Remembering

As I shared in the last issue, putting together the Healing Garden Journal is a true labor of love for our group. The 18 of us are all busy doing other jobs during most days, with many of us spending the rest of our free moments putting together HGJ. I, in my other life, work part time as an attorney and if that fact surprises you, rest assured you are not alone. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t judge a lawyer by his cover – he may have a spiritual magazine editor inside of him!

My true passion is writing and personal and spiritual growth, but practicing law has provided some of my greatest spiritual lessons. In fact, recently I experienced a very powerful lesson that I want to share with you. After spending the morning working on HGJ, I made my way into the law office to spend the afternoon. The minute I walked in I was warned that an irate client had been calling all day.

I sat down, took a deep breath, resigned myself to the fact that it was just going to be “one of those days” and called my client back. He immediately started yelling and screaming, listing all the things that I had done wrong. I listened patiently, allowing him to get it out of his system, but after 20 minutes I realized his system might be more full than I anticipated.

I tried to tell him that everything was fine, but he simply didn’t want to listen. Every time I’d try to explain, it set him off onto another tirade. Finally, after about another 15 minutes I said firmly, “Listen, you have to stop yelling at me. I have done nothing to deserve this abuse.” He stopped.

In that moment of silence, I had a sudden insight. He wasn’t angry - he was frightened. He was coming to me for help, afraid that he was going to lose his government-provided medical insurance. Because I didn’t fight back, and kept my heart open, I was able to feel compassion. “You have nothing to be afraid of,” I said, “Nothing’s going to happen to you, we are not going to let anything happen to you. It’s okay.” There was silence on the other end, then he began to cry.

A different, calm and very loving man began to speak. He told me he lives alone, his wife and son dead, and has an incurable form of cancer. His medications were the only thing that allowed him to get through the day – his lifeblood. “I’m not afraid to go,” he said, “I’ve nearly died twice before and both times my wife and son were waiting for me at the end of a tunnel of light. I’m ready, and I’m not afraid.” A conversation that had started in rage ended in love. He was silent for a while and then said softly, “God bless you. God bless you.” “God bless you,” I said back, and for perhaps the first time in my life, I really meant it.

This issue is about remembering, and there are some powerful stories inside. Ultimately, all of these stories are about remembering the one most important thing. It’s what I remembered during that conversation. Love. Everything changes and is made better when we remember our hearts. The whole world will change forever when most of us remember our hearts most of the time. When I think of all the other ways I could have handled this man’s attack, I shiver – thank God I had the strength to keep my heart open long enough to see the truth.

With Love,

Jeffrey Mindell
Editor-in-Chief
jmindell@hotmail.com