Invisible Friends

Today I was reminded of an incident that happened several years ago. I want to share it with you as a reminder that there is help all around us, if we are aware enough to recognize it.

My parents were away on vacation. I wanted to give them a nice surprise to come home to, so visited their house to get to work on a few small projects I knew would please them. While I was there, something very interesting happened.

My father had two old milk crates full of books he was getting rid of. He had told me that I could take whichever books I wanted. Upon my arrival at the house I perused them and selected the ones I felt drawn to. There was one in particular I had looked twice at but decided not to take. The title appealed to me but the picture on the cover turned me off, so back into the crate it went. The two milk crates were different sizes, so they didn’t fit into each other the way they usually do. When I was finished, I carefully stacked the crates the way my father had, with the top crate twisted at an angle to ensure it would not fall. Without giving it another thought, I went into the adjoining room to work on my project. About fifteen minutes passed as I worked silently, alone in the house with my thoughts. I was startled and a bit unnerved by what happened next.

From behind me, I suddenly heard a loud crashing sound coming from the room where the books were. I instantly wondered if someone had come into the house. After all, the garage door was open and someone could have come inside. I slowly turned, looked into the room, and saw that the top milk crate had fallen. My mind rushed with thoughts of how that could have happened. There had been no earthquake. There were no pets in the house. I checked the closet, the garage, the stairs to the basement … I was alone. And I was astonished.

Once I’d recovered from the shock, I looked down at my feet to the books sprawled across the floor. One detail jumped out at me. All of them were face down except the one I had thought twice about but ultimately rejected. I picked it up and browsed through it. For some reason, I was still feeling resistant to reading it, but recognizing the divine nature of the situation, I decided to give it a chance anyway. I started reading it that night, and wouldn’t you know, that book turned out to be precisely what I needed at that exact time in my life. It was the answer to questions I’d been grappling with, it was the support and encouragement I’d been looking for, and it helped me to transcend a particular problem I’d been dealing with.

When seemingly inexplicable events grab your attention, don’t dismiss them. Take another look.

The questions we silently ask, the longings we secretly harbor, the pleas we make when we’re alone at night, the prayers we send out from our hearts…. they don’t fall on deaf ears. Someone is listening. We are heard. And no matter how lonely we may feel at times, none of us is ever alone. Help is always trying to make its way to us, trying to get our attention. It is usually subtle. Not like this incident with the book, but subtle. Welcome it. Start looking for it. See the world through freshly-opened eyes, and pretty soon you’ll start seeing it.

Gina Marie Cannistraro writes a blog, Pieces of Me, in which explores her interest in self discovery and spiritual development with a focus on the Law of Attraction. She shares personal stories, observations and revelations as she figures out how all of this spiritual stuff really works, tests it out and shows us how to put it to practical use. Subscribe to her blog at ginamariecannistraro.wordpress.com  or follow her on Twitter at GMCannistraro to join her in the joyous pursuit of a more authentic and fulfilling life.