My God and Me: Listening, Learning & Growing on My Journey (Excerpts)

Relationships change with the tide of life. When your relationships ebb more than flow, do you find yourself asking, “Were my dying relationships ever real relationships? Are the people who maintain contact, but with whom there is no connection, worth holding on to? Should I expect a person's presence in my life to equal dependency in my time of need? Does the quality of interaction determine the level of importance?" One beautiful autumn day, my seemingly aimless walk Midtown Manhattan ended at Bryant Park. The sounds of life surrounded me when I stepped into the park from the city street - couples, families, friends sitting talking, eating, playing.... I decided to pause in the midst of their vibrancy and write. Words flowed from my pen forming questions about the meaning of my life. Do my relationships really exist? If not, then, what is the purpose of anything? Does the temporal nature of life's cycle make everything meaningless? My Father God answered me sooner than expected. After I had written only a few lines, an ageless Senegalese man approached me, "Are you a writer?” He gestured towards my notebook. The large script at the top read Big Girl, Little Closet. His eyes moved back to my face, “What is this you write?” I was not seeking human contact at that moment, but my spirit reminded me of how Adam avoided God’s question in the Garden. I did not want to miss a God-opportunity, so I answered. I voiced my angst and confusion. Question after question rolled off my tongue culminating with, “If we can’t identify reality what is the purpose of life?” He answered me very succinctly. “Even when we don’t speak the same language, we can share our humanity. You have a skill and a talent. The ability to speak and write allows you to share your experiences with a greater mass of people. Your purpose is to share your humanity.”