This is a book of life’s lessons learned against the backdrop of our migration to the United States. As we tried to settle down in our new land, life threw many curveballs at us. We were fortunate to receive much help from different sources. This helped us adapt to life. However, during the difficult moments that we encountered, our thoughts were not so calm and composed. There was a feeling of unease and often outright restlessness, accompanied by a self-righteous sentiment of “Why me?” We had to remind ourselves that things happened for a reason, even if the reason itself was not apparent. We started to accept challenges as they came, and we offered gratitude for their presence in our lives. The lessons became our teachers.
The Lord was keen to nudge us along spiritually, and difficulties only served as means to this end. At the same time, he helped us realize that there were some core aspects that needed to be an intrinsic part of our lives, chief among them being Faith, Hope, and Love.
As time has passed, the restlessness during hard times has given place to a sense of serenity that comes from reliance on a higher power that governs things small and big. Not just that, but the Divine Spirit is also helping us navigate through the maze of this life. We are happier and better off today for the experience.
Through all this, the Divine allows us to peek behind the veil and catch a glimpse —however fleeting or fuzzy— of the face of the unseen director of this cosmic play called creation.
For the reader’s convenience, the book is divided into two parts.
The first, written primarily by Sarojini, has a collection of stories and anecdotes that served as a means for us to grow spiritually. Woven in between these stories are the lessons that we gained.
The second part of the book, written by Shyam, delves further into the lessons shared in the first part. Stories, too, form an integral part of this section, but perhaps to a slightly lesser extent than in the first part.
In the spiritual path, the initial phase may seem to have many thorns and pebbles. However, later on, it takes us to the purpose of our lives and to the truth of our being. The gains are priceless.
There are ups and downs along the way, but the end is exhilarating. Life experiences gathered through the different events and challenges help us to know ourselves better. They help us to grow and understand the bigger picture. We reflect on deeper meanings for fundamental questions and pray for guidance. We reach for security in the midst of uncertainty. We constantly look for happiness through several means. We rely on our physical strength, material strength, and many such ultimately evanescent props. Eventually, we realize that the very truth, joy, and peace that we were in search of are to be found within our own selves. We see the wisdom in the apparent chaos. We then see the external world as a part of ourselves and not as a distinct entity. There is an integral relationship that runs through all appearances. This, we realize, is the one God, source, consciousness, and higher self – the One that manifests as all that is, was, or will be. The layers of ignorance are destroyed by the powerful light of knowledge, and we stand revealed in our true nature.
Dear reader, do stay tuned with us on this spiritual journey as we traverse together from “i” to “I”.
God Bless and Namaste,
Sarojini and Shyam
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