Touched By An Angel

On the Greyhound bus to Tampa, I sat next to Patsy. She, too, was on a spiritual journey - to spend the weekend with her spiritual teacher. Patsy was in a place of deep suffering, living with an abusive partner, serious health issues, almost no income. I told Patsy that for the vast majority of people in this world, suffering is their spiritual teacher. She closed her eyes for a moment, smiled, and told me that she had never felt good about suffering before. When we parted in Tampa, she gave me a hug and told me that she had been touched by an angel.

Touched by an angel . . . Looking back over the days I spent in the States, I realise that this was the theme of my travels. I, too, was touched in a very special way by the many people who briefly entered my life.

In Tampa, I met, for the first time, a woman I think of as my 'mom', and another woman who I now think of as my 'sister'. This was one of the best things that has happened to me in a very long time. I am loved. I know that. I cherish that and hold it close to my heart like the precious gift that it is. Mom and Gudrun, you are the angels of love in my life.

While visiting with my 'mom', I met up with the Tampa Eckhart Tolle group. We watched a session recorded at Eckhart's India retreat, then discussed spaciousness, the ego, and profound thoughts such as; "Are we corks floating down the stream of life, or are we the stream itself?" The people there were very spiritual. Spirituality, when shared in a non-egoistic setting, can be very powerful. They were my angles of enlightenment.

On my way back to my daughter's house in Pennsylvania, an Amish family got on the train just after Philadelphia. I gave up my seat so that they could sit together, and sat next to Teresa. The reason why I sat next to Teresa was that she invited me to sit with her. I have come to believe that there is a magnetic attraction between people on spiritual journeys. We somehow drift together in our travels through life.

An older woman, grey, with an impish personality, Teresa told me that she spends much of her time at peace demonstrations around the world. (I hope I am that energetic when I am her age!) It was she who told me about Article 9 in the Japanese Constitution. She told me that the United States was trying to get Japan to change Article 9. It is her hope that Japan will not do that.

Teresa is a warrior angel of peace.

I celebrated my granddaughter's 21st birthday with her in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Eva has become a beautiful young woman. And her mother, my first born, has reached the age where she has discovered feminine solidarity. The three of us shared so much during those days. They are my angels of womanhood and family love.

I met up with Debbie and Tony in Pittsburgh. We were only able to spend one day together, which wasn't enough. There was so much to get caught up on. My relationship with Debbie and Tony is such that we can go years without hearing from each other, then pick up right where we left off. They are my angels of genuine and enduring friendship.

Between Chicago and Albuquerque I met several delightful people on the train. There was a woman who had managed a remarkable recovery from a serious neural infection. She was told that she would never walk again. But she did, indeed, learn to walk, at the same time that her grandson learned to walk. Now, she is the intrepid traveller, kitted out efficiently with a good back pack, a sun hat, sensible clothes, the best of walking boots, and a cane.

I also met Maurice - a Slovakian in his 80's and proud of it. Maurice told us that he was quite the ladies' man when he was younger. He showed us a picture taken in his 30's, and he was indeed handsome. When asked if he had ever been to Albuquerque before, he said with a smile that yes, he had, a long time ago chasing after a woman that he had fallen in love with.

Spending 25 hours on a train, with people drifting in and out of my day, I became very fond of humankind. There were so many interesting conversations; we saved the world several times over. I was reminded that there are truly compassionate people out there who really care about what is going on in this world -- Mother Earth's guardian angels.

In Albuquerque, I had lunch with Fred at the Owl Cafe on historic Route 66. This was a planned meeting. Fred is an Eckhart Tolle group facilitator. I met with him because I wanted to exchange notes. He's my age, grey with a white beard, and lives up in the mountains overlooking Albuquerque. He looked like a mountain man, dressed for the desert chill that had begun to settle in that part of the world. We had much in common, being on similar spiritual paths. When we said goodbye, we gave each other a heartfelt hug and swore to keep in touch. I know in my heart that Fred will be another angel of genuine and enduring friendship. One can never have too many of those.

In Santa Fe, I met up with Nancy. Nancy is a grandmother who is called 'Nana' by those who know her personally. She also is an Eckhart Tolle group facilitator. We hit it off immediately. She is, indeed, a grandmother type, wise and openly compassionate. She took me to the Amma Centre for the Saturday evening service and a wonderful meal (vegetarian chilli, fresh salad, cornbread and chocolate cake), where I met a woman doing a study on farmer suicide in India.

Known as the 'hugging saint', Amma is a profoundly compassionate spiritual teacher who has devoted her life to caring for the creatures of this earth. She wasn't there that evening, but I got plenty of hugs anyway.

'Nana' and I became very close in just that one evening. When I said goodbye before heading back to my hotel, we hugged, and again, I knew that I had found another angel of genuine and enduring friendship.

My final journey -- Santa Fe to Chicago, Chicago to Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh to Harrisburg, with a short stay at my daughter's, then Harrisburg to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Baltimore, Baltimore to the UK, and finally the bus back to Southampton -- was the longest and the most pensive journey I have ever made. I spent almost the entire time alone with my thoughts, or alone with no thoughts at all, just dwelling in a cosy place of contemplation and stillness. I had been touched by many angels, which was a blessing. Also, I had meant to find my grandmother's birthplace while in New Mexico, but could only find her in the 1930's census. I had gone to the pueblo where I think she was born. But that is another story for another time.

Travelling alone is quite an experience, especially when it is sprinkled with planned and chance meetings - angels with the capacity to touch me deeply. It's sad in a way, getting to know people, then leaving them thousands of miles behind after saying goodbye. But I wouldn't have changed any of it. It was the perfect combination of solitude and companionship; I had my cake and ate it too. I am definitely going to do this again next year.