We all need patience for this spiritual journey.
I mean,
We know anything in life,
You know,
That's important or valuable,
Takes a certain amount of time.
I mean,
Look at pregnancy,
It's nine months,
But it's worth it for the little munchkin.
So it's the same with the spiritual journey.
We really yearn and it takes time for what we're yearning for to take place.
But here's a funny example.
I was running on the beach in Hawaii.
I was studying with a Hawaiian kahuna at this time and I was running with a fellow student.
And so we were just happy running.
And all of a sudden she ran into the ocean and she pulled out this beautiful rose.
It's like,
Where did this come from?
It just washed up.
So I thought my thought was,
Why don't I find things like that?
Why don't those things happen to me?
It was like the song,
It Should Have Been Me played in my head.
Anyway,
We kept running,
Running,
And lo and behold,
She ran into the ocean again and pulled out another red rose,
Which she handed to me.
And it was so sweet of her to give it to me.
And at the same time,
I had the same feeling.
It should have been me.
Why don't these things happen to me?
It seemed like such a romantic thing to happen,
Like roses washing up on the beach.
And really,
It makes sense because there are tour ships that go through that area.
But I didn't think of that at the time.
So it seemed,
You know,
Vaguely miraculous that these roses were coming to the beach.
I guess two or three years later,
It was wintertime in rainy Vancouver,
And I had my two kids in the car.
And it had been a really tough day.
Kind of,
You know,
That feeling of,
Like I'd been cranky and I hadn't felt like the day was the best example of my mothering that I was capable of.
So I was feeling vaguely demoralized and unhappy.
Anyway,
I went in to pay for my gas,
And the woman at the cashier took one look at me,
And she reached behind and gave me this white,
A red rose,
And said,
For you,
Just because.
And you know,
It makes me feel teary-eyed now for remembering what it felt like,
Feeling so low,
And this woman's kindness.
And you see,
The rose came when I really needed it.
Not that day at the beach,
But when I really needed it.
And that's how it works.
We're really,
Really loved,
And it will come,
What we want,
What we're yearning for,
Will come just at the right time.
So just keep going.
Just keep going.
Keep praying.
Keep going.
Thanks for listening.