The Smallest Size Possible
Design by Stephen Michael Camp
June 1997—eight months now since my second husband, Stephen, has passed over. I am at a Conference of Coptic Priests;* Stephen was to be a presenter. Combing through his materials, I’ve found a song he wrote that refers to the Nile River that I will play; I’ve written a brief, heart-centered commentary about him to replace his words. We are in Maine. I say "we" because my dad, from Rhode Island, decided to come. I was surprised—then appreciative. Even with all of the exposure I’ve had to spiritual training, I will be amazed by what is going to happen.
Entering the room, we see chairs in rows and to the left a welcoming line that my dad approaches first. I have turned away, but looking back see his six foot four and three-quarter inches’ frame on the floor in the smallest size possible— knees bent, forehead on the wood, hands still. I cannot imagine ….
After he’s done with the greetings, I ask him why he bowed to this man. Fifteen years later, beyond his exact words, I remember they expressed his "honoring" him. I had earlier guessed my dad had felt an inexpressible "tug" from a past life at the moment he’d locked eyes with the other man.
In my future spiritual training, I would hear a spiritual teacher refer to my dad’s view of me as "ah, favorite daughter" referring to our having been father and daughter in an Egyptian lifetime—one of his millions* of former lives.
My realization is, "Views of our parents may extend throughout our entire lifetime without our awareness of past life connections being recreated in the present."
*As I am no longer connected with the people who invited Stephen and me to this conference, nor do I remember it in detail, I am unable to offer the context of "Coptic Priest" at this convening. My search on Wikipedia didn’t prompt my memory nor did it have familiar information.
*Meher Baba says we have 8, 400,000 lifetimes.