I
was writing in great focused joy. She said she was told by another
woman that I was visiting my son here. Her friend, Mary, suggested
she come meet me and offer to sublet her house while she was going to
be away until November. She saw I had deluxe accommodations and
probably would not want to move but offered to show me the place
anyway. I went with her. It is only a quarter mile or so up a dirt
road from Ran's place. Man, it has this really great view and the
cabin is such a marvel of construction, so fine. Linda's place is
Linda! I loved it immediately but told her I'd have to speak with my
son and daughter to makes sure my renting her place would not
conflict with their plans or needs. But, told her that in my heart
I'd already sublet her beautiful home. She smiled.
Well,
you know what? A puma came to visit me there one evening. The big
cats are very rarely seen though people know them to be around. Very
secretive. They are protected by law here. I was honored and shaken
by the experience. It has been working on me since and teaches me
every day. About life, living, really living.
In
the course of exchanging emails with Linda she revealed that she had
been wanting really badly to see a puma since she has been here and
wanted every detail of the experience I was able to give. Then she
told me she had been working with a Shaman in Peru for a long time
who taught her about the puma. Told her the puma is her spirit
animal. I connected this information to my knowledge that Ran is
going to Peru in September to hike the trail to Machu Picchu as a
quest for inner peace and understanding. He was badly shaken by the
death of a young boy, at his house on July 5 who fell from a cliff
onto boulders below and died. He blamed himself. More, though, he was
reminded of himself as a wild, young boy and felt a deep loss. That
was the reason he had asked me to come.
I
had a feeling that this Shaman in Peru had something to teach my son
so I told Ran about Linda's revelation to me in the wake of the
highly unusual visit by a puma to my back door. Ran seemed to ignore
my attempt to arouse in him some wonder or curiosity at least. I
sadly let it drop. It was about this time I made the decision to
extend my stay here because all that was happening was too good to
deny. You were somehow counted among those willing to move all my
stuff out of the cabin back in Austin to make that possible for me. I
know, but it's so anyway. Believe me and accept my gratitude.
Meanwhile,
Ran and his family traveled to Philadelphia to take his daughter, my
granddaughter, to school. Ryan is 15 and going a long way from home
for the first time. They returned home yesterday and this morning we
were visiting and Ran said, “Oh, by the way, you know, I told you I
had reached out to Linda about a Shaman…
I
immediately broke in, “No, I didn't know that!”
Ran:
I thought I told you, well, she sent me contacts in Peru which I
emailed and told them everything, about
Kyle's death, everything,
and learned that the Shaman is out of the country at this time. I was
disappointed, of course, and thinking of that sadly when I got an
email from one of them yesterday while sittiing
on
the airplane
returning
from Philadelphia saying
the Shaman will be back in Peru at Cusco on September 19,
and she wanted
to
know my travel
plans to
determine
whether she can setup
a meeting
for me with
him. Can you believe it? It's
the very
day I arrive! I am so excited.
I
then told Ran what I wanted to say throughout our talks here but the
timing had never felt right for it. Here's what I told him,
Man,
in my experience, which is all I have to share with anyone, it was
not until I found a living human being that I trusted without
reservation to be my teacher that I was able to fully surrender my
life, to sincerely ask that man to be my teacher, that my life became
real to me. Until then, I had always held back something and to do
that prevents absolute surrender which means I was still running my
show, just gathering teachers to take pieces I was ready to let go.
Which means, of course, the one who needed to change was going to
make the change and that is totally not going to happen. Now, I want
to say: pay attention, close attention, and when you hear a person
say: I cannot teach you what you already know, I can only point you
to the knowledge in your heart because you have already what you seek
there- grab on to that person and let go absolutely and beg him or
her to be your teacher withholding nothing. A teacher is a
mirror. What happens you may not recognize for a long time but
someday you will-your heart chooses the teacher and by letting it you
turn the reins of your life over finally to the one friend inside who
knows the secret you so badly need. That is the best I can do for
you, my child.
That
is the end of the little story
My teacher laughs a lot.
