A few weeks had gone by since my return from the land of mysteries. To me, this ancient place always conjured up visions of fiercely armed warriors charging across the plains to do battle with opposing armies. It is interesting to observe how some of the most awesome experiences of one’s life could quickly fade into vague memories. Such was the case with my Indian “adventures” as I fell into the routine of daily life again.

Every now and then I’d think of Gideon and Marla….

Perhaps, in the never-ending search for meaning, not only does meaning seem to elude us, but we find ourselves faced with the eternal questions of life. Why do roadblocks always appear at the most inopportune moment? Where is help when we are down in the arena and boots are on our necks? Why am I here and where am I going? Will I ever again see my loved ones who have died? And so it goes . . . on and on. Although no one could satisfactorily answer such questions, there is som…

“I will go now,” he said as he snapped to attention. “Much to be done. Duty calls and all that. It was wonderful seeing you again, Gideon. And Marla, I still wish to take you away and make you my princess. Are you sure you … ?”

Marla interrupted,”Not this time, Kamal. But keep trying; I like it.”

“I bid you good evening, John,” he said. Then he looked at Pandayji and continued, “It was good to see you, Pandayji. Let us get together in Trivandrum soon. There is a quain…

“You can interrupt me at anytime and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to speak. Because I am God, I don’t become offended or feel insulted.I wish my children would interrupt me more often. Now, as I was saying, in this world of change you have chosen to be here… .”

“Chosen to be here, Lord? How could we possibly have chosen to be born?”

“Do you think for one instant that you appeared out of nothingness into the body you currently have? No, you existed before and will co…

“It’s true,”replied God, “that anytime is a good time, but you must know if it is the right time. Winter is a good time, but do you plant roses in the snow?A stormy day is a good day, but is it a day for sailing or fishing? There are cycles in the universe, the world and your life.Learn to find the cycles and use them for your benefit.Projects begun at the right time will be much more successful than if started at any other time.”

“Sounds something like astrology. Is there…

“I didn’t have to die, not on a cross nor anyplace else. As you can see, John, I’m far from dead. My followers, if you look over there,” as he pointed to Peter and Paul,”Were a group of pretty somber folks and I had to make quite an impression on them. I had to make sure they got the message and were going to teach others about the laws of life. They quickly forgot the ‘miracles and parables,’ but my so called ‘death and resurrection’ gave them the incentive they needed to sp…

“Just a friend dropping by. Do I have to have a reason?”

“I guess, you’re right,” I said. “I used to think that I had quite a few friends, until I couldn’t be of much use to them any longer. I thought they stayed around me because we cared about one another. But when things really got bad for me, they disappeared so fast you’d think they vanished into thin air.”

“So you were mad at them because they didn’t stand by you?” he asked in his best cross-examination manner. “W…

A phone call interrupted my reverie. It was Gideon asking if I’d had an interesting morning. I blurted out the incident of the birds and the books and the paper and the music and whatever else I could recall. I commented how curious it seemed that dreams of yesteryear could leap across the crevices of time onto the pages of today.

“When you think about it, John,” he said, “there really is no past nor future, no beginnings nor endings,just the ones that we create in our min…

“You see, John, the rules are really quite simple.The Creator made everything and all of us. We, also,are creators. We are endowed with many of the qualities of the Creator, but most times,these qualities are so deeply buried that they’re hardly ever recognized or used.”

“Yes, Lord and Master, please continue. Your humble servant listens.”

He ignored my mocking attitude and continued. “Worry is a form of directed energy,John. Worry removes your focus from everything els…

“Our kids, silly.” She giggled as she took my hand, just like she used to, and led me to a spot behind a clump of trees. Pandayji remained behind with Marla and Gideon, engrossed in conversation.

“What are our kids doing here? And how come Pandayji is here?” I questioned.

Before she could answer, I saw Malika and Jonathan in the moonlight. “Hi Dad,” shouted Malika, “we wanted to surprise you, but Jonathan gave it away.”

“No Dad,” Jonathan countered, “she spoiled the …