On Remembering

“Hey, Kid! Got a minute?”

I sat up in bed. The bedroom was dark. I had no idea what time it was. I tried to light up the face of my watch but it didn’t glow.

“Don’t worry about it, kid. We got all the time in the world. Know who I Am?” came the Voice from the darkness once more. “Yes you do. That’s right…I am that I Am, The Alpha and the Omega, The Lord God Almighty… but you can call me Sarah, if you want. Actually I go by a lot of names.”

Suddenly I smelled the heavy scent of roses!

“What’s in a name, right? By any other name would I not smell as sweet?” came the Voice again with a chuckle.

She had my full attention now. Instead of fear, my head filled with questions, thousands of questions! But of course God knew every single one and She moved to quiet my mind and focus on the meeting at hand. I suddenly felt peaceful, like I was in the presence of a long lost friend. I felt warm and comfortable.

“So why do so many people get their shorts in a knot over what to call You?” I said at last. “People have fought wars over You. And just whose God are you, by the way? Are you the God of Moses, Mohammed or Christ?”

“Oh, come on, Stephen! You can do better than that,” said the Voice. “My children want to make everything so complicated. I give you all a few simple guidelines and you turn them into world religions! You guys just knock me over. If it weren’t for the killing and destruction you’ve all caused each other, it would be hilarious. I tell you to love one another and you go out and tear each other apart and then, get this…you do it in MY name. You guys are a hoot!”

Her words seemed so plain and simple. They cut right though me and yet I wanted to laugh. She had a way of getting right to the point.

“Well, Stephen, that’s why I thought we should talk. It needs to stop. YOU need to stop it. It is time that man grows up and moves on. I have a lot more things in store for all of you, great things, wonderful things… and it won’t happen until you all stop this madness and start to remember what you already know.” It is because you choose to forget…that the world is as it is.”

“Me? How am I supposed to stop all this insanity going on in the world? Are you crazy?” I said.

“Ah, but therein lies one of the problems, don’t you see? You see yourselves as separate, cut off from one another. It’s every man, woman and child for themselves, you think…and so it becomes. You have forgotten who you really are. Instead you have listened to that ego-driven voice that lies to you. It tells you that there is not enough. It tells you that you are better than, more important than, more sacred than… It tells you that you will die and you listen to it. Hey, I sent plenty of people to help jog your memory. You can’t blame Me.”

“Like Buddha and Jesus?” I said.

“Not just them. What about that homeless guy that asked you for a buck the other day, on your way to work? Oh yeah, and what about your fourth grade teacher, Miss O’Donnell? What a sweet lady! She taught you not only about world geography and drawing maps, but how to face death with dignity and compassion and how to live in the moment. I have sent and continue to send a lot of people your way to help you remember. You know I have. Not just people either. I sent you books and movies and poems, too. I was the wind in the trees as you walked the paths at Spring Valley. I was the beauty of the wildflowers and the call of the birds along the trail. I sent you cats like Babs, and Spike and Sylvie. I sent you a wife that would remind you about the gift of creativity and how precious it is. Remember?”

“So, are You saying that we are all just walking around with really bad memories, in a fog? If we were to wake up and start remembering things that we already know, deep down in our core being, that we could change the world, turn it around?” I said incredulously.

“That is exactly what I am saying. See, you’re getting the hang of it. What you THINK creates your reality,” said God’s voice in the darkness. “Work on it, okay baby? I’ll get back to you. And oh, by the way, I love you guys! You’re the greatest…you just forgot HOW great.”

Food for THOUGHT…