My friend Rod is a man who quite simply Lives Love.  I met him about 3 years ago, but it seems like we have known each other for eons. You know that sense of instantaneous recognition of a kindred spirit, or in the Gaelic language ‘anam cara’ or soul friend. It’s a feeling, of  “Oh there you are again.  How long has it been?”  He reminded me that we met via a mutual friend named Rusty Stewart. When I visited his home for the first time, I was also walking into a center that he called A Taste of Heaven. I like to tell the story of my experience there.  The living room had white carpeting and glass topped tables.  “Let me guess, ” I said, “No kids or pets, huh?”  When Rod handed me a glass of freshly brewed ice tea, I asked if it was ok to put it on the glass table top or if he had a coaster he wanted me to use. With twinkling eyes, he responded impishly, “There are no coasters in Heaven.”, and he meant it. On the walls were celestial/etheric looking images that he had painted, many with feathers as paint brush. In his kitchen, he had large glass jugs with affirming words on them such as love, peace and abundance, painted in bright primary colors. He gave me one as a gift to take home with me; such a generous soul he is. As I was looking at one of his paintings, he made a comment about collaborating on it with a friend. One word led to another and somehow I discerned that I also knew this friend, co-artist named Alan Schonfeld. And to add to the delight, it turned out that we were both at a training for Recconnective Healing taught by Dr. Eric Pearl the weekend prior and had missed meeting each other.

Our friendship grew and I spent many evenings there in the company of other kindred spirits, enjoying pot luck meals, music and massage. Rod’s personal philosophy embraces all, accepts our life experiences as desingned for our highest good and learning and in the face of challenges, he expresses gratitude for what came of it.

I had the joy of a having a wonderful Italian dinner at a sidewalk cafe off of South Street in Philly with Rod last weekend as we talked about ‘life, the universe and everything.’ I had mentioned that I occasionally lapse into Spiritual Amnesia, this sense of forgetting that all is well, all is perfect as is. He acknowledged going to that place as well from time to time and we agree to remind each other to return to that knowingness when we lapsed.

I received an email from him afterward, affirming that we are indeed amnesia busters. What a great job, reminding people of their true identity and beckoning them back onto the path, should they find themselves meandering off. Sign me up!