HE REMEMBERED ME
I was so enthusiastic about the last time I saw Sri Sri that I couldn't wait to see him again. I heard he was coming in April to give a week-long course. I made sure I was going to be there. It didn't matter what I experienced, I just wanted to be near him. As I was leaving for the course, I noticed my old purple hat. I'd had it for ages, and it looked ridiculous on me. Yet I picked it up on instinct and stuffed it in my suitcase. Now I was ready to go.
During the entire course, I made sure I sat in the front row, looking my feminine best. My hair was down and my dresses were long and silky. Nothing unusual happened and I was just happy to be there feeling peaceful.
On the day we were leaving, a group of people surrounded Sri Sri. He was answering as many questions as he could, but there were still many more. Seeing it was going to take such a long time, I decided to go up and change into a nice traveling dress.
When I got upstairs I noticed my big, floppy, purple hat on the chair. A mischievous idea popped into my head. "I know," I thought. "I'll put on my black motorcycle jacket, black pants and my purple hat and play a joke on Sri Sri. I'll bet he'll never recognize me."
I pulled my hair up, put some unusual bright make-up on, and topped it off with big, black sun- glasses. I looked completely different. I went downstairs and headed straight for the hall. Sri Sri was still talking to people. I moved in strategically close and prepared myself. "I'll jump in front of him," I thought. "I'll pull my hat off and jokingly say, "It's me Sri Sri! Do you remember me?"
The thought hardly left my mind when I found myself doing just that. I dramatically pulled off my hat, bowed and cheerfully said, "Sri Sri! It's me! Do you recognize me?"
He glanced at me blankly. He seemed preoccupied with someone else. My timing was completely off. I felt silly. It wasn't very funny anyway. Another one of my stupid ideas.
I stood there holding my purple hat, feeling like an idiot, when I felt a deep emotion well up in my throat. I began to cry. The humiliation. My deepest fear began to surface. As I closed my eyes, I heard my frightened self say, "All my life, I've been afraid God would forget me. The trumpets would blow, the chariot would come, and somehow I would miss the boat. I'd fail again, only this time irreparably."
I don't remember how long I stood there, but when I opened my eyes, I noticed that Sri Sri was just leaving with someone. As he moved away from me, he unexpectedly turned his head and looked straight in my direction, projecting softly. "I would recognize you in any form!" he confirmed. "You are my very Self." Then he quickly turned and left.
I closed my eyes again, feeling completely loved and taken care of. A deep wound had been healed, and I felt whole again. I pulled on my magical purple hat, put on my big, black sunglasses and skipped away joyously, like a child. "God remembered me. And He always would."
The purple hat!
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