glanced up at the clock and realized that I needed to prepare for my jazz class, but all I wanted to do was hold Michael’s hand. He seemed to be reaching feelings that he had not dealt with at the seminar. I felt his pain and I looked into his eyes with great love. “I hate to say this, but...”
“I know. It’s time for class.” I was pleased that my dear friend was there to share the joy that I felt in teaching. Michael had an amazing talent when it came to dance. His technical skills needed polishing, but he was a natural.
The class was soon over and we were sprawled all over the floor while we stretched our bodies. One of my students walked up to me with a big grin on her face. “You and Michael make a great team. There is something special when you are together.” It was true that something was there, but I did not understand what it was.
“That was fun! I should take dance classes more often,” said Michael. He was silent for a few moments. “I’ll be leaving for Santa Barbara tomorrow. This is for you.” Michael placed a cool solid object into my hand. It was one of his beautiful quartz crystals.
Many people believe that crystals channel energy into the body when held, and that this energy can heal. It is also believed that crystals store information from ancient civilizations. Although I did not know what to believe, I tried to keep an open mind about it.
The gift of the crystal touched my heart. Michael and I shared a special friendship. We were two souls searching for the meaning of life. Michael had taught me innumerable lessons, but there were still many questions unanswered. “Oh Michael, you are so sweet,” I said as I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
Michael drove me home after class. I felt sad as we approached my house. “I’m leaving tomorrow around noon. It has been great to see you, Wendy. You have my address where I’m staying in Santa Barbara. You can send me some more of your writing.”
“I’m going to miss you.”
“Nah, you will be busy with other stuff. I love you, Wendy. Take care of yourself.” I slowly walked up the sidewalk. Michael waited until I was inside and then he waved. A tear rolled down my cheek as I watched him drive down the street.
The next morning, I looked out the window and watched the birds chasing each other on the tall pine trees that stood in our backyard. It was a cloudy day and it looked like it might rain. The weather reflected my emotions. I surrendered to allowing life to guide me.
“Would you like to go for Sunday brunch at the airport hotel?” asked Mom as she cleaned the kitchen counter. “Aunt Pat has invited us.”
“Maybe I will get a chance to see Michael before his flight! This is interesting timing because we had not been to the airport hotel restaurant in years.” A curious feeling of joy enveloped me. Michael’s flight was leaving around noon, but it seemed unlikely that I would run into him. I did not know which airline he was taking or the exact time of his flight. If it was meant to be, I would see him.
When we arrived at the airport, I felt an urgency to rush to the departure level. I ran down the escalator steps as it slowly chugged along. I wondered if Michael was even in the airport. Perhaps my imagination was simply running wild.
A thought flashed through my mind that if I turned the wrong way, I would miss him. “God, which way do I turn?” I headed down a corridor of people rushing to meet their flights. There was a large crowd of people mingling about. Would I even see Michael if he was there?
At the other end of the airport, I saw someone with a familiar face walking toward me. Doubts haunted me because the face was too distant to be certain, but I could feel it in my heart. I walked toward him until I could see it was really Michael. “Wendy!” Michael said with astonishment.
“Would you believe I was invited to the airport hotel for brunch today?”
“Your timing is unbelievable. I just arrived here and it’s time for me to catch my flight.”
I walked Michael to the gate where he would be going through security. “Have a wonderful trip, Michael. I love you!” I said with exuberance. Life had given me a subtle message by bringing me to the airport that day. It was the beginning of many unusual coincidences.
Christmas arrived with a wonderful surprise from my parents. It was a plane ticket to go to Santa Barbara to do the Sage Experience. The plans were in motion for me to make my first trip outside of Canada.
A couple weeks before my trip, I sat on the sofa and pondered life’s mysteries. Michael’s face came into my mind and I began to feel very agitated. The feeling increased until I was pacing the floor. I could not understand what was happening to me.
My instinct told me that these feelings were coming from Michael who was many miles away in Santa Barbara. Why was I experiencing emotions that were not my own? Perhaps it was just my imagination.
That evening I phoned Michael. “How was your day?” I asked with curiosity.
“It was a rough day for me. An incident happened with this child that I was baby-sitting.” Michael explained the details. All I could do was grin. Michael’s description of his day confirmed what I had felt earlier.
“I had a feeling that your day was a challenging one. That’s why I called to see if you were alright.” A new possibility came to my mind that I had not considered. Close friends could pick up feelings from each other regardless of geographical distance. A mystery was unraveling before my own eyes.
Chapter 5
Beyond My Wildest Dreams
On January 22, 1987, I awoke with joy bubbling through me. I was about to catch the noon hour flight to Los Angeles. Michael would be there waiting for me!
No one had warned me that going through customs was a serious matter. Sometimes my innocent view of the world caused me a few eye-opening experiences. One of these scenarios was now staring me in the face. A woman stood before me drilling me with questions. She asked the questions at such a fast pace that I found it difficult to even remember my name. After my interrogation, I wondered what else customs would involve. To my relief, this part of the journey was finished.
The plane sat at the end of the runway. I looked out the window as the sun shone upon my face. My heart pounded as I heard the engines preparing for takeoff. We were soon flying off toward the sun.
After landing in Los Angeles, I walked through the airport to the luggage area. The airport was larger than I had imagined. It seemed to go on for miles. I found my suitcase and began to search for Michael. I could feel someone looking at me from behind. As I turned my head, I saw the smiling face of my friend. “Michael!” I said with enthusiasm.
“Sorry I’m late,” said Michael as he put his arms around me. We walked out the door and Michael put my luggage into the van. “You look very calm and relaxed.” Michael had expected me to be afraid of traveling by myself because of my health. My love for Michael and the desire to see him was greater than any fear.
“Are those real palm trees?” I asked excitedly. Of course they were real palm trees. It was a silly question.
“They’re real,” laughed Michael.
“Those are the first palm trees that I’ve seen in my entire life!” I felt like a newborn baby seeing the world for the first time. There were beautiful tropical plants of magnificent shapes and colors. Everything was captivating and exciting.
We followed the highway along the coast. The evening sunlight danced across the horizon as I caught the last glimmer of rays. These soon faded and were replaced by small lights that flickered across the ocean.
“I’m curious what the Sage Experience is going to be like,” I said hesitantly.
“It will be good for you to do the seminar