 
INTO THE LAND OF HEAVEN

G R Zee

Copyright 2003 by Gail Robin, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thank you for downloading this book. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase you own copy. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from an authorized retailer. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my beautiful, smart, talented, daughter Hollie and my handsome, clever, creative, son Michael

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: THE COLOR OF SOUL LIGHT

CHAPTER ONE: INTO THE LAND OF HEAVEN

CHAPTER TWO: CAUGHT BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

CHAPTER THREE: BEYOND

CHAPTER FOUR: SOUL TRAIN

CHAPTER FIVE: HONEY I'M HOME

CHAPTER SIX: SOUL LESSONS

CHAPTER SEVEN: AMY

CHAPTER EIGHT: HI HO, HI HO, ITS OFF TO WORK WE GO

CHAPTER NINE: AMY'S LOVE LIFE

CHAPTER TEN: A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

CHAPTER ELEVEN: LAURA

CHAPTER TWELVE: A PRAYER AND A PROMISE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: BACK TO WORK

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ALEX

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: LIFE GOES ON

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE BIRTH OF LOVE

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE DEATH OF LOVE

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: NEW LIVES AND NEW LOVES

CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE PRAYER OF THE GOLDEN HEART

CHAPTER TWENTY: DOWN TO EARTH

INTRODUCTION: THE COLOR OF SOUL LIGHT

There is a light in the universe that is not visible to the human eye. It is not like sunlight, or moonlight or starlight. It is the warm illumination that emanates from G-D and permeates the cosmos with love, hope and beauty. All of creation is fashioned from this light, including the human soul. In Heaven, the light of G-D is seen, felt, and shared by all souls. Everything in Heaven is made of light and all the divine environments are illusions of reality against the backdrop of G-D's holy love-light.

All souls are beings of light. Every soul in Heaven shines with its own unique tints and depths of color. The maturity and experience gained by a soul is reflected in the intensity and hues of its soul-light. Newborn souls that have never incarnated into human form start as pure white light, then, (according to the research of Dr. Michael Newton), after living through many physical incarnations and spiritual between-lives, their soul-light attains colors such as yellow for wisdom, orange for bravery, red for passion, green for healing, blue for compassion, and purple for love. The Heavens are alight with an array of glittering colorful soul-lights.

CHAPTER ONE: INTO THE LAND OF HEAVEN

SPRING IN THE MID-LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The sun suddenly poked its head up over the horizon, and squirted the sky with streams of orange light. Danny Rosen yawned and stretched. Realizing it wasn't a workday, he joyfully sprinted out of bed thinking, this is the first day of the rest of my life. He was quickly in vacation mode, ready to pack up, grab his wife, and sail away. He peeked out of his Miami Beach bedroom window and saw his adored sailboat tethered to the dock, happily bobbing as the waves tickled its underbelly.

At 6:50 A.M., Danny was ready for a weeklong trip to the Florida Keys. His wife, Marlene, donned in her designer sportswear, waited expectantly while Danny lifted the ropes, kicked the boat away from the dock, and jumped aboard in one smooth practiced motion. While Dan was in mid-jump, his heart exploded, and he toppled over the side of the boat. As he fell, he glimpsed the sun spin out of control, and crash into the silence of the bay. While descending into the cool depths of the sunlit waters, he suddenly heard a high-pitched sound ringing in his ears. When he turned his head to locate the source of the sound, he was suddenly above the scene looking down. He watched Marlene frantically reach over the side of the boat, and tug on something heavy. Marlene dragged a large object out of the water, and hauled it up over the side of the boat. After a few seconds, he was stunned to see that she had fished a man's body out of the bay. Dan felt confused as he floated above the scene and watched her struggle with the limp, wet body.

He became aware of another person located slightly behind and above him. He turned and saw a lovely young woman in a gossamer lavender gown floating in the air and sweetly beckoning to him. He thought this seemed strange, but for the moment he chose to ignore her and return his attention to Marlene, who continued to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the unconscious man sprawled out on the deck of the sailboat.

I think he's dead, his chest isn't moving, Danny thought.

Marlene sobbed and pleaded, "Wake up! Danny! Please don't die, don't leave me this way, Danny! Don't leave me! I need you! Wake up!" He saw her below. Wet, shivering, weeping. Her head on the man's chest.

Why did she call the man Danny? Does she know him? It's odd that he has the same name that I have. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and without looking, he knew it was the girl in the lavender gown. There was something familiar about this girl.

She had the sweetest voice he had ever heard.

"It's time to come home with me."

It suddenly dawned on Danny, what should have been obvious from the start, that he was the dead man who had collapsed on the deck below.

"Have I died?" he asked, incredulous.

She was serenely beautiful. Her lovely gown gently billowed out in a bell shape, her long shimmering strawberry blond locks floated gently around her. Her soft voice was like a caress.

"Yes, you've passed on, that's why I'm here. It's your time to die. You might feel surprised that you didn't recognize your body, below us. But then this is the first time you've ever seen yourself other than in a flat mirror. If you've never seen yourself in three-dimensional space it's hard to recognize your own body. But don't worry; you won't need that body anymore. You will live on without it, I promise! Your physical body is deceased and your immortal soul has been released"

Daniel Rosen was only fifty-four years old when he died from cardiac arrest while taking off on his sailboat this beautiful sun-laden morning. Yet, upon discovering that he had an immortal soul, he felt a mixture of fear, disbelieve, and humor.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Orli, your spirit guide."

"My what?"

"I am your spirit guide."

This is some kind of weird dream.

"This is not a dream, Danny."

Great, she's a mind reader. There was something oddly familiar about Orli, yet he couldn't grasp how he knew her. Dan didn't believe in life after death. He had always ignored all the religious, new age, and spiritual beliefs, because there was no scientific evidence to prove that human beings have immortal souls. Yet here he was, floating around in the air over his own dead body, talking to his spirit guide like it was perfectly normal. Nothing in his physical life had ever prepared him for this moment!

When Daniel's grandfather had arrived in America at Ellis Island, at the turn of the twentieth century, the family name had been immediately changed from the original surname "Rosenblum" to the Americanized "Rosen." The changing of the name was the first step that the family took in shedding their European lifestyle and beliefs as they set out to establish a new, contemporary American identity. In the fresh, modern, clean world of America, everything was scientific. All information had to be proven and based on objective research. Mysticism and religion were embarrassing old country concepts to be treated with contempt and ridicule. Souls, spirits, and ghosts were children's fare and appropriate only on Halloween along with costumes, pumpkins and candy treats. Daniel was raised as a Reform American Jew, in a family that was devoutly American (and Jewish in "name only").

Faced with the reality of life after death, Dan wasn't prepared to deal with it. I'm not ready to die, he thought, I want to stay and finish my life.

"This life is over," Orli told him.

Danny felt impatient and mildly frightened. Could I really be dead? He confronted the strange woman.

"What kind of life is this, to be alive without a body to live in? To see without eyes, hear without ears, and think without a brain? Am I dead or alive? Am I dreaming or awake? Part of me wants to try to return to my body, lying lifeless below, but part of me wants to rise into the sky above."

Orli gently assured him, "You cannot return to your physical body, Dan. Its life is extinguished. You are the immortal soul that abided in that body. This is your true essence, the life force that drives the body. This human life has ended and you are free to resume your spirit life. I know it will seem strange at first, but you will soon remember who and what you really are. Very soon I will assist you to ascend to the heights above."

Dan shook his head and stubbornly insisted, "I don't believe in all that nonsense, there is no life after death! This is a ridiculous dream."

"This is not a dream, Danny, this is the truest reality you will ever face: Your time on Earth has ended. Your body is dead but your soul is alive."

Dan looked at her sweet and honest face. His heart told him that she was telling the truth, that this was his new reality. He felt exuberant, yet frightened to realize that the death of his corporeal body was not the end of his life, but what would happen next? Equally important, what would happen to his beloved child Amy?

Orli watched Dan as he assimilated this new information. When she knew he wondered what would happen next, she offered an explanation, "When you are ready to leave Earth's astral planes I will guide you back to the land of your soul's home. There you will live and learn until you are ready to begin another human life."

"Another human life? What do you mean by that?"

"You have lived many lives before the life of Danny Rosen, and you will live more lives after this one. Between physical lives you remain in your soul state, as you are right now, and abide in Heaven where you study your past lives to prepare for your next future life."

"Are you talking about reincarnation?"

"Yes, I am, Danny. But you do not need to absorb all of this right now, there's plenty of time to gain an understanding of your place in the cosmos. Are you ready to come home with me?"

No. No, I'm not ready. Dan looked pleadingly at Orli, hoping that she would have the power to help him.

"I can't leave yet, I need to stay and see what will happen to my family, especially my daughter, Amy. How will she cope without me? Who will protect her?"

"You can communicate with Amy right now, if you want to."

"How?"

"By entering her dream, she's still sleeping."

It was 7:30 AM on a Saturday morning. Dan's eighteen-year old daughter, Amy, was sleeping in her dormitory room at a local University where she was about to complete her freshman year. Orli gently guided Dan through time and space, as though gliding into an adjoining room, he found himself suspended above Amy, watching her sleep. His beautiful daughter was lightly sleeping, almost ready to awaken. Her long wavy chestnut hair, caught up in a braid, was draped across the mattress behind her. She was curled up in a fetal position, under her pink flowered quilt.

As he hovered over her narrow dormitory bed and watched her sleep, Dan realized that he was able to view her dream in his own mind as though it was a movie or a joint dream. With Orli's help, he was actually able to project himself into her dream-mind. He understood that he could alter the setting and become a character in her dream. She was dreaming of walking down the street in a strong rain. He inserted himself beside her, as both of them in yellow vinyl rain slickers waded through puddles. He conversed with her subconscious mind.

The communication was very fast, they didn't use words. Whole thoughts flew back and forth between them. In a flash, she gave him insight into all of her hopes and plans for her future. He saw her as a young art teacher, hopeful and energetic. He gave her encouragement for all of her hopes and future plans. He let her know he had died, but was still alive without his body. He felt her total love for him. Amy was the one person in his life who offered him a pure and unconditional love, void of motives, without any intention of manipulating or using him.

He instinctively promised her, "I will watch over you and return here if you need me. I love you."

With those words, he slipped out of her dream, out of her physical life, and into his new existence as an immortal soul

"I know you are reluctant to leave," Orli told him, "you can stay on the Earthly plane longer if you like, but it would be a good idea to start your life review now. Are you willing to see your life review now?"

"I'm willing, although I have no idea what that is."

CHAPTER TWO: CAUGHT BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

"You will review all of the life events, thoughts and emotions that comprised your physical existence as Danny Rosen. From this experience, you will begin to learn which soul goals you have achieved and to what extent. Watch, you will see and experience your entire life."

A vision appeared, a ghostly panorama of another time and place. Dan saw his mother as a young woman in small old-fashioned hospital room in the process of giving birth to him. In what seemed to be a twinkle of time Dan saw every major and minor event in his life enacted in the space in front of him. He understood from this experience that every detail of each individual's life is documented on a heavenly record. Every utterance, act, thought, desire, and dream remains in a permanent visual, auditory and sensory record of life.

"So, this is what it means to see your life flash before your eyes."

So many events that Dan had forgotten were re-enacted in front of his eyes. Small acts became serious dramas, like the time he had grabbed his little sister's favorite toy and broke it when they were toddlers. He felt her stunned and wounded baby feelings as though he were in her place. He saw random acts of kindness performed, for instance the time he offered an elderly woman his umbrella as they scuttled across a busy downtown street in a downpour of gusty rain. He felt her surprised gratitude for the kindness of a stranger.

He re-experienced the bigger life events as well, such as meeting and marrying Marlene and having their children. Every argument, every act of love or discipline, every impact, whether positive or negative was reviewed, replayed, and re-experienced from both his own and the other person's viewpoint. Daniel both watched and felt the key events as well as the trivial events of his life. He was concurrently an impartial observer and an active participant as the episodes of his life swam across the mystical panoramic screen. It was a rude awakening to feel the pain he had caused other people during his life. It was also a positive feeling to enjoy those moments of kindness and love he had brought to others. It was an amazing experience to discover that whether deliberate or unintentional, off-hand comments, gestures, or even a fleeting facial expression can cause wounded feelings. It was a shock for Daniel to experience a lifetime of both good and bad feelings that he had caused, and all of this emotional passion was presented to his sensibilities in a rush and burst of time.

The emotional impact of this life review was staggering, it was impossible for him to swiftly integrate all of this new knowledge and experience. His mind reeled from the revelations of reliving fifty-four years in the space of what seemed to be few seconds. As he struggled to synthesize this experience he began to realize that all of the thoughts, acts, and motives that defined his being had apparently been recorded in a supernatural, multi-sensory movie of his life. It was beginning to dawn on him that we humans are accountable for every aspect of our lives for all eternity and, furthermore, we are important to every soul, stranger or loved one, whom we encounter in the course of our physical existence. He had frequently heard references to incidents being inscribed in the book of life but he had never imagined it would be anything like this. He thought it was just a poetic reference.

He was interrupted from these thoughts by Orli. Again, Danny felt her calming hand on his ethereal shoulder. Sensing the depth of his emotional response to his life review process, she sought to alleviate his anxiety by transmitting reassuring thoughts to his mind.

"This was just a brief overview of your current life experience. Think about it and soon we will discuss the lessons you learned in this life. The purpose of life is to have a learning experience, there is no punishment, other than what you choose to inflict on yourself. Soon we will have a long talk about your life."

"What will happen after we talk about my life?"

"Then you will be invited to meet with your Council of Elders. They will help you identify every success and error of this past life and give you guidance in planning your soul lessons for your next life. There will be plenty of time to reflect, learn, and absorb the meaning of all of this. In fact, in this dimension of life-after-life we do not have linear time. Linear time is an earthly phenomenon that does not exist in this plane of life. You have all the time in the world. Whenever you are ready to proceed to the next step in your cosmic journey, when you are ready to resume your soul life, I will escort you to the next level of existence, into the land of Heaven.

Daniel understood, but he didn't want to leave just yet. "Let me watch over Amy until the funeral and the week of mourning is over, then I'll be ready to move on."

"I see that you aren't ready to leave Earth's astral planes yet. I will leave you here for now, while you adjust to your new situation. I will come back for you when you are ready to leave." With those words Orli disappeared in a sparkle.

Dan turned his attention to his wife, Marlene. As soon as he thought of her he was transported back to the sailboat. He hovered in the air above and looked down at the scene below. Apparently, Marlene had finally contacted the paramedics. The ambulance was parked in the backyard alongside the dock. While one medic was examining Dan's deceased body the other was interviewing the sobbing and exhausted Marlene to discover what had happened to Dan. When they determined that Daniel Rosen was deceased from probable cardiac arrest they arranged to bring his body to the nearest hospital.

As the paramedics took Dan's body off of the boat Marlene asked them to call her son Elliot. She really didn't have the strength to talk to him in her current state, suffering from shock as she was, she could hardly process the events of the day. A few hours earlier she was the wife of a prominent Miami dentist and now at the age of fifty she was a widow.

Dan was surprised to realize that he could simultaneously view both Marlene at the house and his son Elliot in his office as this played out. Elliot, who was a newly minted CPA, was sitting at his desk working on a corporate financial statement, when the shrill sound of the phone disrupted his train of thought. He was an attractive and intense twenty four-year old man. Leaning his five foot eight-inch muscular frame over his desk he grabbed the phone.

"Rosen speaking," he growled.

On the other end of the phone he heard a male voice ask, "Mr. Rosen? This is a paramedic calling from your parent's home, on behalf of your mother. There's been an accident on your parent's sailboat and your father is being transported to the hospital. Your mom is O.K., I'm bringing her to the hospital with your dad. We need for you to meet us at the hospital as well."

"What happened?" Elliot demanded anxiously, running his fingers through his dark brown hair.

"Sir, I can't tell you anything about your father's condition, however I suggest that you have your family doctor contact the hospital to get the medical information for you. If you could meet us at the hospital I'm sure your mother would appreciate your assistance right now. She'll need for you to drive her home from the hospital later as well."

The paramedic gave Elliot the name of the hospital and ended the call. While the paramedic spoke with Elliot, Marlene had called her mother on another phone line, quickly informed her of Dan's death, and briefly discussed the impending funeral. She briefly mentioned the financial impact that Dan's death would have on her lifestyle. This confirmed for Dan what he had long suspected, that Marlene was a cold and calculating woman. He thought, she won't even miss me, but she sure will miss my income. Surprisingly though he didn't feel angry, he was just sadly disappointed. If he hadn't felt such a strong concern for his daughter Amy he would have left Earth's astral planes at that moment.

Dan continued to follow Marlene and he observed the scene where Elliot met Marlene at the hospital. Elliot had called the family doctor and close family friend, Dr. Steve Weiss. Weiss in turn had called the hospital and discovered that his dear friend Dr. Danny Rosen was dead on arrival. By the time Elliot arrived at the hospital Dr. Weiss was already there consoling Marlene. Standing in the lime green antiseptic hallway, in the glare of industrial lighting, Steve Weiss gave his heartfelt emotional support to both Elliot and Marlene. Steve too was heartbroken. Danny was one his best friends, they had been like brothers.

Steve asked Marlene, "Have you broken the news to Amy yet?"

She realized that she hadn't given Amy a single thought. Marlene's head and shoulders sagged as she looked down at the grungy linoleum floor.

In a voice choked with emotion she answered, "I can't think," she sniffed, "I'm in such a state of shock... I need help. I, I uh, need your help with this Steve."

Steve Weiss and Dan Rosen had been dearest friends. They had raised their families together, belonged to the same synagogue and had even enjoyed some joint family vacations and holidays together. The Rosen family used Dr. Weiss as their family doctor and the Weiss family used Dr. Rosen as their family dentist. The families had been good friends for over fifteen years.

While Steve was trying to help Dan's family, and truly sick from the loss of his friend, Dan was watching from above sending thoughts of deepest thanks to his buddy Steve. You're a true friend, I love you pal. Watch out for Amy, take care of her for me. You know she needs protecting.

Dr. Steve Weiss well understood the Rosen family dynamics. Marlene and her oldest child, Elliot, had a love-hate relationship that consumed their mutual attention. Dan had usually ignored both Marlene and Elliot while he doted on his daughter Amy, who fervently returned the emotion. Marlene wanted to be the object of Dan's attention and was deeply resentful and jealous of the relationship between her husband and daughter. Elliot, on the other hand, resented his father intensely and accused Dan of favoring Amy, which, in Steve's opinion, was true.

Daniel had often confided to Steve that he as very disappointed in Elliot's rude, arrogant attitude and explosive temper, especially toward his little sister Amy. Danny had to often intercede to protect Amy from the physical, emotional, or verbal abuse her older brother dished out. This what led to Dan favoring Amy over Elliot from the start. Now, with Dan's death, there would be no one to protect Amy from her abusive brother or, for that matter, from her cold and selfish mother.

Steve had a heavy heart as he used the phone at the nurse's station to call information for the phone number of Amy's University dormitory building. This was one of the hardest days of Steve's life, he had just lost of his best friends and had to break the news of his friend's death to his friend's beloved daughter. Of course, he couldn't tell her on the phone; he would have to tell her later on, in person.

"Amy? This is Uncle Steve. Sweetie, I have some serious news. Your dad had an accident on the boat this morning and I'm here at the hospital with your mom and Elliot. I'm sending Elliot over to your dorm to pick you up and bring you home. I'll explain everything to you later at the house."

Amy felt as though she was still dreaming.

With her heart caught in her throat she asked, "Is my dad O.K.? I just had a dream about him and it seemed so real!"

"Let me explain your dad's condition to you later, back at the house. Pack a suitcase and plan to stay home for about a week, your mom will need your company. Elliot will be there in a short while. Be good, I have to go now. We'll talk later." Steve's voice brooked no argument as he hung up.

Amy was very depressed when she hung up, she knew in her heart that she would never see her dad alive again. Her sixth sense told her that her morning dream was too real to be just a dream. Since Uncle Steve wouldn't answer any questions about her father's condition and she wasn't invited to see her dad at the hospital it seemed obvious to Amy that he must have passed away, just as she had dreamed that morning. Of course, no one would inform a family member of a death over the phone. She sat alone in her tiny dark dormitory room, brooding and fretting, awaiting her brother's arrival.

Elliot set out to fetch his sister while Steve and Marlene went off to make Dan's funeral arrangements. Before they all left the hospital, the staff asked Elliot to take Dan's personal possessions. He told them to throw away Dan's clothing but he kept his father's wallet, watch and wedding ring, placed them in his pocket, and headed out the door. As Elliot walked out Steve caught up with him and, with his hand gently on Elliot shoulder, he quietly cautioned him, "Don't tell Amy that your dad died, let me break the news to her later at the house. I'll bring your mom back to the house as soon as we complete the funeral arrangements." Elliot grimly nodded his agreement.

A short while later Elliot arrived at his sister's dormitory. Their relationship had always been strained but it was better now that they were older. He knew it was his own fault that they weren't close, and feeling sober about his father's passing he vowed to himself to try to be a better brother.

The minute he walked into the dorm room Amy confronted him, "Is daddy alive?"

"Amy, Uncle Steve asked me not to discuss dad's condition with you. He wants to talk to you later at the house."

"That means he died. I know he's dead. Just TELL me, is he dead?" Amy begged, obviously frazzled and unable to wait any longer for the truth about her father.

With a deep sigh Elliot decided to go ahead and tell her the truth, "Yeah. He died on the boat. He had a heart attack when he was getting ready to sail."

Elliot sat down heavily on the hard slab that passed for a dorm bed. He hung his head and affected a sob believing that he should at least appear to be grieving. In truth, he felt half gleeful to be rid of his controlling father and half scared of the responsibility he would have towards his mother. He knew he would have to help his mother adjust to a new life and help her get his father's financial affairs in order.

Amy, in her innocence, believed that Elliot shared her own shock and grief. She sat next to him and put her arm around him. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she told him about her morning dream. She poured her heart out to her brother, sobbing and revealing all the love and tragic loss that she was overcome with. Elliot hardly listened to her prattle, he was thinking about the money in the estate. Was there any life insurance? How long would it take and what it would cost in legal fees and taxes to put the estate through the probate process?

Dan hovered unseen above his children. He saw them sitting side by side in the tiny cubicle of a dorm room. He was relieved to hear that Amy remembered and understood his communication to her in the dream, but it was painful to see how hurt she was. At the same time, while he couldn't read Elliot mind, he could intuit the gist of his thought process. He knew that one child truly loved him and one only hoped to profit from his death. He focused his love on Amy. He tried unsuccessfully to penetrate her conscious mind with loving thoughts to help her cope with the pain of her grief, but her mind was so numb from sorrow, that he couldn't fight through the density. He felt frustrated that he couldn't penetrate her deep shock and distress with comforting emotions.

Dan renewed his decision to stay close and watch over Amy until the week of Shiva ended. He knew they would have to have his funeral within three days of his death, as per Jewish tradition. He thought it would be easy enough to remain for another week after the impending funeral to watch as family and friends visit his home to share meals, prayers, and memories of him.

Amy returned to the Rosen home with Elliot and shortly afterward Steve Weiss arrived with Marlene. It was a great relief to Steve when he discovered that Amy had already been informed of her father's passing and he didn't have to break the news to her after all. Once he was convinced that he had done everything possible for the Rosen family, Steve dispatched Elliot to fetch Marlene's elderly mother, and then he left the family to begin the ordeal of their loss.

Marlene's mother, Rivka, came to stay with her daughter until the funeral and for the week of mourning. When Marlene told her mother the details of how Danny had died while preparing to go sailing for a week on the boat, Rivka answered wryly in Yiddish.

"Men make plans and G-d laughs."

It was the advice that she gave her daughter next, though, that nearly curdled Amy's blood. In her heavy Yiddish accent, Rivka leaned over the cherry wood coffee table, and stretched out her skinny parchment thin arm and grabbed Marlene in her wiry claw.

"Listen, Dahlink, just do like I did ven mine own husband died. Like he never lived. Dat vas how I did it. Just forget about him, like he never lived. Dat's vat you have to do. Bury him and forget about him."

Rivka had been born in Russia and came to America in the early twentieth century. Although she had remained an Orthodox Jew, the fact that she kept kosher and observed all the rituals of Judaism had done nothing to improve her character. She was a cold, mean spirited woman and unfortunately, Marlene seemed to truly be her mother's daughter.

Amy stood frozen in the doorway, eyes popping in stunned disbelief. The two women turned and saw her in the entrance but had no idea what deep pain they had caused her.

Marlene's head was overcharged with shock, fear, and grief. She couldn't process any more input. Her mother' words washed over her. Then, as if somewhere in her head a drain opened, the swollen flood of emotions quickly gushed down the pipe and fled her conscious mind. She felt herself physically sag, deflated of all energy or thought, depleted of all sanity or logic. She looked up, blinded, with glazed eyes and saw but did not register the imagery in front of her. There was a familiar shape in the doorway. Was that her little girl in the doorway, poor baby? The poor thing. The poor child.

As if in a weird gray foggy dream Marlene murmured toward Amy, "Poor thing. You hardly knew him. You're too young to even remember him. It's a shame you didn't know him. Hmmm, but maybe you're better off." Without giving Amy a second thought Marlene turned her attention back to her elderly mother, Rivka.

It was too much for Amy. _I hardly knew him? He was my best friend! Bury him and forget about him? Over my dead body!_

Voiceless, with stabbing pains of despair, Amy wheeled around and blindly ran back down the hall. To think that these heartless women could even try to write her father's memory out of their minds was horrifying! They had added unbearable pain to her grief, they might as well have pierced her heart with a dagger.

_I have to get away from them_ , she thought as she fled down the hall. It felt as though an invisible hand propelled her into her father's small cozy study. In fact, that is exactly what Dan did. She couldn't see him but he was with her. He sympathized with her tortured heart and tried desperately to communicate with her, to assure her that he loved her.

Amy sat on her father's forest green leather easy chair, curled up in a ball, sobbing her heart out _. Of course, I knew my father, they're crazy. Crazy old biddies. I'll never forget him. I'll never let anyone forget him. I loved him and he adored me. I know he loved me, and they can't take that away from me. Ever_. Like a mantra she kept reminding herself that she knew him and he loved her. She repeated this over and over to herself heartbroken and dazed.

Once again, she felt compelled to move as if an unseen hand grabbed her arm and raised her up, then thrust her forward to her father's massive ebony desk. She looked through a stream of tears and gasped. On the bottle-green ink blotter in front of her there were two notes, each written in a different handwriting. The first one she recognized as her own – she had written it only a few weeks ago when she was home from school for a weekend. Playfully she doodled a little note while she had used this office to do a homework assignment: "Love you, Dad."

No one ever went into that room except Dan, Amy, and he housekeeper. Under Amy's note was another note in Dan's handwriting: "Love you too, Amy!"

A few weeks earlier he had written that response to her note and left it for her find at a later date. He never imagined that he would be physically dead when she found it. It had taken every ounce of energy that Dan could muster to get Amy to look at the blotter and see that message. Just as he had hoped he perceived her joy upon reading the message which confirmed his love for her. She sat at his desk smiling and enjoying fond memories of Dan until she heard the family calling her to come and join them. By then she was able to tolerate their company. She was feeling better and so was Dan.

While Amy found proof that her father really did love her, Marlene and Rivka had continued their heart to heart talk in the living room. Rivka suddenly realized that Amy hadn't spent more than a second with them.

"Vhere is Amy? Vhat is she doink?" Rivka wined to Marlene.

Marlene straightened up, she tried to emerge from her wilted stupor. _Amy, where is Amy?_ _Why isn't she here by my side giving me support?_ Marlene gave a derisive laugh, rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"G-d forbid she should spend a few minutes with her grieving mother. You know Amy – she's in her own little world. Thank G-d I have Elliot, at least I can depend on him."

She glanced approvingly over at the dining room where Elliot was setting up a snack of tea, crackers, and jam for the family to share.

"Vell don't vorry, dahlink, Amy is young yet, Vhen she's older she'll be a gut daughter to you too."

Marlene laughed bitterly, "She's eighteen, Ma, and how old does she need to be to show support to her mother? Wouldn't you think she would show me some sympathy? She didn't even ask for any details about what happened today. She couldn't care less about me. That one only thinks about herself."

"Shah, vhat are you saying? She's too young to know any better. Vait, you'll see, I'll call her."

In a loud voice the old lady proceeded to scream out, "AMY! AMY DAHLINK! COME INTO DA LIVINK ROOM. VE VANT TO TALK TO YOU."

That jarring command woke Amy out of her reverie and forced her back to the sad and sickening reality that her father was gone forever, never to be seen again. Amy slowly got up and went to spend time with her mother and grandmother.

After Dan was able to successfully penetrate Amy's conscious mind and provide tangible evidence of his love for her, he felt free to start exploring his new reality. He still intended to remain close to Amy, but he was able to take his attention off of her for a little while and think about this new situation that he found himself in. He needed to think about his life review and his new nonphysical existence. It seemed so amazing. Suddenly he was in a whole new world, in a different body, or out of body to be more precise.

He floated out over the sloping emerald green lawn in his backyard, passed over Royal Palm trees and bushes sprouting pink hibiscus flowers, then over the wooden dock, and settled down on his beloved sailboat. He rocked gently with the boat and contemplated his new reality. Dan sat on the smoothly swaying boat and looked at the familiar view around him. Across the bay there was another residential island spotted with large upper-middle class homes and adorned with glamorous yachts and sailboats secured to their personal docks. The sun was setting with the usual drama of creating a flaming orange and pink sunset that softly faded into the violet, mauve and navy-blue colors of a Florida evening sky. _So this is death! I don't feel dead, whatever that's supposed to feel like. I wonder what will happen next?_

He wondered about the "Council of Elders" that Orli had mentioned. Who were they and what did they have in store for him? Were they like judges? He had never believed in life after death, and now he was trying to recall whatever he could about the subject. What did he know from common folklore? And who is Orli? What does it mean to be a spirit guide? Surely Orli is the famous angle of death. The angel of death takes you away and then a judge (G-d?) decides whether you go to heaven or hell. As Danny thought over his life review he began to perseverate on the negative aspects and became convinced that he would be sent to place of suffering to repay him for all the wrong-doing he blamed himself for. What if I am condemned to Hell?

No sooner did he start to imagine what Hell might be like then he instantly found himself surrounded by horrifying devilish horned creatures dancing in flames and taunting him with pitchforks. His boat and home dissolved from view and he felt himself hurtle far from the earth into a dark and frightening world of terror, pain and demons. He was suddenly thrust into a world aflame with hatred and cruelty.

Is there a way out? Am I trapped here for all eternity? As his fear increased, so did the terror around him. If he had tears I would have cried. He felt himself spiral down through the flames into an abyss. A hideous banshee appeared close in front of him, shrieking his name. She hurtled toward him with menacing speed.

Oddly, he saw a strange distorted light flicker behind her. The witch approached him and reached her clawed hands out to grab him. He was literally scared to death. For the second time that day, he felt as if his heart exploded inside his chest.

CHAPTER THREE: BEYOND

As Dan died his second death, a burst of light suddenly erupted and dispelled the image of the banshee. In place of the witch was the beautiful and peaceful form of Orli, emanating love and kindness. She smiled at Dan with such an intensity of compassion and love that he felt his fears melt away. The dark fiery abyss and horned creatures vanished and in their place, was a cold gray landscape, that looked like a ghostly forest. Dan found himself floating down a winding dirt path under moss laden leafless trees. Orli, his angel of death, was beside him.

She explained sweetly, "Danny, you have to understand that in this plane of existence we create our own reality. If you choose to imagine hell, then you will conjure up the terrors of hell, which become your world. You could as easily create a safe haven such as your childhood home, or any paradise you choose. You could create a mansion on a beach, a castle in the sky, an undersea city, anything that your heart and imagination desires. The reality that you create exists for as long as you wish it to be so."

"Then how do I know what was real and what is imagined? Is Amy real? Was there any aspect of my life that was real?"

"Every aspect of your life was real, Danny, including Amy. I know this is all a shock for you, but don't be frightened. I'm here to guide you back to your eternal home, whenever you are ready. There is no Hell, unless you create it for yourself."

"Are you my angel of death?"

Orli's tinkling laughter was delicious and reassuring.

"I am not the Angel of Death; I am your spirit guide. I did not bring death to you. I am here to guide you back to your soul group in heaven and help you to understand your most recent incarnation. First, though, you will meet with the Council of Elders"

Dan moved on to the next item of concern. "Who are the Council of Elders?"

"The Council of Elders is comprised of a group of wise souls whose purpose in your eternal life is to give you emotional support and help you to comprehend the lessons you have learned in this past life and in all of your other physical lives. They help you to plan your next incarnation and the future life lessons you want to learn."

"How do they do that?"

"Your Council of Elders has known you since the birth of your soul. They have guided you through all of your physical incarnations. They know who you are, what you have learned in the past, and what you still need to learn in the future. They are like a board of educational directors who help you design an individualized curriculum that is tailored specifically for your soul."

"What happens to souls who fail at learning their lessons?"

"I know you feel that you had many failures in this life and you are blaming yourself for making mistakes. Every soul does that at first. You have to understand Danny, that failure and mistakes are our reason for living, we learn from our errors. We learn during the course of our physical lives. Later, after our lives are over, we learn even more by reviewing and discussing our behaviors and choices. This is how we improve and grow as souls."

"Well, I certainly must have grown a lot in this life, judging by the mistakes I made." Orli smiled tenderly and placed a reassuring hand on his ethereal shoulder, "Our whole reason for having a physical life is to be able to experience human emotions, drives, desires, and motivations. In our physical life, we are given opportunities to make decisions. Sometimes the decisions that we make are not the optimal choices, but we always learn something important from our selections. You have just begun the process of learning from this latest life you had. There is still so much that you don't know yet. Be patient."

"I'll try but it's all so overwhelming,"

"Overall, you had a good life, and you did many good things. The good far outweighed the bad. You did not commit any major moral sins or violent crimes. You loved and cared for your family. You were usually honorable in your business dealings. You do not need to punish yourself by conjuring up a personal hell. Now you are entering a new phase of your existence, as a soul. In this state of existence, you will spend time studying this past life and I will guide you through this process whenever you need my help, you need not be afraid."

Dan felt himself calm down. As the fear seeped away he again experienced the feeling that Orli was very familiar. "Have we met before?"

"We have met many times. I have been your guide through many lives across centuries of Earth time. I was a new guide when you started you first incarnations on Earth. You gave me the nickname 'Orli' after your first incarnation and that name stuck with me. Virtually everyone in Heaven calls me Orli."

"Why did I call you Orli?"

"In one of your earliest lives you were an ancient Hebrew. The name 'Orli' means "My Light' in Hebrew. All of this will come back to you when you become acclimated to your soul life.

"I think I am beginning to remember now, but I'm still not ready to leave Amy and Marlene. I want to wait until the week of mourning ends - then I'll go with you on the journey to the next world."

"Remember, Danny, there is no linear time in the spirit world. Whenever you are ready, I will guide you home."

While all of these experiences unfolded for Dan, Amy had a fitful night sleep in which she sensed Dan's fears. Her sixth sense absorbed some fragment of Dan's turmoil and descent into a self-made hell. When she awakened in the morning she knew that her father had been lost and frightened, but she sensed that he was finding his way in death land. She didn't really completely understand how she had this knowledge, but she didn't question it either. Amy accepted what she instinctively understood about death. She strongly sensed that Dan was living on without his physical body, and that someday she would be with him again.

Amy sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. As she stretched and yawned she glanced around her old room. She had only gone to live at her college dormitory eight months earlier, but already her bedroom at home seemed so childish. Her teddy bears were still piled up on the rocking chair in the corner. The photos of her high school friends were still pinned to the corkboard hanging above her little white desk. Her room was at the front of the house facing east. The sun was rising and creamy rays of morning light streamed through the half open blinds. She lazily rolled out of bed, threw on her big soft bathrobe and shuffled into the kitchen seeking a cure for her morning hunger. There she found Elliot buttering some burnt toast and sipping strong black coffee. She wrinkled her nose, "How can you drink that stuff black? I can't drink coffee without sugar and cream," she mumbled, staggering past him toward the coffee pot.

"Morning to you too. How did you sleep, Elliot? Fine, thanks for asking," he grumbled to himself in response.

For a moment Amy considered telling Elliot about her restless night and the dream fragment about their dad but she rejected the idea. He wouldn't listen anyway so what was the point? Apparently, they were back to their usual non-relationship, and Daddy wasn't here to protect her. Better tread lightly. As she ambled around the kitchen gathering her breakfast she glanced down and noticed that Elliot was fiddling with a silver object. "What's that?" she asked in mild curiosity.

"This is Dad's watch, they gave it to me in the hospital I'm going to keep the watch and get a new band for it," he explained as he removed the flex-band and tossed it toward the garbage.

Amy whirled around and grabbed the band before it fell into the trash bin.

"You can't throw this away!" she cried out, alarmed, "This touched Daddy's skin! If you don't want it, I'll keep it!" She slipped the precious nearly-discarded band into her robe pocket. She shook her head in disbelief and wondered how Elliot could be so materialistic and insensitive.

Elliot was also shaking his head as he wondered how Amy could be such a fool to value a worthless watchband. He shrugged.

"Whatever."

So, Elliot kept the watch, which he threw away a few years later when he was able to afford a more expensive name-brand watch. Amy kept and cherished the watchband for the rest of her life. Throughout her life, at times when she missed Dan, she took the watchband out of her jewelry box and held it. For some reason that made her feel closer to him. Years later a psychic explained to her that personal items retain part of the essence of the owner.

Time moved in a hazy fashion as Amy drifted through Dan's funeral shrouded in a senseless stupor of grief. She was exhausted from crying. She felt downhearted and raw from loss and sorrow. For Amy, the funeral was like watching a silent movie without the accompaniment of piano music. She saw the lips of the actors uttering condolences that her ears listened to, but her mind didn't comprehend. All she heard was the mournful prosody of loss.

As the week of mourning passed, fewer visitors came to the house each day. Dr. Steve Weiss came faithfully every day. The visitors admired Marlene for being stoic and brave, she never shed a tear, kept her head up, and was gracious to all without fail. Her mother Rivka, helped her entertain all week. Elliot, too, was brave and stoic.

On the last night of mourning, Amy had a vivid dream. In her dream, she was standing on the dock, behind the house. Out in the middle of the bay she saw her father sitting alone in a small wooden row boat. Abruptly she found herself sitting in the rowboat with him. Her father was seated across from her, facing her, knee to knee. He was fiercely rowing the boat to the opposite shore. He communicated to her telepathically, "I've decided to take you with me. They told me you could come with me if you're ready to leave. Are you ready to come with me?" She understood that going with him would mean physical death, and she wanted to go with him.

"Yes, I'm ready to go with you."

As soon as she answered him she felt a pang of indecision. She asked herself, Am I really ready to go? She wondered if she should really give up her goals, her future, to die now. She felt as though she hadn't lived yet, there was so much she wanted to accomplish. No sooner did she doubt her state of readiness to physically die then she found herself standing back on the dock. She could see her dad alone in the rowboat in the middle of the bay and felt his sadness at losing her. She heard a sweet female voice in her mind but the voice wasn't talking to her, it was talking to Dan.

"She's not ready to go. It's not her time yet."

When Amy awoke from her dream she felt strongly that it was not just a dream, there was an element of reality to it that a mere dream wouldn't have. Surely her father had attempted to rescue her from life and take her with him into the next world. She was right of course. Dan's love for her was so intense that he wanted to keep and protect her into eternity. Of course, it couldn't be done that way. She had to finish her incarnation. There was no way that he could cut her life short, they both understood that. Amy never forgot that dream though.

While Amy, in her physical world, packed her bags and prepared to return to college, Dan, in his spiritual world, told Orli he was ready to go with her to the next life. Orli placed her small delicate hand under Dan's arm and guided him up. They rose swiftly, high above Earth's astral planes and through a dark tunnel, and over a shimmering rainbow bridge.

A black sparkling ocean glistened beneath the bridge.

"What body of water is that?" Dan asked.

"That is the water that separates the Heavens from the Earth. It separates the living from the dead, the land of physical life from the land of spiritual life. It separates realities, or dimensions if you prefer."

As Orli explained the watery barrier between Heaven and Earth, they emerged into the beautiful soft lights that glowed on the shores of Eternity.

There, standing on the shore and waiting for Dan, were all the souls of all the loves that he had ever known. These were the kindred souls from all of his lives. The last remnant of amnesia was lifted and Dan remembered his soul life, all of his incarnations, and all of his loved ones. Although he didn't remember the details of his prior incarnations, he remembered that he had lived many other lives. He was engulfed in feelings of peace and euphoria as he enjoyed an exquisite reunion with all of the loving souls who had come to welcome him back into the land of Heaven.

CHAPTER FOUR: SOUL TRAIN

Dan felt that it was wonderful beyond description to be reunited with all of his loved ones. After that brief but intense reception, he felt a significant healing process begin. Orli explained that the negativity of life on Earth, fraught with stress and suffering can cause damage to a soul's energy. Dan was surprised to learn that returning souls can suffer anything from minimal wounds to severe damage. He had actually endured only mild suffering from the harmful effects of most recent life.

After the greeting party dispersed, Orli conveyed Dan to a special place of healing, a sort of heavenly hospital. In the midst of a beautiful garden there was a golden shaft of light pouring down from an unseen source. Orli elevated Dan into that light. His supernal body floated in the purifying energy and rejuvenated him. At the same time, Dan's residual soul energy, his "over-soul," was merged back with him. Whenever souls incarnate they take only a portion of their soul energy into human form and leave some energy at home, in the land of Heaven. The part of energy that is left behind, the over-soul, continues to learn and to grow. Its energy force is less intense until it is reunited with the incarnate soul after the physical life is over. This remnant of energy is what merged back with Dan in the healing light. He drifted out of the golden shaft refreshed, renewed and reunited with all of his soul energy.

After he emerged from the healing light, when Dan looked at Orli, he no longer perceived her to be wearing a lavender gown. Instead, he realized that Orli was made of lavender light. When he looked down at his own body, Dan saw that his own light was a combination of yellow and green. His form was human-like, but smaller than he had been in his physical life. Dan remembered the meaning of the colors of his soul, he remembered that when he was a new soul he was snow white: the color of innocence and newness. After many human lives, he began to turn a pale-yellow color, which demonstrated that he was beginning to gain some wisdom and experience. Over many lives, Dan was slowly evolving as a healer, which was why he was turning green. At the same time his yellow color was becoming more vivid, signifying that he was a brave and protective soul. He remembered that as souls progress in their quest for love and compassion, their soul color darkens.

Orli led Dan to a lovely private garden where they sat on white wicker chairs and had a talk.

Orli began, "Tell me about your life's success."

They talked about all love he had given, the people he had helped and knowledge he gained during his life. But, they also talked about areas of regret, like his difficulties with his wife Marlene, and his son Elliot.

"Now that my energy is restored from Earth, and we talked about my last life, are we going to meet with the council of elders?"

"Yes, it's time to go to the Crystal Palace and meet with the Council of Elders. They will review a global picture of all of your last lives, with special attention focused on your most recent life. This can be intimidating, but I will be with you. I will stay by your side and help you whenever you need my intervention." As she made this promise, Orli placed one hand under Dan's arm and gently guided him up, over the private little garden, and into the baby blue sky above. The lavender being of light, Orli, and the yellow-green being of light, Dan, flew in unison away from the garden and through Heaven's skyway.

As they zipped along Dan had a fleeting memory of sitting in rush hour traffic on Interstate-95. How he had wished he could elevate his car and fly over traffic! He used to sit in his car and listen to classical music, to keep from becoming overstressed as traffic crawled slowly down the highway. It would be nice to hear some heartening classical music right now, to help me keep my courage up, Dan thought nervously.

While entertaining this thought he suddenly heard a chorus of heavenly instruments provide some familiar music: "The Ride of the Valkyries" by Wagner. It warmed and lightened his heart to know that heavenly forces were gathering to give him a feeling of exuberance and bravery as he flew to his meeting with the elders who would hold him accountable for everything he had done in his last life. A sense of humor is one of the things you CAN take with you after death! In heaven, money and fame are useless, but other valuables that we can take with us to our next life are love, beauty of spirit, compassion, kindness, humor, and wisdom.

While Danny was enjoying the music, he remembered it as the highlight of the world's most boring opera, "The Flying Dutchman." He had nearly fallen asleep in that opera, only his uncomfortably tight collar and tie had kept him awake. But her remembered the same music in the adorable movie "Ghost Busters." Who knew that he would enjoy this music again, from the perspective of the ghost?

High on a mountain of white clouds, set against a pristine azure sky, towered the Crystal Palace. It rose out of the clouds glittering with rays of iridescent light and looked like a magical castle, made of shimmering crystal walls, domes and turrets. As Dan and Orli coasted into the palace, through an entrance hall and into a waiting room, Dan looked around and saw beautiful prisms of colored lights streaming in through the transparent walls and ceilings of the mansion. Dust particles floating in the horns of colored light brought to mind the poetic phrase "the perfumed light."

He looked around and realized that Orli had led him into an atrium decorated with energy fields that slowly changed shapes and colors while soft and peaceful music emanated from these heavenly works of art. Lovely pastel flowers and verdant plants filled the air with their sweet floral scents and generated a peaceful and restful environment. This was all designed to help anxious souls remain calm while they waited for their turn to meet with a council of elders. Each soul had a different council of elders that would meet with them.

When it was Dan's turn to enter the council chamber, he walked in and discovered that the room was round and roofed by a high crystal dome. The perfumed light of gently colored rainbow rays streamed into the room. In the center of the room, on a dais, was a kidney shaped table. As Daniel and Orli entered the chamber on their side, three wise souls, of dark purple hue, entered from the other side of the room. These were the master spirits; they seated themselves in high backed chairs at the convex side of the table. Dan remained standing, and faced the center on the concave side of the table. Orli remained behind and to the left of Dan; she was there to give him support.

The first elder, Tsadeke, presented himself as a male entity. He had long white hair and a long beard flowing down over his robe. He wore a round head covering and an emblem hanging from a chain around his neck rested on his chest. The emblem had a decoration: Torah scrolls. Hebrew writing was engraved on the emblem, but Dan didn't understand it. The emblem was worn to remind Dan of one of his earlier lives, as a biblical Jew. It was also Tsadeke's personal symbol, which stood for justice and righteousness.

The second elder, Justine, presented herself as an exotic looking woman. She wore her silver hair swept up in an elegant coiffure. She also had an emblem hanging from a long chain that rested on her chest. Her emblem depicted a totem pole. This emblem was a reminder for Dan of a prior life in a native culture in which he was an apprentice totem pole artist.

The third Elder did not have a gender. He-she was a deep shade of purple but wore a golden robe. This Elder, Ahav, also wore an emblem. This emblem featured a big red heart, which was worn to honor Dan for the great love that he had for Amy and for the love and compassion that he had shown to many people across many lives. The emblem of a big red heart was also Ahav's signature symbol: Ahav stands for love.

These elders emanated a warm golden light and they bathed Daniel in peaceful and harmonious vibrations.

"We are not here to judge you, we are here to help you understand your life's lessons. We will review your strengths and weaknesses over the spectrum of all of your lives, and with special emphasis on your most recent incarnation. Our purpose is to help you assess where you are in the process of becoming an advanced loving entity." The council spoke in unison by projecting whole thoughts into Dan's mind, rather than by speaking in individual words. Then the council presented Dan with an overview of all of his physical incarnations, especially his last life.

Ahav directed a thoughtful question to Dan, "Do you remember what your life goals were for your most recent life?"

They discussed the details of Dan's success and failures relative to his most recent life's goals. The fact that Danny did not achieve all of his life goals did not present a total failure, because his intentions were steadfastly imbued with pure love. By Heaven's standards, true and sincere intentions outweigh results. So, even though Dan's actions did not achieve the desired results, his motives and desires were always on the right track. He meant well, and that's what counted most. The Elders warmly approved Dan's random acts of kindness. Then they reviewed all of his lives.

Tsadeke said, "This has been a summary of your achievements and failures over all of your lifetimes. The purpose of this review is to enable us all to determine what lessons you have successfully completed and what lessons you still need to work on in future lives."

Justine added, "You will have ample opportunity to review this past life, and all of your other lives in detail before your next incarnation. That is the work you will do with your soul group and on your own. This meeting was not detailed, but we purposely wanted to provide you with an overview of your progress."

Last, Ahav asked Dan, "What goals do you think you need to set for your next life?"

Dan thought about this and quickly tried to assimilate all that he had learned from the council. "I need to continue to work on increasing my confidence and improve my ability to communicate in a direct and honest manner. I have to get over my fear of confrontation."

The Elders were in agreement. Tsadeke, Justine, and Ahav elevated gently out of their chairs and floated above the kidney shaped table. They held their arms high while Danny and Orli drifted up to join them. Orli joined the Elders in the action of raising her arms and Danny bowed his head. The Elders and Orli commended Daniel for all of his good deeds and then they said a prayer for hope and strength, for Dan's continued progress toward achieving his life's goals, and to remain on his path.

The formidable meeting with the Council of Elders was over and Dan felt relieved. His good deeds and soul progress had outweighed his poor choices and errors. He left the meeting with renewed determination to focus on his goals.

"Where are we going now?" Dan asked Orli.

"I'm taking you to the Heavenly equivalent of Grand Central Station, from there you will enter a high vibration energy force that will return you to your soul group."

They ascended from the Crystal Palace, flew over the mountain of clouds, and descended to an area where intense bright lights, like millions of twinkling stars, were pulsing against the surrounding dark purple sky.

"What are all of those lights crowded into one place?" Dan asked.

"Those are the millions of souls who have returned from their physical incarnations and are returning home, as you are. There are so many souls traveling at the same time that they light up the area like fireflies! That's why we have Grand Central Station, so everyone can travel safely and arrives at the correct destination on time. It's very organized. Once I set you on the journey, you will follow a particular vibration that will beam you home."

Instantly Dan found himself hurtling along a vibrating path. As he beamed along, he was aware that many other souls were on a similar journey, following his path, and passing him on other paths, a veritable soul train. He passed clusters of lights that were other soul groups. Eventually, he passed some soul groups that were associated with his own, and he felt them send out warm greetings and welcome him home as he whizzed by them.

Finally, he spotted his own soul group, instinctively recognizing their vibrations and lights. He glided off of the soul train, swerving neatly into the area where his soul group lived. As he zoomed in for a landing he felt his soul group cheering him in welcome.

CHAPTER FIVE: HONEY I'M HOME

The fun of living in Heaven is that you can create your own environment. You can mentally conjure up any type of home and surroundings that you want and you can do this as an individual or as a group. You can recreate New York City, a European village, or invent a new environment never experienced on Earth. Most soul groups create an environment that reminds them of a special Earth life that they all experienced together. Dan's soul group created a dwelling from a life in the ancient world.

He looked around at the home that he and his soul group had jointly conjured up to remind them of one of their favorite lives. They had all been together, all members of the same tribe, in an earlier, ancient, incarnation. An oasis of palm trees, rolling hills, and beautiful green grass were spread out around their tent, behind one side was a lush garden. Glancing inside, Dan noticed that the tent was furnished with a tapestry rug. Beautiful silk pillows were thrown around randomly. Of course, they did not have such luxurious surroundings when they lived in tents on Earth. The pleasure of making a Heavenly home is that you can create any illusion that delights you.

Four souls of blue, yellow and white hues were standing in front of the large open-sided tent. These were some of the members of Dan's soul group; three others in the group were not there. Dan recognized his four dear soul friends. In his most recent life they had been older acquaintances. However, in most of his prior lives, they had been central players.

The first to greet him was Ben, a white-yellow energy entity. He embraced Dan in a warm welcome. Then, buttercup-yellow Hagete, greeted him. Next came Will who had turned white-yellow, although he had been turning a pale blue before his most recent incarnation. This was a clear sign that he had regressed for some reason. Last, Laura, who was starting to turn a bluish white.

As Dan advanced into the tent he saw three other souls, their energy was dim, they were resting. The three sleeping souls were the over-souls of Marlene, Amy, and Elliot. They awakened to greet him, and were able to communicate and participate with the soul group, but with decreased intensity. Of course, they were very different without the barriers and restraints imposed by a human body. In Heaven, they were all loving beings.

When Dan looked at Amy's over-soul, he experienced a sensation of great adoration that came bubbling up from the depths of his being and burst forth in a shimmering intensity of love-light. Amy laughed with delight and swiftly swept forward into the halo of sparkling light that emanated from Dan. They briefly blended in a soul embrace. When Amy stepped back from their embrace the couple was still encased in slowly fading glittering cloud of love-light. Dan felt a profound expanse of deep true love for Amy that charged his soul with a powerful passion.

This is when Dan realized that Amy was his true soul mate, his spiritual love. In most of their incarnations Amy had been his wife. Occasionally they switched genders. In some lives Dan incarnated as a female and Amy incarnated as a male. At those times Dan would be the wife and Amy would be the husband. In this last life Amy incarnated as Dan's daughter. Marlene did Dan a favor and incarnated as his wife, although she was usually Elliot's soul mate-lover.

Amy and Dan had incarnated together as soul mates over so many lives and so many centuries that they were too much in tune with each other to be spouses for Dan's most recent life goals. He got along with Amy so well in their physical lives that he would never have had a problem with honest and direct communication because they would rarely have had confrontations. Dan needed to work on improving his confidence, learning direct and honest communication, and improve his ability to handle confrontation. He needed a human spouse who would give him an opportunity to achieve his goals. He knew that his relationships with Amy in their many physical incarnations was too peaceful to provide him with a chance to reach his life's goals. That's why Marlene did him a favor and became his spouse in their last life.

A world of insight unfolded for Dan, as he began to understand his family relationships from a soul perspective. It all started to make sense. During his last incarnation, he had a special and protective love for Amy, because she was his true soul mate. Meanwhile, Marlene and Elliot had a love-hate relationship because they were torn and confused about being mother and son after so many incarnations as husband and wife. This shed a whole new light on the concept of an "Oedipus Complex." A son who is in love with his mother might well be her true soul mate in their spiritual life.

Dan also now understood a new aspect of his relationship with Elliot as father and son. Underlying their relationship, at a soul level, was the knowledge that Dan was married to Elliot's soul mate. That created a deep, subconscious emotional struggle between them. No wonder there had been so much tension in the family.

Dan noticed that Elliot's energy was the dimmest of the three souls who were still incarnate. Elliot had taken about sixty percent of his soul energy with him, in his human form, leaving only thirty percent in Heaven. This was probably the cause of some of his hyperactive volatile human behavior. Too much soul energy tends to blow the circuits of the human nervous system.

The most interesting aspect of the meeting with Marlene, Elliot, and Amy was that Dan realized that in their true soul forms they were very different from their human personas. Amy, of course, was more mature and self-assured. Elliot was calmer and all friction between Elliot and Dan was gone. Marlene was a giving and loving soul who had made a sacrifice for Dan. She had entered a life in which she endured an unhappy marriage to give Dan an opportunity to grow as a soul.

After thanking her for giving him a chance to practice new skills in their most recent life, Dan asked her what she was getting out of it for herself. Marlene laughed and told him, "I'm learning to share and to trust. Later in my current incarnation I will depend more on my children. I will also have an opportunity to remarry and become a better and happier spouse in the next marriage."

Dan was still so newly returned to Heaven he couldn't remember how the split soul energy worked. He asked Marlene to explain it, "Are you in touch with your physical self? Do you know what is happening in your incarnate life while your over-soul is here continuing your soul life?"

Marlene thought for a few seconds and formulated an answer.

"I sense what is happening in the physical form, yet I am free to study and learn spiritual lessons here in Heaven. This part of my soul energy spends some time overseeing my physical life and sometime participating in spiritual growth. Our souls can multi-task, like a computer. The part of our soul energy that remains in Heaven functions as a spiritual supervisor of the portion of our soul that is incarnate on Earth."

Danny nodded in understanding, and then he turned his attention to Will. In the last life, he had known Will briefly as an acquaintance, the son of a casual friend. Dan used to sail with a group of professionals and executives in Miami. Will was the young adult son of one of those professionals and he had been with his parents on a few sailing trips. Dan heard later that Will had moved out of Miami, and he then lost track of him.

Dan said, "I know something very dramatic must have happened to you, Will, in your last life, because your color regressed from light blue to white-yellow. How did that happen?"

Will hung his head in a gesture of deep sorrow, "To be honest, I only came back to the soul group to welcome you home. I've been staying apart from the group, studying in isolation. I had a horrible failure in my last life. I entered my last life with a mission to provide encouragement, love and compassion to others in my community. Unfortunately, my soul was overruled by my body's physical drives. The force of sexual desire consumed my mind and overshadowed both my heart and my soul. To my eternal shame and remorse, I focused my lust on children, little boys. The harm that I caused these children will haunt me for all eternity."

"I remember meeting you on a few sailing trips, remember that? You seemed like such a nice, peaceful, confident man. I had no idea that any of this was going on. I can understand how a physical human body can overpower the soul with sexual lust, but couldn't you stop yourself from hurting children?" Dan asked.

Will hung his head even lower, "I struggled to overcome these sick, base desires, but I couldn't get control of my physical body. When I was publicly exposed as a child molester, the disgrace and dishonor was so unbearable that I chose to commit suicide."

Dan was stunned, "Didn't suicide just make it even worse? Was your council of elders harsh with you when you arrived in Heaven early?"

Will responded, "I don't think anything could be worse than hurting innocent children. They weren't happy that I committed suicide, but the far greater crime was using children for sex. My council of elders severely chastised me."

"What is going to happen to you now?"

"My punishment is of my own making. I have placed myself in a self-imposed prison. I stay in a cold, dark, remote portion of eternity, living in a small gray cell. I am performing a detailed study of my last life, reliving all the anguish and pain that I caused my victims, feeling all the suffering from their perspective. I will have to find a way to make amends to each boy that I hurt. It will take many lifetimes, great effort and self- torment, but I will compensate each of my victims, of that you can be sure."

A feeling of anguish washed over Daniel's soul, both for Will and for his victims. Keenly feeling the shame and pain that Will was tortured with, Dan put his arm around Will.

"I know in my heart that you are a good soul. We all know that there are no guarantees in life. Once we are in the physical body on Earth we become in danger of being consumed by that body's drives and needs. I share your sorrow. I admit that some part of me is grateful that I didn't succumb to my physical body. I was fortunate to have had a body and mind that I was able to control."

All of the members of the soul group embraced Will and showered him with supportive energy.

Amy reminded Will, "You won't be alone. Orli will still continue to guide you in your soul growth. When you are ready to return to our soul group, we will be here to welcome you back. You have our love and support."

Will nodded and thanked her, "I love you all. I feel as though I don't even deserve this kindness. I am repenting, studying my mistakes, and planning ways to compensate the souls that I have wounded."

He sat down shoulders hunched and head lowered. Everyone took a seat on the tapestry rug and reclined on the silk pillows. Hagete rested her buttercup-yellow form on a bright grass green pillow with dark forest green fringe. She offered her story in the hope of adding a new dimension to Will's plight.

"In my last life, I had a very bitter experience and I was royally wronged by someone I loved and trusted. I don't want to add to your down feelings, Will, but I might shed a new light on your situation. I was raised in a wealthy family and I had a significant inheritance from my grandparents. They had set up trust funds for me and for my children.

"I married my high school sweetheart, a boy from a poor family, and we were madly in love. I never bothered going to college or going to work. We got married right after high school and my family's money paid for my husband's education and for our family support while he went to school. He became an accountant and started his own business; mostly he handled my family's money. We had one son who was the love of our lives.

"After twenty years of marriage I came home one day and found a note from my husband. He had taken my money and our son's money from our respective trust funds. He ran away with a younger woman to another country and disappeared forever."

Dan and the others were looking at Hagete, shaking their heads in surprised sympathy. Dan suddenly remembered how he had known Hagete in their last life; she had been one of his patients for a few years. Hagete continued, "I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. I had no idea that someone who I loved and trusted with all my heart could do something so horrible. I had no education, no job, and no experience in the working world. My parents and grandparents were deceased, I had no family to support me or help me. I had to go to work for minimum wage. I lost my home and all the luxuries I had always taken for granted. I didn't even have any money to send my teenage son to college. My husband had stolen our son's college funds as well.

"I hired lawyers and detectives but we never found him. Since he didn't divorce me I wasn't free to remarry. He ruined my life. I lived in deep, bitter resentment for the rest of my physical life. I came home to Heaven repeating the question that had haunted me on Earth: What did I do to deserve this treatment?

"I've been studying my books of life and guess what? In a prior life, I was married to the same soul. In that life, I betrayed him and hurt him as deeply as he had hurt me in my most recent life.

"So, here's the point, Will, don't be surprised if you discover that the boys you hurt in this life had harmed you in a prior life. I'm not saying that that's an excuse for your behaviors. What you did was wrong. It's just that when someone causes pain in one life they are likely to then receive pain from that victim in a later life.

"Orli has been guiding me in my life studies and she taught me recently that our true real goal is to break out of the vicious cycles of hurting each other. It's easier said than done of course. It's important to remember that no life stands alone. Each of our relationships is influenced by past life experiences with the souls we encounter."

Will told Hagete, "I appreciate your point of view, but whatever these boys did to me in the past, there was no justification for my behavior toward them in my last life. I'm afraid that I will be mortified for all eternity. I really just came back here to welcome Dan and to see how everyone in our group is doing. I want to hear everyone's story, but then I'm going back to my cell to repent and to study in solitude."

Ben spoke up next; "I don't know if my story is going to help you, Will, but I want to share what happened to me in my last life too. I guess I had a similar experience to Hagete, at least to a point, but I didn't do anything to my wife in any past life to deserve what happened to me. Here's what happened: I also married my childhood sweetheart. In fact, she was the girl next door. I didn't go to college either, but I earned a decent living as a plumber. I worked hard to become a master plumber and I owned my own business. I did quite well. We had two children who were the sun and the moon and the stars to me. My wife didn't have to work and she stayed home with the kids. I thought we were happy."

Hagete interrupted, "It sounds as though you were a good husband, Ben. I should have married you!"

Ben chuckled his appreciation, and then Dan asked him, "Didn't you come to my house a few times to fix our plumbing?"

"Yes, it's funny how it works in physical lives. You encounter people from your soul group and you feel like you like them, like you knew them all your life, even though they are just casual acquaintances."

Dan answered, "I remember that I really liked you and I recommended your services to my neighbors and friends. I hope it helped."

"It did help," Ben assured him, his white-yellow body lounging on a pale blue silk pillow, he resumed his story. "Well, to continue, when the kids were in grade school my beloved and trusted wife left me for another man who had billions of dollars. Not millions, but billions. I don't even know how she met him. What was so wonderful about this man aside from his money? Nothing. In fact, the was actually a disabled man, confined to a wheel chair. I don't know how he made his money or what caused his disability, I only know he stole my wife and kids. She divorced me, married him, and moved to another state.

"I took her to court and we had a big custody battle. It took five years and a quarter of a million dollars in legal fees, but I finally won custody of my two kids. I knew I would spend the rest of my life paying off the legal fees but who cares? At least I had my kids and we were going to be a family again. Those kids were worth every penny to me. By the time I got my kids back they were teenagers."

"It's wonderful to know, Ben, that you had a happy ending. I'm glad you were able to get your children back, and to your credit you had the right value system. Love is far more valuable than money," Laura assured him.

"I know, Laura," Ben responded, "but that's not really the end of the story."

"What else happened?" Dan asked.

"The kids spent a few months with me, and then asked to go back to their mother. After spending five years living the jet set lifestyle, they missed having all the fun that money could buy. They loved money more than they loved me. I had to let them go."

"How did you cope after that?" Hagete asked.

"Very badly!" Ben sighed, and then continued the story; "My billionaire ex-wife had the nerve to demand that I pay her child support, like she needed the money. She knew I was already two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in debt to the lawyers. I absolutely refused to pay a single penny in child support for children who love money more than they love me."

"I'm afraid to ask," Laura said, "but what happened next?"

"Next I went to jail for not paying child support. After three months in jail I agreed to pay. I never remarried; I spent the rest of my life in bitterness and anger. My business failed, I was totally miserable. Like Hagete, I came to Heaven asking: What did I do to deserve this?"

"And?" queried Hagete.

"And I looked through my books of life, just like you did, Hagete, but guess what? I never did anything to deserve that wretched life. All of my past life relationships with the soul of my ex-wife involved fair and honorable dealings. I swear to you all that I did nothing to deserve this nightmare of a life that she put me through."

"This goes back to what Orli has been teaching me," Hagete interjected, "That our true goal is to break the viscous cycle of hurting each other."

"Hellooo? Are you listening to me? I just told you that I didn't do anything to this woman in ANY life to deserve this misery!" Ben was clearly exasperated with Hagete.

"Ben, I understand," Hagete explained, "but this is an opportunity. You can have another lifetime with this wicked woman and pay her back in kind, or you can forgive her and be done." Hagete reached out and placed her hand on Ben's sagging shoulder.

"I'll think about it," Ben sighed and promised, "but it's easier said than done."

Danny turned to Laura who was reclining on a pale pink silk pillow, "Well? You're the only one who didn't tell me about your most recent incarnation. I see you're a lovely blue-white color now. You must be doing something right, judging by your color you appear to be advancing!"

Laura laughed and told him, "I did do SOME things right, good news and bad news. As we all seem to be learning, soul growth often comes from pain and suffering. I actually can't complain too much about my last life. I worked as a social worker and I was able to help many people during that life. I was rewarded, not with money, but with that wonderful warm and fulfilling feeling that you get from helping others."

Will finally spoke up again, emerging from the depths of his deep shame and pain, "It sounds like you succeeded where I failed. I'm truly happy for you Laura."

"So, what was the bad news?" Dan asked.

"The bad news was that I suffered from obesity in my last life. I suffered terribly; I can't even begin to describe it. I blamed my parents for not giving me enough love or for not teaching me correct nutrition. I blamed my genes for predisposing me to be fat. I blamed my thyroid for being underactive. In fact, I blamed everyone and everything I could think of. The bottom line is that my body controlled me instead of me controlling it. I never did get control over it."

Will said, "I know the feeling. At least you didn't hurt anyone other than yourself."

Laura assured him, "Believe me, I'm grateful for that too. Like Hagete and Ben, I've been studying my books of life. In one life prior to this most recent one I suffered from starvation. I think the terrible fear of not getting enough food was imprinted on my soul and drove me to overeating. I'm not sure what lessons I've learned from this experience, but stay tuned, you'll all be the first to know when I figure it out."

Dan sat bolt upright from the mauve colored silk pillow he had been resting on.

"Oh wow! I just realized how I knew you on Earth, didn't you live down the street from me when I had my first house?"

"Yes, I was already an older woman by then and you were just starting out as a young dentist with a wife and a baby, right?"

Dan grinned and nodded. He suddenly realized that Amy, Marlene, and Elliot had been a silent trio during the soul group reunion. He turned his attention to them; they were sitting together on one side of the tent.

Amy immediately piped up, "Don't look at us, we're all still living our current incarnations! We'll figure it out when our current lives are over!"

"That's right," added Elliot, "We are literally all works in progress."

"I hate to break up this happy reunion, but I feel that it's time for me to leave you all," Will said.

They all rose and glided out of the tent with Will as he returned to his self-imposed exile. With words of encouragement and compassion they said goodbye and watched Will float slowly and mournfully out of sight, his white-yellow light getting dimmer as he moved away.

CHAPTER SIX: SOUL LESSONS

Dan glanced around at his soul friends, "What happens next?"

"We ought to get back to our soul lessons," Ben answered.

"Why don't we go to the library and read our books of life? Then we can meet in our classroom and talk about what we learned from our book lessons," Laura suggested.

Marlene spoke up, "You all go ahead. I've kind of sapped my energy with this reunion. I'm going to rest."

Amy and Elliot murmured agreement with Marlene, they also needed to rest. It's hard to function on only a portion of your energy. Ben, Laura, Hagete, and Dan glided out of the tent, over the oasis, past the garden to the library and left the others to rest.

The library was a five-story gray marble building with a two-story white pillared porch in the front. The first three floors were filled with classrooms where soul groups discussed their personal soul lessons. The top two floors were the libraries where the books of life were stored. Dan's group drifted up to the fifth floor and penetrated what appeared to be dense marble walls. Dan hesitated as he watched his soul friends go through solid walls and disappear from his view. Then he remembered that in Heaven all environments are strictly an illusion, everyone and everything is really made of light energy.

Right at that moment Laura's head and arm popped back out of the library wall. She winked at Danny while beckoning with her finger for him to follow, and then disappeared back inside the building. He smiled and followed her through the wall, easy as pie.

When he got inside Laura was waiting for him.

"Very funny," he grinned at her, "can we go trick-or-treating later?"

"Sure thing, remember how I suffered from obesity in my last life? How about if I go trick-or-treating dressed as one of Hugh Hefner's girls?"

As she spoke she projected an image of herself as a stunning sexy model in a string bikini.

"The great thing about Heaven is that I can do all the tricks and eat all the treats I want and not gain an ounce!"

She instantly conjured up a plate of fudge brownies, warm and moist as if from an unseen oven. The smell of fresh baked chocolate was intoxicating. Dan tasted a brownie, mmm mmm good, it wasn't quite the same as eating one in physical form, but the illusion was very pleasing.

"You're a great bake and a gorgeous ghost," he complimented her. "Where did Ben and Hagete go?" Dan looked around and realized that they were alone on the long marble hallway.

"They went down to the fourth floor to look at their own books of life. Our books of life are here on the fifth floor," Laura answered as she led the way down the hall. The brownies disappeared and Laura stopped projecting her image as a bikini model, she returned to her blue-white soul form. Dan followed her into a long room that was lined with book-laden shelves.

"Explain one thing to me," Dan requested.

"Fire away,"

"How can all of the millions of souls in Heaven share the use this library? Is it bigger than it looks?"

"No, it's as small as it looks. There are various libraries scattered around Heaven. Several soul groups in our community use this library and other communities of associated soul groups have their own library facilities. The Crystal palace and the soul train are two facilities that are shared by all of Heaven, but their access and use is highly structured and scheduled, so it all works out fine," Laura explained.

In the center of the room was a series of shiny mahogany tables. Souls of varying colors were seated in plush upholstered red velvet chairs, hunched over their respective tomes, engrossed in past life studies. Each soul had a shimmering veil around them for privacy. The veils were transparent to an extent, an onlooker could see the soul and the book, but couldn't see any details of what each individual was studying.

"How will I know which books are mine?" Dan asked Laura.

"Look for the ones that are glowing, your books will be glowing in a way that only you can see. If you still can't find them ask the librarian," she answered, pointing to a lavender-silver soul who appeared to be a sweet older woman, silvery hair in a bun, looking prim in her Victorian style gown. "See you later," Laura sailed off to find her own books.

Dan drifted around the library but he couldn't find any glowing books. He went to look for the librarian and quickly spotted her diagonally across the room from him. She sensed his need for her and turned toward him. Without coming over she transmitted a thought to him and gestured to the top of a book shelve that was across the aisle from her and down the aisle from Dan. He moved to that spot and understood that he should elevate himself up to see his books. Sure enough, there were three glowing books and he saw that each had his name on them. There was one that glowed more intensely than the others so that was the one he chose.

The book looked enormous and heavy, but in reality, it was light as a feather. It emanated a soft golden light from its dark brown cover. He took it off the shelf and settled down in a velvet chair, resting his book of life on the mahogany table. On the cover of the book his name was written in both English and Hebrew in white fire. Under his name was a symbol ח that looked like the Greek character "Pi" but it wasn't. Dan's knowledge of Hebrew provided the correct meaning for this symbol: it was a Hebrew letter that means life.

Dan opened the book and it spontaneously burst open to a particular page, obviously there was a reason for that to happen. As he leaned forward to read the book he sensed the shimmering semi-transparent veil of privacy envelope him to shield him from curious eyes. Looking down at the open page Dan realized that there were no words in this book; instead there was a multi-sensory movie of one of his past lives. At first it looked like a little holographic film but Dan was suddenly sucked into the book where he became the main character and relived a scene from a former life.

Glancing around he found himself crouched in the clearing of a forest, it felt like summer time. He was a young boy of about twelve or thirteen years of age. Looking down he realized that he was scantily dressed in some rough homemade garment. His hairless skin was toast brown, he saw pin straight jet-black strands of hair falling in front of his eyes. Spread out in the clearing before him were cedar wood poles and tools to carve a totem pole. He was alone in the clearing; the noises of small animals, buzzing of insects and rustling of leaves were the only sounds he heard. The air was fragrant with perfume of foliage, wood, wild flowers, and clean, unpolluted, fresh air.

Probing the mind of the young boy, Dan realized that he was an apprentice totem pole maker. He felt the child's mind immersed in self-doubt as he looked at the materials in front of him. "Can I do this? Will I be able to successfully complete the task?" he questioned himself. This work represented his first great responsibility to his tribe, not only from a spiritual perspective but from a technical and artistic perspective too. He asked himself again, "Can I carve a totem pole that will look like a master work?" While Dan could hear the boy's thoughts he could not impose any thoughts of his own on the child's mind. He could only re-experience what already had occurred in this past life episode.

Dan felt the mind of his former self, the Indian boy, having a déjà vu experience. With a start, he suddenly realized that this must be one of the possible underlying causes of the déjà vu phenomena. When you think you've been there and done that before it's perhaps because you are re-experiencing a moment in time from an after-life soul viewpoint. At some subconscious level the human mind psychically connects with the soul energy that has returned through time and space to re-experience that instant.

The native boy reached out with hesitant motions and grasped a carving tool. Crouched on the ground in the dry, dusty, beige dirt of the clearing the boy worked with the cedar wood and clumsily attempted to create a totem pole to suite his tribe's needs. While the boy was diligently working, Dan's soul mind recalled the modern tools and delicate precision of his work as a twentieth century American dentist. He immediately realized the connection between these two lives and the artistic link between totem pole carving and dentistry, each requiring skilled hand-eye coordination, detailed hand movements, artistry and precision. Each incarnation had also engaged in healing arts as totems were used for spiritual healing and dentistry was a type of physical healing.

The young Indian boy was too young and too inexperienced to do justice to the work of art that he was attempting. When he finally finished the totem pole it was asymmetric and poorly carved. Dan felt the boy's sinking feeling about his poor craftsmanship and feared he had overestimated his own skill. He really had thought that he was ready to create his first totem pole with at least adequate artistry. He knew he had wasted valuable cedar wood in the process of screwing up the totem pole assignment. Never the less, with great trepidation, he brought the finished product back to his tribesmen. Perhaps, he thought, they will give me credit for being brave enough to attempt to create my fist totem pole.

When the clan's shaman saw the lopsided clumsy looking totem pole that the boy presented to him, he became furious. Standing in front of the frightened boy, the shaman berated him, red faced, eyes popping, and screaming in anger. The boy was only supposed to assist the master artist, not try to do the job himself. His misuse of valuable resources would cost the tribe in both a material and a spiritual way. The shaman raged on with the cords of his neck on the verge of bursting while the boy stood with hanging head, mortified.

Dan felt the boy's shame at being publicly reprimanded for having failed as a craftsman and for having misunderstood his role as an apprentice in this assignment. The young Indian boy was so deeply hurt that his ego was scarred. He felt light-headed in the heat of the day and from the anger of the shaman. The boy fainted, his body prone in the dust and surrounded by his disapproving clan looking down at his unconscious body.

In a heartbeat Dan found himself sitting up in his velvet library chair and he closed his book. The privacy veil vanished in a blink. Reliving that highly emotional unpleasant past life episode left him feeling drained. He sat at the mahogany table wondering why he had been led to relive that particular life fragment. Obviously, some unseen Heavenly forces had choreographed this experience for him, but why?

While he sat slumped and exhausted over his closed book of life, a hand tapping him on the shoulder disrupted Dan's concentration. He looked back and saw Laura hovering behind him. "Let's go meet the others in our classroom," she whispered. Dan floated out of his chair and returned his book of life to its appropriate shelf, then followed Laura out of the library. They drifted down the hall and descended a hollow tube to the second floor. From there they crossed the hall and entered their soul group's classroom.

The room was small, just large enough to contain a round oak wood table with eight matching chairs around it, one for each member of the group. In one corner, there was an old-fashioned globe of Earth. Since they had all been American in their last modern lives, a red, white and blue American flag hung from another corner of the room. The back wall was adorned by a big bay window, which overlooked a beautiful little tree ornamented park. Dan smiled, reminding himself that all of this was just a charming illusion, created by Heavenly light.

Hagete and Ben were already in the room, Ben was seated at the table and Hagete was curled up on the window seat. Laura wafted over to the window and snuggled into a corner next to Hagete. Taking a seat at the table, Dan told his soul group about the Indian boy he used to be and the totem pole fiasco. "What did it mean though?" Dan asked them, "Why did the powers-that-be lead me to this past life memory?"

"It must have something to do with the life goals that you are working on," Hagete offered. She looked so youthful and innocent, a buttercup-yellow light form sitting on the window seat, framed by the forest green leafy treetops peeping through the window behind her.

Ben nodded in agreement with Hagete. Laura directed Dan to tell them what goals he had set in his meeting with the council of elders. So, Dan dutifully reported his three goals: to gain confidence, learn direct honest communication, and stop fearing confrontation.

Ben pointed out, "I can see why you learned to fear confrontation after that scalding humiliation from the shaman. Maybe this was the incident that caused you to have a fear of confrontation."

Laura turned to Dan and remarked, "Perhaps this lesson was related to communication because the little Indian boy clamed up instead of verbally defending himself to the shaman."

"No, this lesson was about confidence," Hagete asserted. "The little Indian boy was doubting himself to begin with, and to end with his confidence was shattered by the verbal tongue lashing he received from the shaman. Instead of giving him hope, encouragement and gently reproving him, the shaman scathingly shamed him and undermined the boy's self-esteem with ego and soul scarring viciousness."

"Hagete's right," Dan conceded, "I feel it to the core. This must have been the past life episode that caused me to lose self-confidence to begin with. As Ben pointed out, this is how I must have learned to fear confrontation too. I probably carried a psychic scar through several lifetimes. Now though, in analyzing that life experience, it strikes me that the shaman was an immature bully and he inappropriately overreacted.

He certainly didn't do anything helpful for the boy, all he did was cause a harm that apparently lasted several lifetimes!"

Laura leaned over and touched Dan's wrist, "Sometimes all it takes is a realization like this to overcome trauma. You're finally at a point of soul maturity where you can look at this shaman and see him in the correct perspective. He wasn't the great leader that the little Indian boy perceived him to be; the shaman had his own limitations. He wronged the little boy that you once were with a lasting and soul scaring damage. I think you must be ready now to rise above the pain and self-doubt that he inflicted on you so long ago."

Dan was reflecting on this when the classroom door was flung open and Amy entered the room. As always, Amy's presence caused a warm and happy feeling to flood through Dan's being. He smiled to see her. "I'm sorry to interrupt you all but Dan, Amy needs you in her incarnate form as your daughter," Amy's over-soul told him.

"What's wrong?" Dan asked, instantly alarmed for his beloved's welfare.

"She's in a deep depression right now and she desperately needs to know that you are with her in spirit," Amy's over-soul reported.

"What caused her depression?" Dan was surprised and concerned.

"She is graduating from college in June and she's so depressed that you won't be at her graduation."  
Dan nearly burst out laughing, "You're mad! She can't be graduating! I've only been here for two days, she's just finishing her first year of college!"

Everyone was silently observing him, Dan felt a little uncomfortable, "It's a joke, right?" He looked around at the silent group, "Right?"

No one answered for a few seconds, finally Ben explained to him, "Heaven has no linear time, Dan. You feel like you've been here for two days but our perception of time doesn't correlate to time on Earth."

"What seems like only a few minutes in Heaven could be years on Earth," Laura added.

Dan was flabbergasted, "You mean that THREE YEARS HAS PASSED since I came to Heaven?"

"Three years on Earth," answered Amy's over-soul.

Dan was speechless; it seemed so hard to believe. He numbly stood up and followed Amy out of the room. She turned to assure him, "It will be OK, you'll see. You'll get used it the way things go here. The good news is that it will seem like such a short time before Amy, Elliot and Marlene finish their physical lives and one by one they will return to us. When my over-soul is reunited with the soul energy that is in Amy's physical life then I will be able to spend more time with you, I will be running on full power then!"

Amy led Dan out of the library and down through a lovely winding garden path.

"Just focus on Amy's love light and you will find her."

Dan's concentrated and found his beloved daughter, Amy sitting on her bed in her university dormitory room, looking sad, and holding a book that she wasn't reading.

"How do I help her?" Dan wondered as his heart went out to her.

"Just focus your love on her. We might have to wait until she goes to sleep though, then you can enter her dream with a message. But first we can try to get a message through to her conscious mind."

Dan focused his love on Amy; he tried to project comforting thoughts into her mind. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to get through a mind that is clouded with pain. After what seemed to be a second in Heaven's time she put her book away, turned off the light and crept under her covers. It didn't seem to take long before she was sleeping. Dan decided to send her a dream, with the help of Amy's over-soul. First, they constructed a mental image of the family's home, and they led Amy's dream mind to that location. Then they guided her to a meeting with Dan in her dream state.

Amy dreamt that she was in her bedroom at home. She decided to walk through the house to see who else was there. She sensed her mom was in the master bedroom. She passed that room and went across the house and down another hallway to her father's office, which was furnished just as it had been during his life. When she entered his office, to her immense pleasure she found her daddy sitting at his desk. Just as she had done when she was in grade school, she ran to his side and crawled into his lap. She had the incredible feeling of pure joyous love envelope her being.

When she woke up in the morning she realized that she had had one those dreams that was too real to be a product of her own mind. She knew in her heart that she had really been with her dad. In reality, her mother had redecorated her father's office, and it was now an exercise room that housed her mother's treadmill and stationary bike. But in her dream the office appeared exactly as it had been when her daddy was alive. She still felt depressed that her dad would not be at her graduation, but she knew that he was with her in spirit. She felt the power of his love transcend time and space to comfort her.

Dan felt better too, because he realized that he had been able to comfort his darling daughter and soul mate. He turned to Amy's over-soul, and told her, "Of all the people on Earth, and all the souls in Heaven, you alone are the greatest love of all my lives, both incarnate and in soul form."

"And you have always been mine," she assured him.

They briefly blended their energy together in sweet unison, forming a tender bond. Amy's over-soul escorted Danny back to his soul class then she went back to rest in the tent. When Dan reentered the classroom, he found that Orli had joined the group.

"Just in time to discuss your new job," she greeted him.

"You mean I have to work? I thought the reward of coming to Heaven is that you don't have to go to work anymore!" he cried out in mock alarm.

"You thought wrong," Orli, informed him with her musical wind chime laughter, "All G-d's children have to work, even in heaven."

"I guess they don't need a dentist in heaven?" he queried.

"No, but we need a healer," she answered sweetly.

"How does one perform healing in heaven?" Dan inquired.

"Let me give you an overview of the type of work your soul group mates are engaged in," Orli responded, "Laura, is a counselor soul. She works with the souls of people who die as children and she helps them get acclimated to Heaven. As you might have guessed, this is an extension of her life work on Earth as a social worker. Ben, on the other hand, is learning how to manipulate energy into environmental fields and creations. He has always been involved in creating, restoring, and servicing natural resources. In his last life he was a plumber, involved with water as a resource for hygiene and health."

"And Hagete?" Dan asked gesturing toward the bay window where Hagete was still cuddled up on the window seat.

Hagete answered for herself, "I work with baby souls who have not yet incarnated, I'm a nurturer of brand newborn infant souls. I didn't go to college or have a paying job in most of my last physical life, but I was a housewife. I managed and loved a family."

"That, lovely Hagete is the most noble of all professions!" Dan bowed to her. Turning to Orli he asked, "So what are my Heavenly employment options?"

"One option is to help generate the healing golden light that we use to restore souls who have been damaged from their physical lives, and reunites them with their over-souls. Remember when I brought you to the healing shower?" Orli inquired.

"Yes, I do, that's interesting. And the other options?" he asked.

"The other option is to answer prayers," Orli stated.

"Come again? Isn't that G-d's job?" Danny asked incredulous.

"Well, yes, of course G-d answers big prayers, but we help by answering little prayers," answered Orli, amused.

"Such as?" Dan countered.

"Remember when the Jews were suffering as slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years and they fervently prayed for divine intervention?" Orli asked.

"Yeah?" said Dan

"Well, that was a big prayer answered by G-d," explained Orli.

"Now, on the other hand, many simple prayers come up to Heaven daily and a healing soul can try to help out with those."

"I'm intrigued by the idea of being a prayer answerer. What kind of education or training do I need? When and how do I start?" Dan asked.

"You can start now. You will be assigned as a helper to an experienced master prayer answerer. As for gaining the appropriate education to take on this kind of job, this is what you have been doing in all your physical and soul lives!" Orli guaranteed him.

"And where pray tell, no pun intended, do I report to work for this amazing vocation?" Dan asked.

"Why to the heavenly post office, where else?" Orli answered lightly.

"First star to the right and straight on to morning?" he inquired.

As Dan prepared to start his new heavenly job, Amy was taking her first steps into her life as an adult on Earth.

CHAPTER SEVEN: AMY

Amy graduated from college and then had to move home and live with her mother (gag) until she could find a job. Unfortunately, there were no jobs for art teachers. She spent the summer avoiding her mother and frantically applying to every public school in Dade and Broward Counties. Eventually she despaired of finding a job in the public-school system and began applying for jobs in private schools, even though those were lower paying jobs. She even entertained the notion of changing her career to regular classroom teacher, but that would require returning to school, which she couldn't afford and didn't want to do anyway.

She finally got a break and was hired to work at a lovely private school located more than thirty miles from her home. In the western part of the neighboring Broward County there is a little hick cowboy town called "Davie" where they have farms, orange groves, horses, and cows. They also have major institutions of higher education. In addition to farms and universities, Davie and its surrounding towns have some very upscale housing developments that are surrounded by gates and privately guarded. Furthermore, there are small mansions on private estates in several secluded areas off of the back streets in the surrounding towns. The families in these communities and estates support several private schools in the area, the nicest of which is the Colonial School, which hired Amy.

The exciting thing about Colonial was that they were primarily known for their two main programs: Sports and Arts. While they paid significantly lower salaries than the public schools, they offered a chance to gain experience and to work with smaller groups of children. They also had the money to offer state of the art classroom setups, including electronic imaging devices that Amy would never have in a public school. At Colonial School, she would have her own computer, scanner, printer, and small Xerox machine in her art classroom.

The principal of the elementary school, Mrs. Wilson, hired Amy only three days before the school year began. "Colonial School has both an elementary school, which is kindergarten through fifth grade, and a higher school which is divided into a middle school (sixth through ninth grades) and high school (tenth through twelfth grades)," Mrs. Wilson explained.

"Will I be teaching all of those grades?" Amy inquired.

"No, don't worry, you will only be teaching elementary school, the higher school has their own staff," Mrs. Wilson kindly explained.

She looks like the typical American grandma, Amy reflected, all she needs is an apron and a cookie cutter. Mrs. Wilson was close to retirement age, she was a little overweight, pudgy actually, and she sported sensible shoes and a very conservative navy blue and little white flowered print cotton dress and white scarf.

"Let me take you on a tour of the school Miss Rosen," she offered, "I'm sorry the owner of the school isn't here to meet you, he's out of town but you will meet him in a few days." As they left the main office Amy noticed a portrait of the school owner, an older white-haired man who smiled down genially at her from his gold-framed likeness.

Following Mrs. Wilson around the school campus Amy wondered how she would ever find her way around without getting lost. The campus was set up as a series of one-story white stucco buildings with red tile roofs and open hallways called "loggias." The grounds were beautifully landscaped with tropical flowers, plants, and palm trees. It looked more like a summer camp in Spain than a school in the United States; the architecture certainly didn't match the name.

"This building is the higher school's gymnasium," Mrs. Wilson explained as they entered the only two-story building on the campus, then they passed through to the football field in the back of the gym, "This is the home of the 'Fighting Loyalists,' our football team. How do you feel about helping out at the school football games?"

Yuck, I would like that as much as I would like getting an abscess tooth.

"I'll be happy to help out in any way I can!" Amy lied enthusiastically, giving Mrs. Wilson her brightest and broadest smile.

The best part of the tour was seeing the Art room, located in the fine arts building. In this building, all the classrooms were devoted to the arts and both the elementary school and the higher schools shared the building. Amy's classroom was next door to the higher school's art class and adjoined by a common area. The same building also contained the choral, band, dance, and theater classes. They had a large room in the middle of the building that was used as a combination art museum and recital hall. Amy's classroom had bulletin boards, shelves and cabinets lining three of the four walls, with a sink included on one side. There was an area between and shared by the two art classes that contained a bathroom, a dark room, and a supply closet. This is heavenly; I would never have a setup anything like this in a public school! Amy gleefully realized.

Amy had to move out of her mother's house to a location closer to the Colonial School. The next two days were very hectic. Amy found a small affordable efficiency apartment near the complex of universities and happily moved in. After Dan's death, Marlene began driving Dan's car and she had given her own car to Amy. Thankfully both cars and the sailboat were paid off, because Danny didn't believe in payment plans. The sailboat had been sold and the profits were used to supplement Marlene's expenses while Amy's education had been paid for out of the college funds that Dan had set aside for her. Amy asked her mother to help her obtain the apartment and some basic furniture, which required about two thousand dollars. Marlene reluctantly used some of the money from the sale of the boat and then firmly told Amy that she was now on her own, and she hoped Amy was good at managing her money because she couldn't afford to give her anymore!

"Thanks Mom!" Amy agreed graciously, did she have a choice?

Amy moved her books, clothing, and art supplies into her new one-room home. By the time she had to report to her job she was moved, settled and ready to start a new and challenging life as a beginner art teacher. Mrs. Wilson had hired her on a Monday afternoon to start work on the following Thursday morning. Thursday and Friday were teacher workdays, school started on the next Monday.

On her first day of employment Amy reported bright and early for work, she checked in with Mrs. Wilson and then went to look for her classroom. She looked so young that she could be easily mistaken for one of the high school girls. Dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, looking like a fresh, clean ingénue she was ready to start decorating her classroom bulletin boards. On her way across the campus she spotted a young handsome man who was dressed in jeans, tee shirt, and carrying a ladder and a box of tools. He must be a maintenance man; good to know he's around, Amy conjectured. She found herself admiring his tall muscular body, but then remembered her newfound professional status. She straightened her shoulders and walked with her head held high.

She found her classroom, entered and turned on the light. Nothing happened, she flipped the light switch again. Nothing happened. The building appeared to be empty; the other teachers hadn't arrived yet. I guess I'll just have to ask the maintenance man with his ripped muscles to come and turn me on. Turn my lights on. Light my fire, Amy giggled happily to herself as she ran out to find him. She approached him reminding herself that she is the teacher and he is the janitor. She tried to sound cool, crisp and professional, "Excuse me, I'm Miss Rosen, the new art teacher. My classroom lights aren't working, I need for you come and change the bulbs immediately." She didn't mean to sound quite so authoritative, but she was new at being a professional after all.

Up close and personal he was quite handsome if you like olive skinned men with jet-black wavy hair, black sparkling eyes, and dimpled chin set in a square jaw. He stood about six three, your basic hunk, she thought. Of course, he appeared to be much older than Amy who had just turned twenty-two. He had to be around thirty-three, give or take two years. Amy stood as straight as she could, wishing she were in heels instead of sneakers. She was five feet five, not a shrimp but not very imposing to a man of his stature. She waited expectantly for him to do her bidding.

He looked down at her with a sardonic smile, "It warms my heart to see that you are so dedicated and anxious to start work. Go and wait for me, I'll be there right after I take care of a more pressing problem." He walked away briskly with his ladder and tools.

"I beg your pardon?" she called out after him. "I really don't appreciate your tone of voice! When you speak to me I expect to be addressed with respect!"

Amy was outraged. What a jerk this guy turned out be. Who does he think he is to talk to me that way, like I'm some sort of toddler?

The janitor stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her for a second, incredulous.

Finally, he growled, "Save that attitude for your students, young lady. You'll get respect from ME when you EARN it!"

He then continued on his way leaving Amy no choice but to return to her dark classroom and wait for him. Or do I have a choice? Amy fumed. I think this matter should be reported to Mrs. Wilson. Amy stomped over to the main office to find the principal. I imagine someone will be humbly making an apology in a short while! She promised herself, feeling smug.

Mrs. Wilson's secretary was planted at her desk, firmly guarding the principal's office, "The principal is in a conference right now, Miss Rosen, is there something I can help you with?"

Amy considered talking to her about the janitor, but decided against it, "No, there's nothing you can help me with. When will Mrs. Wilson be available?"

"Not until later today. I'll tell her that you would like to speak to her though," promised the secretary. Amy thanked her and started to walk away, but the secretary called her back, "I forgot to tell you that the start of the school year meeting is at noon today in the gym. All faculty is expected to attend." Amy thanked her again and left. By the time she got back to her classroom she found the janitor (JERK) standing on his ladder changing her light bulbs. She quickly slipped back out of the room unseen by him and walked around the building to avoid encountering him again.

That was the only low point of her morning, as soon as her lights worked she spent a morning happily decorating her bulletin boards and meeting the other fine arts faculty members. She was so absorbed with her work that she almost forgot about the start of the year meeting. Shortly after noon Amy realized she was late for the meeting and ran to the Gym, arriving breathless and ten minutes late. The gym was packed with faculty and staff and the meeting was already in progress.

Amy was shocked to discover that the man who was speaking on the stage was the jerk-janitor. Why is the janitor addressing the teachers? She wondered, dismayed. He stopped speaking when she entered the room, and he waited for her to be seated. Then he continued to talk, saying something about emergency procedures. Amy was confused about why this topic would be the jurisdiction of the janitor.

He suddenly announced, "I would like for you all to welcome our new art teacher, Miss Rosen," extending his arm in her direction, he advised her, "Please stand and let everyone see who you are." She did as she was told, still befuddled. He then continued the meeting, covering many issues relative to the faculty. It took about an hour before she finally realized that the man wasn't a janitor. She was too embarrassed to admit to anyone that she didn't know who he was, so she waited for a clue.

The meeting droned on, Mrs. Wilson made a speech then introduced the higher school principal, Mr. Vance, who looked like a little bug, a scrawny thin-limbed man with bulging eyes. At the end of the meeting Mrs. Wilson approached Amy, "I heard that you met Dr. Vasquez," she said with an amused look on her face.

Amy thought about the teachers she had met but couldn't recall that name, "No, I don't think so."

"Didn't you ask him to fix the lights in your classroom?" queried Mrs. Wilson.

"You mean the janitor? He's a doctor?" Amy blurted out in confusion.

"He has a doctoral degree, and he's the owner of the school, not the janitor," Mrs. Wilson replied.

"Oh," Amy couldn't think of anything else to say. Oy, who knew? This is a fine pickle. "Dr. Vasquez, you said?"

"That's right," Mrs. Wilson, affirmed, "You made quite an impression on him."

"Oh," she was beginning to feel like a complete an idiot. The jerk is a doctor. The doctor is my boss. I wonder if I'm fired. "What did he say about me?" Amy fearfully inquired.

"He said that you are very, how shall I put it? Assertive. You might want to consider an apology, I think you got off on the wrong foot with him," Mrs. Wilson advised her.

"Oh. O.K., I'll take care of it. Thank you," Amy stammered, red faced.

"My secretary told me that you wanted to talk to me about something?" Mrs. Wilson asked.

"Um, no, I mean yes, well never mind, I figured it out for myself," Amy stuttered. This is getting worse and worse.

"Good," Mrs. Wilson nodded and walked away.

Suddenly Amy remembered something important, "Wait! Mrs. Wilson?" She called out.

Mrs. Wilson turned, "Yes?"

"If Dr. Vasquez is the owner of the school, who is the white-haired gentleman in the portrait hanging in the front office?"

"That's the father of Dr. Vasquez, he was the original owner of the school but he retired a few years ago," Mrs. Wilson smiled.

"Oh, now I understand. Thanks," Amy mumbled as she turned to leave. She went to look for Dr. Vasquez to apologize but faculty members who were busily brown nosing their way into his good graces surrounded him. She decided to wait until she could talk to him alone, so she went out to lunch instead.

Later when she returned from her lunch break she spotted Dr. Vasquez striding through the school grounds alone, talking into his walkie-talkie. She sped off after him and caught up with him, puffing slightly out of breath, "Excuse me, Dr. Vasquez?"

He looked down at her grimly as she gave him her most ingratiating smile in return. "How can I help you, Miss Rosen?" he demanded curtly.

"I just wanted to tell you, I mean I wanted to thank you for fixing my lights. I didn't mean to be so abrupt this morning, I mean I must have first day jitters or something, I'm usually not like that!" she felt like a dolt.

"Was that an apology for your rude behavior?" he sternly inquired.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so, right," she felt totally humiliated. Why is he making this so difficult?

"Well, now I've learned two important things about you," he answered her.

"You have? What's that?"

"First of all, you don't know how to say you're sorry. Second, you're nice enough to people who are in power but you're quite rude when you think you're talking to a janitor. Mrs. Wilson told me about your confusion." He peered down at her coldly.

"Oh, right, I mean no, you're wrong. I did think you were the janitor that part was right, but I'm not usually rude to janitors. That part was wrong. I do know how to say I'm sorry. You're wrong about that too. So, I'm saying it now, I'm sorry,"

What the heck did I just say? Did any of that make sense? She wanted to hide, but she bravely stood her ground instead.

"I accept your apology, Miss Rosen, now if you will excuse me I need to get back to work and so do you," he abruptly turned and walked away.

For all of his blustering stern behavior he was secretly amused and impressed by this feisty and frank young woman, but she needn't know that just yet. He liked her looks too. She had a girl-next-door look about her, with her lithe figure and long wavy chestnut mane. She was like a breath of fresh air.

Amy felt like a fool and was aggravated by him for continuing to be a jerk, a drop dead gorgeous jerk. She couldn't afford to lose her job though, her mother made it clear that there would be no more financial assistance. Welcome to the real world, she told herself as she stormed through the school back to her classroom. If her dad had been alive she would have called him, at least he would have been on her side. Thinking of daddy, she remembered that she had to drive to Miami Beach that night for a family dinner with her mom and Elliot.

Dr. Vasquez didn't cross Amy's path again for the rest of the day. At 3:00 PM she left the school and went home to shower and change for the family dinner. She threw on a long skirt and tank top with a pair of sandals. Eating dinner on the veranda of a South Beach restaurant in late August can be quite clammy and humid. Even when you eat inside the air conditioning doesn't always work well enough to provide sufficiently cool air.

The family met on Lincoln Mall. Elliot brought his girlfriend, Shirley the shrew. Mom showed up with her boyfriend, Dr. David Weiner, an old friend of her dad's, who was a widowed dentist. Shirley, as usual, looked like a slut in her see-through tops and frizzy long brass colored hair. Mom, as usual, looked class. Dr. Weiner looked dapper. Good for mom. I hope he marries her. But please, lord, let Elliot see the light and make him dump this nasty woman, Amy prayed.

They selected a lovely Cuban restaurant on the corner of Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue and they sat outside dining on the veranda and watching the world go by. At 8:00 PM it's balmy enough to tolerate eating outdoors if you're dressed for a tropical night as they all were. David ordered a bottle of wine. Elliot made a nasty comment to him. Shirley made a snide remark to Amy. Amy ignored her. Mom criticized Amy. Amy made a snide remark to Elliot. Elliot ignored her, etc. etc. etc. Finally, David announced, "I intend to marry your mother." Mom was grinning from ear to ear. Elliot turned red with anger (why is he so jealous?). Shirley made a snorting sound, and Amy gushed with happiness.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both! Welcome to the family David!" Amy, true to form, was genuinely pleased for her mother. She didn't need or expect for David to be a father to her, but he was always kind and polite and she knew he had been a friend of her father's.

Elliot gave Amy an angry face, and begrudgingly murmured, "Congratulations," to his mother.

Shirley nudged Elliot and stage whispered, "Tell them!"

"Tell them what?" he stage-whispered back in a hostile tone.

"Tell them about OUR plans!" Shirley stage whispered in an equally hostile tone.

"What plans?" another hostile stage whisper from Elliot.

Oh, please don't let him marry her, Amy worried, horrified.

"I really think this should be mom and David's night. Why don't you save your news for another night?" Amy sweetly suggested to Shirley.

Shirley glared at Amy. Elliot winked gratefully at Amy. Amy ignored both of them. David poured the wine. Marlene glared at Shirley. Amy proposed a toast.

"To the bride and groom!"

David and Marlene smiled and clicked their glasses with everyone else. Elliot remained morose for the rest night. Shirley remained hostile. Amy remained happy. Marlene was delirious with joy. David was oblivious.

They asked Amy how her new job was going. She told them all about her first day of work, every detail was reported. Almost every detail was reported. The only thing she left out was every bit of information about Dr. Vasquez.

"Did you meet the owner of school, dear?" her mother, the grand inquisitor, had to ask.

"Oh, him, yes, everyone met him at the start of the year meeting," she coolly responded.

"Well?" her mother pursued.

"Well what?" Amy feigned innocence.

"What is he like? How old is he? Is he married?" every Jewish mother asks these questions.

"He seems nice, very busy, he's probably in his early thirty's. I didn't notice a wedding ring, but that doesn't mean anything," Amy answered fast. Please change the subject, she prayed.

"In his thirty's? That's interesting! He's perfect for you, find out if he's married! You could be the owner of the school, you wouldn't have to work!" her mother advised her.

Oy.

"Mom, I don't think he would be right for me. He's not Jewish for one thing. Tell me about your wedding plans!"

That was the right thing to say, Marlene and David had made elaborate plans for a small intimate wedding (which Amy knew would grow from fifty guests to over one hundred). The rest of the evening was spent discussing wedding plans. Marlene was planning to sell the house and both Elliot and Amy were put on notice to come and collect anything they wanted to keep ASAP.

Elliot complained that he would have to hire a truck to move all of the things he wanted, but Amy didn't want anything. She had her two most prized possessions already: her father's watchband and the ink blotter from his old desk. The blotter with his note written in his hand writing, telling her he loved her.

At the end of the evening they all kissed and hugged goodbye, and went to their respective homes. Amy fell asleep that night happy for her mother, disgusted with her brother, and afraid to wake up and go to work the next day. She both hoped and feared that she would encounter Dr. Vasquez again.

In the morning Amy decided not to wear jeans. She was finished decorating and she was going to spend the day working on composing lesson plans. Since she wasn't doing anything messy, she decided to wear a short, clingy skirt, a low-cut and tight-fitting blouse and stockings with high heels. It was a very sexy looking outfit that was still (borderline) professional. She wouldn't let herself even think about Dr. Vasquez, who was probably married, and definitely not Jewish. It was one of those days, for some reason she had to make frequent trips to the office. No, really, it wasn't planned there were just so many things she had to find out about, and papers to fill out, new hire and all that. What could she do? She was out and around the campus and in and out of the office all day.

Finally, she worked up her courage to look at Dr. Vasquez and say hello. He smiled down at her.

"You look very nice today Miss Rosen. How do you like Colonial School so far?"

"Thank you, Dr. Vasquez. I like the school, I'm looking forward to Monday," she answered sweetly.

"Well, I don't know if anyone told you but your students won't be coming to art class for the first two weeks of school. You will receive your school schedule in about a week and a half, so enjoy your extended planning time," he started to walk away.

"Wait! I don't understand! Why won't I have my students?" She asked, confused.

"Because it takes about two weeks to make sure that the master schedule works, and then we start the special area classes like art, music, and P.E.," he explained patiently, "Mrs. Wilson can answer your questions."

Not wanting to lose his attention, she remarked, "There are a few days in September that I won't be here."

"Fine, no problem, just work it out with Mrs. Wilson," he started to walk away.

"Because I can't work on the Jewish holidays," she elaborated, even though he didn't ask.

"Oh? You're Jewish?" he clarified, looking at her with new interest.

"Is that a problem?" she asked a little more hostile than she had intended. Why can't I be myself with this man? She berated herself.

He raised one eyebrow and answered with equal hostility, "First of all, the school is closed on the Jewish holidays, so you don't have to worry about missing work. If you had read your start of the year packet you would have already known that. Second, not that's any of your business, but I happen to be Jewish myself."

"Oh," here I go again, "I thought you were Spanish."

"I am. The two are not mutually exclusive," he elucidated.

"You mean you're a 'Jewban'?" she blurted out. Great, now I'll be fired for sure. Where did THAT come from?

To Amy's absolute relief and amazement, he smiled at her, it tickled him to hear that Miami Beach term for Jewish Cubans. In a serious tone though, he answered, "You are right, Miss Rosen, I am a 'Jewban.' Are you must be from Miami Beach?"

"Yes, I grew up on Miami Beach, well actually on one of the Star Islands. My dad was a dentist. He passed away three years ago."

Why did I tell him that?

He had a sincere look of sympathy on his face.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What about your mother?"

"My mother is getting remarried, I'm very happy for her," Amy reported.

"That's very mature of you," he said, nodding his head with warm approval.

Finally: kindness and approval.

"Well, I have to get back to work now," Amy reluctantly said, for want of anything else to say.

"So do I, but welcome to Colonial and let me know if there's anything you need," he offered before he walked away.

As she walked back to her classroom she couldn't prevent herself from thinking about him. So, he IS Jewish. Well, this is a fine pickle. I wonder if he's married. Not that it matters because who in their right mind dates their boss? Even if I were stupid enough to do that, he wouldn't be foolish enough to date an employee. He would be afraid of a sexual harassment law-suite.

Amy went back to her classroom and decided to finally read her start of the year packet. She didn't want to be embarrassed again by not knowing things she should have known. Sure enough, there was a master school calendar that showed all the holidays, vacations days, teacher work days, test days, and even when the special classes begin, end and are suspended for other activities (such as formal school-wide testing). She put that calendar in a safe place.

She spent the rest of the day getting to know the fine arts faculty members. She also learned that every department had a lead teacher, usually decided by grades, but the sports and art departments also had lead teachers at Colonial. No one had told her about that. The lead teacher of the art department turned out to be the choir teacher, Miss Stone. Miss Stone was a blond curvy woman who was probably, Amy guessed, in her late twenty's or early thirty's. She seemed OK, a little too bossy, and little too sexy looking, but OK.

By the end of the second day at Colonial School Amy decided that she could probably be happy there. She was trying very hard NOT to fall in love with her boss, who was Jewish after all, but probably a married man. Please let me find out he's married so I won't even think about him again.

While Amy was taking her first steps into adulthood on earth Dan was entering a new phase of his soul life. Each of them started a new job, Amy as an educator and Dan as a heavenly healer.

CHAPTER EIGHT: HI HO, HI HO, ITS OFF TO WORK WE GO

Dan followed Orli through the cerulean blue expanse, feeling incredibly happy and free as he flew behind her. He remembered when they flew on the skyway to the Crystal Palace and an unseen heavenly host had played Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" for him. Thankfully, he didn't feel nervous or frightened on this trip, as he had then. Now he just felt delightfully footloose and looking forward to the next heavenly adventure.

He was in an exuberant mood and he started to sing, "Off we go, into the wild blue yonder, flying high into the sky!" Orli turned around and grinned at him, she caught his mood and sang along. Before he knew it, an invisible heavenly choir had joined in the singing too, providing angelic harmony. Heaven loves music. In fact, to be precise, music itself is a gift from G-d.

They arrived at their destination, the heavenly post office, on a beautiful sunny beach at the shores of eternity where prayers arrived by various means from their senders on Earth. Some prayers came blowing onto the shore wrapped up in little sparks from people who pray by lighting candles. Other messages come to Heaven encapsulated in little clear bubbles, from people who pray with beads. Still others arrive on tiny magic carpets from people who pray bowed down on their knees. Danny saw a child's prayer arrive on a little red and white kite while a prayer that was sent by a group of adults floated up to the beach as a message in a bottle.

Danny and Orli landed gently on the beach. There were hundreds of souls of all colors gaily running around catching incoming prayers, which came in nonstop droves.

"This is amazing," Dan, whispered to Orli, "where do I even start to help?"

Before she could answer a little bubble splashed up from the ocean and landed on Dan's chest.

He put it in his hand and read, "It's addressed to Mother Mary."

Orli smiled and pointed to a light blue-violet soul who, dressed like a Catholic nun in a long white habit, was running toward them.

"I'll take that!" laughed the nun, accepting the prayer from Dan and took off running back down the beach with it.

"Where is she going?" Dan asked Orli.

"This is the place in Heaven where the prayers come in from Earth. These souls receive the prayers and sort them out. Some prayers are sent to a higher authority, some are handled here."

"How?" Danny wanted to know.

"They have a highly developed organization here," Orli explained, "They work quickly and efficiently. Prayers about grand scale social justice are too important to be handled here, those prayers are sent upstairs, so to speak."

"Such as?" Dan interrupted.

"Remember we talked about the Jews who were slaves of Pharaoh? Issues like that, through the ages, including the American civil rights movement, are referred to a higher authority. The rest we handle here."

"I'm listening!" Dan assured her.

"Some prayers carry more weight than others. Prayer sent by innocents, righteous souls, or groups have more power, but all prayers are answered," Orli explained.

"Can you show me how it's done?" Dan requested.

"Sure, follow me," Orli advised as she started to walk down the sandy beach, as the waves played tag with the shore. The first example they stopped to witness was a prayer that arrived on a glittering spark from a candle. On closer observation Dan could see an identity imprint of the soul who sent the prayer, along with that soul's true-life goals. This was a prayer from a woman who wanted to be cured from a fatal disease. The imprint, however, showed that prior to her birth, this soul had decided to die young, and her illness had been determined before she was even born.

"I don't understand how this works," Dan complained.

"Well, you understand that before you are born you choose your parents, your soul mate, and the type of life you will have, right?"

Dan nodded his assent.

Orli continued patiently, "You go into each life with goals to learn certain lessons, as you remember from your meeting with the council of elders, right?"

"Uh huh," Dan agreed.

"The soul who sent this prayer chose both her life and her most probable death prior to her birth. She doesn't realize it now, but she herself chose an early death by fatal illness to satisfy her need to learn certain soul lessons and so that her loved ones could experience soul lessons that they need to learn as well."

"If that's true, then how can we answer her prayer?" Dan demanded.

"By sending her the strength to accept her impending death, and by sending her a sense of peace and tranquility."

"So, what you're telling me is that even though the prayers aren't always granted, they are always answered," comprehension was dawning for Dan.

"That's exactly right, and that is why the prayer answerers are healers. They send acceptance, peace, or the clues and hints to help the praying soul to attain the answers to their prayers."

They stood on the breezy sunlit shore and Orli watched Dan mull over this new information. After a while Dan looked at Orli with knit brows and voiced a concern.

"One thing that disturbs me though is the idea that everything is preordained. Why do we even bother to have a physical life if everything is decided by fate before we are even born?"

Orli looked thoughtful, "This is hard to explain because, you see, everything is not really preordained. Even our planned death might spontaneously change. What we plan in advance for ourselves are possible life paths. For example, I might decide prior to my birth that if I fall into a deep depression during the next lifetime then I want to have a near fatal accident that will provide me with a wakeup call so I will then value life. On the other hand, that accident won't occur if I don't experience the deep depression. We set up possible scenarios for our future lives to help us stay on the path we hope to follow. Another example is to have backup plans in case we don't connect with our intended soul mates. So, we might have other options for living and loving. It's very complex you'll understand the process better as you gain more experience up here in Heaven."

Dan nodded and reflected on Orli's words then he looked around the beach and saw a very large bottle wash up, requiring the attention of many prayer catchers.

"What kind of a prayer washes ashore in a bottle? Let's go see what's happening over there."

When they got close enough to see what was happening they discovered that an entire church congregation had sent this massive prayer. The imprints of many souls accompanied the prayer, which was for a ban on cloning.

"What is cloning, and why would a religious congregation want to ban it?" Dan asked befuddled.

"So much has happened since you left Earth," Orli responded with a wistful smile. "A new scientific discovery has made it possible for experts to create a duplicate of a life form. Basically, this is accomplished by taking the nucleus of an egg from one entity and placing it into the egg of second entity, such that the second entity that received the nucleus becomes a duplicate of the first entity that donated the nucleus."

Dan was grateful for his science training, Orli's explanation almost made sense to him.

"But why does this religious congregation object to cloning?" he asked. Before Orli could answer he shot a second question at her, "What kind of life forms are being cloned anyway?"

"All kinds of life forms are being cloned, including human beings," Orli responded.

"Humans? No wonder they're worried." Dan reacted, feeling his own concerns.

In order to get a better understanding of the cloning issues, he went over to look at the message that was being removed from the bottle by the prayer catchers. Some deeply religious people on Earth sent this message. They wanted for Heaven to prevent the creation of human clones because they feared that clones would not have souls. Dan turned to Orli and raised his eyebrows.

"That's an interesting thought, would the human clones be soulless?"

Orli looked grim and shaking her head in the negative, she answered him, "No, G-d will provide souls for all living creatures no matter how they come to life. It doesn't matter if they are born by a natural process, or created in vitro or cloned. These concerned people mean well, but they have dramatically underestimated the power of G-d. In fact, before the Earth and all that is on it were created, G-d foresaw the day when humans would learn how to make clones of various life forms, including human clones. G-d will provide souls for all living entities."

"Well, since the cloning issue is of great social importance it will be sent upstairs, right?"

Again, Orli shook her head in the negative, "No, not at all. In this case the prayer that was sent by this congregation will be answered by a group of souls who will send patience and compassion to the senders of this prayer. The only great social threat here is that I fear for the safety of the potential human clones. If human clones are born and able to thrive, and if they are deemed to be soulless creatures then they might become yet another persecuted minority group on Earth."

"So, cloning is not a sufficiently important issue that warrants the attention of a higher authority?"

"Cloning is a very important issue, but this particular aspect of the concern about cloning is not important, at least not yet. The human clones will have souls. The important issues relative to cloning are not concerning souls but concerning ethics. Some human clones are in danger of being used for their body organs and tissues due to the demand for healthy transplant organs." Orli answered while still moving down the beach. "There is also a danger that clones will be used as slaves, or grown to be used as soldiers. There are too many medical and social ethical issues to discuss now. Let's handle them as they come up."

The whole concept of cloning and the associated ethics seemed so overwhelming, he couldn't even pursue the topic, he merely nodded his agreement, and then glancing up he saw something unusual. Smiling mischievously, he pointed at a prayer that had arrived in an interesting shape.

"Is it my imagination or is that prayer contained in a phallic looking shape?"

Orli grinned, "Let's go investigate!"

They scuttled over to the red soul who had caught that shape.

Danny whispered to Orli, "I think I've seen every color soul except this one, what does red signify?"

The red soul overheard Dan's stage whisper and answered kindly, "Red is for passion. I'm a passionate soul."

Dan felt a little sheepish, but was intensely curious, "What is this prayer for?"

"Virility. This came from a man who can't perform sexually. He fervently prays for a return of his potency. There are actually a few medications available to treat that problem but he's too ashamed to tell his doctor that he needs the prescription," The red soul explained with a sigh. "You'd be surprised how often I still get these prayers from impotent men."

"How can you answer a prayer like that?" Danny wondered as he was torn between compassion and amusement.

"We already did answer his prayers. We inspired scientists to create a medication to cure sexual dysfunction. If he's too ashamed to talk to his doctor, all I can do is try to send him the courage to confide in his physician or the complacency to accept a life without sex."

Looking around again, Danny saw a cluster of little cupid type souls catching tiny red and pink heart shaped prayers. "Let me guess, those are prayers for love, right?"

"You're beginning to catch on," Orli laughed.

Danny went over and looked at some of those prayers.

"It's interesting that these prayers are from souls of all ages and all descriptions. Some are looking for love for the first time and some are looking for love for the last time."

He continued to examine the various prayers for love and commented, "Some are looking for their soul mates, and some are looking for basic validation or companionship. Most are looking for love from the opposite sex but some are looking for love from the same sex. What does Heaven think of same sex love?" Danny suddenly inquired.

"Everyone has the right to live and to love," Orli sweetly responded. "The reality is that homosexual people live, love and sometimes suffer terribly. Don't get me wrong; they are not exempt from living by moral ethical rules of conduct. They are expected to confine their relations to other consenting adults. They are encouraged to have monogamous long-term relationships. Heterosexual relationships are the preferred roles and of course the required roles for the propagation of the human species. However, don't forget that human incarnations are learning experiences. Under any circumstances we hope that people who choose to live as homosexuals will not suffer as the victims of vicious persecution. Everyone has the right to live and to love!"

Danny responded, "We have much to learn on Earth. I'm almost afraid to ask, don't take this the wrong way, but where do homosexual people fit into the grand scheme of things?"

"There is more to life in the physical form than meets the eye. Humans come in male and female body types for the purpose of reproduction. But, while there are only two biological sexes, there are more than two psychosocial sexes. The important thing to remember is that G-d creates us all. Who can fathom the mind of G-d? G-d is perfect there are no mistakes. We must assume that G-d created humans with a complex sexuality for a divine purpose. Beyond that I really don't know what the answers are."

They walked along the beach in silence for a while. Abruptly a shower of gold coins flew up from the water and sprinkled down around Danny. "Did I just win the lottery?" Danny joked but as he said it he realized what the coins meant. They were prayers from greedy souls whose greatest desire was to have money. "How are these prayers going to be answered?"

"I don't know, you tell me. This is a good place for you start using your healing powers. Should these prayers be answered?"

Danny thought for a few minutes, and then slowly he responded, "Well, you did say that all prayers are answered so I think these prayers must also be answered. Based on what I've learned today, I think that these souls need to receive a healing response that will help them realize that they should be grateful for what they already have. How's that?"

"That's a good start. Now, how are you going to answer their prayers?"

"You didn't teach me that part yet," Danny reminded her.

"You just focus your prayer on the identity imprinted on each prayer, and pray right back to them!"

Danny closed his eyes and focused on the imprint of the soul who had sent the gold coin held in his hand. He prayed for that soul to be grateful for the health, wealth and love that he already had in his life. After a few seconds, he looked at Orli.

"How do I know if I have successfully sent an answer to this prayer?"

"That comes with time, Danny. I think at this point, you have completed an orientation to your new job as an apprentice prayer answerer. It's time for you to meet your new supervisor and teacher. You will be an apprentice to a master soul, who has lived many physical incarnations, that started in prehistoric times and ended just prior to the American Civil War. In fact, in her last incarnation she was an American slave who had a short but intensely painful life."

While Orli was giving this description, she sat down in the sand and relaxed, looking around at the scene unfolding around her. They sat idle for a while, soul watching. Daniel slid down and lounged in the sand next to Orli while souls of all colors and descriptions raced around catching the never-ending incoming tide of prayers.

"Just look at this beautiful sugar fine sand!" Dan admired, "It looks good enough to eat!"

And with that he scooped up a pinch and tasted it. It really was white refined sugar.

Orli laughed and said, "Close your eyes and imagine that the sand is black and made of grains of licorice, then open your eyes and taste it."

Danny complied. Sure enough, he tasted black licorice. He jumped up and ran to the sea, keeping his eyes closed for few minutes while he visualized what he wanted, and then he bent down and tasted the water. Orli followed behind him laughing and waiting expectantly.

He turned to her and verified, "Chocolate milk!"

While they were engaged in these antics a little girl wearing an elaborate antebellum gown approached them. She had a cloud of short black curly hair coiled up in millions of tiny ringlets adorned by a wreath of ivory baby's breath. Her gown was pale pink decorated with ivory sashes and lavender lace. The child was a dark purple hue, but her features showed that she was of African heritage. She had a heart shaped little face with a small round nose, full soft lips, and large round sparkling brown eyes. Dan looked down at this adorable child and his heart melted.

To Dan's great amusement the little girl looked up at him and happily announced, "I'm your boss."

"You're too young to be a boss, cutie pie," he said and patted her on the head dismissively.

"I'm older than you are!" the girl shouted up at him with a challenge in her voice and a twinkle in her eye.

Orli cut in, "Danny, this is Ner. She is the master soul that I told you about, you will be her apprentice."

Danny was speechless, the little girl laughed in delight.

"The fun about being an angel is that you can look any way you want to. I look like a child because this is who I was in my last human incarnation and this was my favorite human body," the little girl enlightened him.

"I thought you were a slave in your last life?" Danny queried.

"I was a slave in my last life," Ner affirmed.

"But you look more like a little princess than like a little slave girl," Danny observed.

"Remember what I told you about the fun of being an angel?" the little girl reminded him. "In my last life, I admired the beautiful grown up 'masters' and their lovely gowns. I thought that when I grew up I would look like those southern ladies and dress like them too. Even though my life was unbearably harsh, I was too young to understand that a slave child could never grow up to be a free and wealthy woman. I died young; I was beaten to death by one of those so-called masters. But here in Heaven I am a master soul and I can wear the most beautiful gowns that my imagination can conjure up! I continue to project myself in the slave girl's body and I wear the most exquisite gowns for poetic justice in honor of the child I used to be."

The child's face was sweet yet wise, Danny began to understand whom she was and where she had come from. He bowed down to her in a gallant gesture and said, "I beg your pardon, Princess Ner, please forgive my clumsy stupidity."

She giggled, "You can just call me Ner. Up here in Heaven we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all souls are created equal!"

"Never the less," he assured her, "I am your devoted apprentice, ready to learn and to do your bidding!"

Orli had been standing by, observing with amusement as she watched Dan's reaction to Ner. "I will leave you to work with Ner," Orli said, "I have to go check up on Will in his self-imposed prison." She waved and flew off into the cloudless heavenly blue frontier.

Dan watched Orli fly away, and then he turned his head and looked down at the little girl by his side. "Well, little angel and master soul, where do we start?" Danny asked Ner.

The little girl in the big fancy dress faced the ocean and held out her arms and a baby doll floated out of the sea and sailed through the air landing in her hands. She cradled the doll in her arms. She looked so sweet, Danny thought she was going to play with the doll but she gave him a knowing smile and handed the doll to him instead. When he accepted it, he realized that this was a prayer from a very young woman, just barely old enough to be pregnant, who was considering having an abortion. Not knowing what to do he looked to Ner for guidance. "Send her love," Ner advised him. "Send her kindness, send her thoughts about adoption so she will remember that there are options."

"Can't I offer her more than that?" Danny asked with a worried frown.

"There are certain rules that govern our work here," Ner explained sternly, "The first rule is that everything we do is done with love and total respect for each individual soul we are helping. The second rule is that divine intervention is limited to sending guidance and encouragement, but never overrules the individual's right to free will. Last but not least, we remain nonjudgmental. This is not about what you would want for this girl if she were your daughter. This is not about believing in the right to life. This is not about believing that the girl is too young to have a child. This is only about sending the girl the strength and wisdom to know her own heart and to make a decision that she can best live with for the rest of her life."

Danny gazed at Ner with new respect. Of course, his intellectual mind knew that she must be a very advanced soul, but her appearance was so deceptive, he kept thinking of her as a child. He remembered the adage that out of the mouths of babe's great wisdom comes. Then again, he reminded himself, that she was not a babe, but a wise old soul.

Ner sat down on the sand and patted the ground beside her. Danny obediently sat next to her with the doll on his lap. She leaned over and put one hand on the doll and with her other hand she clasped Dan's hand. She closed her eyes and began her prayer, which she uttered aloud for Dan's benefit, "Heavenly Father, please grant this young woman the wisdom to know her own heart, to remember her true reason for living, to remember the lessons that her soul yearns to learn, and give her the courage to select the course of action that is best for her and for her unborn child."

"Amen," Dan offered.

"Amen," Ner repeated.

"How do we know if we have helped her?" Danny worried.

Ner smiled, "I've been doing this a very long time now, but I was once an apprentice prayer answerer like you. At first it seems so vague, but when you have experience you will begin to actually feel the soul of the person you are helping. In fact, before I start to say a healing prayer I reach out with my cosmic heart and feel the other person's spirit. I find that spirit in time and space and I reach out to create a psychic bridge between that soul and the power of love provided by the Heavenly Father. While I'm praying I feel the reaction of that spirit and by the time I'm done with my prayer I know that the soul I am healing has felt heavenly love and guidance."

"How long will it take before I will have so much skill as a healer?" Danny wondered.

"It is a process that comes from two things: experience in attempting to heal and advancement in personal soul growth. In other words, you will have practice with me between lives in sending healing prayers, consider that the clinical experience you will get (to use the Earth model of medical training). During and between your physical lives you will learn and gain soul growth from having your own experiences in living and loving. Consider that to be the academic portion of your training as a healer," Ner enlightened him.

"Do we ever find out the outcome for any of the prayers that we answer?" Danny inquired.

"Sometimes we do, especially when a soul who contacts us sends us prayers for thanks or for future guidance. For example, take the case of Lisa Clarke, a struggling single mother. She prayed for help when she feared she would harm her newborn infant. In return, I sent her a prayer of guidance, giving her the idea that she could give the child up to protect the baby from harm. Lisa didn't have any family or neighbors that were in a position to help her, so she decided to drop the baby off on the doorstep of a local police station. This was an action that might, on the surface appear to be cold hearted, but in reality, it was a brave move. She wasn't shirking her responsibility, she was just protecting her baby from probable neglect because she knew she couldn't be a good parent at that moment."

"So how did that work out for her to anonymously give up her baby?" Danny asked.

"It was horrible, she cried all the time because she really missed her baby. When Lisa watched TV, she discovered that the local news agency reported that her abandoned child had been placed with a foster family and that the mother was unidentified. Lisa Clarke then sent another prayer to Heaven, again asking for guidance. She didn't want to permanently lose her child, but she didn't want to endanger her baby either. She was also afraid and ashamed to come forward and admit that she was the child's mother and that she had abandoned her baby. She fervently prayed for help. I answered her prayer by sending her the courage to reveal her identity and situation to the authorities."

"Did she get her baby back?" Dan queried.

"She got more than her baby back, she got the help and support of her community. The police arranged for Lisa to take parenting classes and to receive counseling. A judge placed the baby in the joint custody of the foster family and the mother. Lisa sent many prayers of thanks for the guidance and for the return of her baby. Now she has her child, and she has a support network to help her safely care for her baby. Her prayers enabled me to gain follow-up on the outcome of her situation. I also intercepted and answered prayers sent by some of the police workers, the foster family, and even the judge from the custody hearing. All prayers were answered with encouragement to help the mother and child to reunite with love and support from the community."

"So that's a success story and it sounds wonderful. Have you had any failures?" Dan was concerned.

"There's no such thing as a failure. Remember, we go into the physical life form to have a learning experience. Sometimes humans make mistakes, but those are learning experiences, never failures," Ner assured him.

"So, my soul friend, Will, didn't fail when he molested little boys in his last incarnation?" Danny asked bitterly.

"That's right, he didn't fail, but he did make an enormous error and he set off a long string of some serious karma that will unfold over a series of future lifetimes for him and for his victims," Ner answered.

"Explain to me what karma is?" Dan requested.

"Karma is simply a word that we use to describe opportunities for soul growth. If you or someone else makes a mistake then at a future time karma will provide other opportunities for learning experiences that will compensate the victims for the error that was made."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Sometimes the simplest things are the most complex. For example, take the concept of love. When you are with your soul mate here in Heaven you feel a pure and simple heartfelt love. It's completely uncomplicated. On the other hand, when you're on Earth love is enormously complex. Love between soul mates is clouded by other emotions such as jealousy and mistrust. Love is diminished by unexpressed expectations that lovers have for each other. Love turns to anger when those needs and expectations aren't met."

"That's true," Danny admitted, thinking about his relationships with both Marlene and Elliot.

Ner continued to expound, "So many people study for professions that enable them to attempt to help others who have trouble with loving. These are helping professionals who become social workers, counselors, psychologists, and clergy. Helping people to learn to love is the basis for all of these licensed professions! You think loving is something you should be able to do naturally. It shouldn't be so complex that you have to pay people to teach you how to love, but life on Earth is so difficult that nothing is ever easy in human form."

"Is this what we're trying to do as prayer answerers? Is this how we are healing prayerful souls, by sending them love?"

"That's pretty much what we are doing. When we send courage, patience, acceptance, peace, tranquility, or ideas and options to help individuals solve their own problems, essentially underlying all of this, we are sending love. Heavenly love is a healing remedy for all Earthly woes."

"What's next?"

"I think you've earned your keep for now. I'll let you go take a break with your soul group, you can come back soon and we will continue your training as a prayer answerer," Ner promised him.

"How do I get back to my soul group?" Dan felt lost in the enormous expanse of Heaven.

"Just think about your soul friends, you'll soon feel their vibrations. Follow those vibrations home!"

Danny nodded and flew up into the intense blue skies. "Happy landings!" Ner shouted after him.

He focused most of all on Amy's over-soul and let her beloved vibrations lead him home.

CHAPTER NINE: AMY'S LOVE LIFE

Amy loved her job at the Colonial School, but she discovered that it was very hard to be a first-year teacher. She seemed to spend her entire life devoted to lesson planning and grading student work. The miraculous thing was that she developed a sudden and brand-new interest in all of the school sports activities and attended every home game religiously, which had nothing in the world to do with Dr. Vasquez attending those same functions. Alone. He was always alone, no sign of a wife or girlfriend. Maybe his wife is at home taking care of their infants, she mused. Then a new image popped into her imagination: Maybe his girlfriend works the night shift as an emergency room physician or nurse. Finally, in exasperation, she thought: Maybe I'll die from curiosity because no one ever mentions his personal or family life. DOES HE HAVE ONE?

Every day she resolved to not allow herself to fall in love with him and every day she felt her heart beat wildly at the sight or sound of him. Not good. This is not the way to start a new career, she reminded herself daily. She developed an interesting wardrobe of very sexy and just barely professional attire. She forced herself to learn how to walk on three-inch high heel shoes. Unknown to Amy, she was actually having a profound positive impact on Dr. Vasquez. He could hardly keep his eyes off of her, but he managed to maintained decorum.

Finally, Amy was able to steel herself against him when she realized that he was seeing someone who had been right under her nose all along: Miss Stone, the buxom lead teacher of the fine arts program.

She caught glimpses of them huddling and having private discussions around the school but, at first, she had thought it was professional conferences. Then, on a dreadful stormy Monday morning Amy asked Miss Stone how her weekend had been. Stunned by the response and to her unbelievable depression, Miss Stone reported that she had enjoyed a wonderful and restful weekend in the company of Dr. Vasquez on the prior Friday evening and again on Saturday morning. Amy didn't ask for details, enough said. She thought to herself, if this is the type of woman he likes I feel sorry for him. She's an elderly floozy!

After that, she ignored them both except for essential communication related to her job. Every time she encountered Dr. Vasquez she primly gave him the polite but cold shoulder. He noticed that she had become decidedly bitchy, which both aroused him and annoyed him. What is the little minx up to now, he wondered in irritation. One minute she's warm and gushing the next minute she's cold and aloof. What childish game is she playing? He treated her with equal professional but indifferent aloofness. Two can play THIS game, Miss Rosen, right back atcha.

Amy tuned out everything at work except her students and her lessons. Outside of work, she focused her time on helping her mother plan and execute a lovely and elegant wedding with a list of guests that grew as Amy had predicted, but only up to 75 guests. Marlene, David, and Amy selected a delightfully intimate and formal little ballroom. A small band of three performers was hired, and a Rabbi whose motto was, "Have Chupah, will travel" agreed to perform the ceremony.

For the first time in her life (and perhaps the last) Amy had her mother's time and attention. Of course, Marlene, the bride, was the focus of all their outings and discussions, but at least they were having a relationship. Marlene chose a lovely off-white Saint John knit suite with a long white skirt as her wedding outfit. She took Amy to Sacks Fifth Avenue and bought her a charming ice pink silk short fitted dress with a low neckline that plunged down in both the front and the back. At the wedding David told Amy, with twinkling eyes, "I like that dress you're almost wearing!" Amy liked him and she decided that he had a cute personality and more important he made her mother happy.

It turned out to be a lovely wedding and also a reunion with old friends including her dad's best friend Dr. Steve Weiss and his family. Under the huge crystal chandelier of the small ballroom, the Champaign flowed, the toasts were made, the cake was cut, and the band played on. The family and guests were not at all surprised when Elliot announced his engagement to Shirley the Shrew, who sported the tiniest diamond ring any of them had ever seen. Behind their backs, everyone secretly agreed that it was a bad match, and it wouldn't last, but to their faces they all said "Mazel Tov" (congratulations)!

At around 1:00 A.M. the bride and groom went back to their hotel, they were planning to spend their honeymoon in Greece and Israel. A glum Elliot trudged off with the triumphant Shirley the Shrew, and Amy drove the short distance to her own little efficiency apartment. There was nothing left to do but finish her last few days of work before winter break.

The much longed-for winter break arrived and Amy found herself with two blissful weeks off from work. Unfortunately, she couldn't afford to take a vacation, but at least she could stay home and sleep late. One day into winter vacation was enough to make her stir crazy in her efficiency apartment. She decided to get involved in an art project and, only one block away from her home, there was a strip mall that featured an artist supply shop and several other stores. It was too nice a day, and too short of a distance to drive, so she decided to walk to the little outdoor shopping mall.

Dressed in a turtleneck shirt under overalls, with her hair in two braids and no makeup, Amy set off to the strip mall. She carried her house key in one pocket and her money in the other pocket. There was no sense in dragging a big heavy pocket book. They were experiencing a South Florida cold-front, the weather was a crisp sixty-five degrees; the sky was a perfect baby blue without a single cloud in sight. Looking around at the holiday sights, Amy mused that people from the North are always amazed at seeing Christmas decorations in Florida with no snow in sight.

She took a leisurely tour of the stores which were all decked out in their tinseled holiday splendor, stopping to window shop here and there, glimpsing her own reflection in the glass windows and doors, and sometimes entering stores to look at different things. She wasn't in a hurry she had plenty of time to get the art supplies that she wanted. After a while she felt hungry, and she noticed that it was three in the afternoon and she hadn't eaten in six hours. She decided that it would take too long to walk home for lunch, and she didn't have enough money for a restaurant so she ignored the hunger pains. When she got the end of the "U" shaped strip mall she was delighted to discover that there was an ice cream shop, and she could certainly afford an ice cream treat, which would give her enough energy to continue shopping!

Were they open? She peered through the dark glass door of the shop. It was hard to tell with the dark tinted windows of the shop obstructing her view, she couldn't see inside. She then tried the door and it opened with the sound of a little wind chime to announce her arrival, but the place appeared to be empty. Somewhere in the dim light she heard a voice welcome her as an elderly man emerged from a back room and took his place behind the counter, "How can I help you, young lady?" He used that condescending voice that adults use when they are talking to children. Amy realized that without makeup, and dressed as she was, not even carrying a pocketbook, she must look like a young teenager. Is he going to ask to see my money before he waits on me?

"I'm not sure yet what I want, let me see..." She looked up at the menu posted on the board behind the counter. Everything looked tempting and Amy finally decided on a delicacy that would satisfy her hunger without breaking her little piggy bank. "I'll have a small cone of soft chocolate ice cream topped by whipped cream!"

"Right away Little Miss!" the man behind the counter cheerfully replied. He whisked it together quickly and handed it to her while taking her money. She thanked him (He'll think I'm such a polite child) and she decided to eat her ice cream while she walked around the strip mall back toward the art supply shop.

With one hand, she lifted her ice cream cone to her mouth so she could eat off some of the towering whipped cream while she simultaneously reached out with the other hand to open the door but before she could open it, it suddenly flew open with force, the wind chimes madly tingling overhead. There was a customer on the other side of the door coming in that she had not noticed because she was looking down at her ice cream cone, and he couldn't see her through the dark tinted glass on his side of the door. In a flash, the hand holding the ice cream was jolted upward and her face was covered with whipped cream and soft ice cream. Everything was dark and her face felt cold, it all happened so fast! She heard a man's voice cry out, "I'm so sorry, oh, you poor child, here let me help you!" Then she felt napkins being gently applied to her face sweeping the sweet gook off of her eyes.

She still had a face covered with cold sweet fluff, but at least she could see now. She looked up at the man who had splattered, then cleaned her. She thought in horror, tell me this isn't happening. What is HE doing here?

For his part, Dr. Vasquez had no idea that the little girl with the ice cream face standing in front of him was Miss Amy Rosen. "Why don't you go and wash your face in the restroom and when you come out I promise I will buy you a brand-new ice cream treat. You can have anything that you want." He obviously felt terrible, like any adult who unwittingly takes candy from a baby would feel. Well, she did have to wash her face, and there was no way to get by him and run out the door, and the restroom was a good place to hide. Maybe he would get tired of waiting for her to emerge and go away.

She spent an inordinate amount of time playing around in the restroom, washing her face, her hands, and after trying to get the ice cream stains off of her turtleneck, drying her collar with the wall-mounted hand dryer. She looked at her watch, only five minutes had gone by. Next, she took her hair out of the braids and played with different hairstyles, then finally braided her hair again. She looked at her watch again she had been in the restroom for 15 minutes, surely by now he had given up.

She quietly crept out of the bathroom and walked stealthily into the ice cream parlor. Dr. Vasquez was sitting at a little table finishing a banana split. "There you are! I thought you fell in!" he happily greeted her. He still didn't recognize her because he had never seen her without make up in braided hair, dressed like a child. "What treat would you like to eat?" he jovially asked.

"That won't be necessary, you don't have to buy me anything Dr. Vasquez," she uttered in a small voice.

At the mention of his name he took a closer look and was flabbergasted when he realized that the little girl in front of him was the same sexy seductress who worked in his art department. He couldn't believe his eyes; this was a totally different aspect of Miss Amy Rosen whom he secretly had thought of as "hard hearted Amy, the vamp of Davie!"

"Well, Miss Rosen, it would be my extreme pleasure to buy you an ice cream treat," he gallantly offered. This girl intrigued him beyond measure. Would he ever understand her?

"No, really, I'm not really hungry anymore," she demurred.

"Then let me take you out to dinner tonight!" He surprised himself by asking.

"Really?" she couldn't believe her ears, "What about Miss Stone?"

"What about her?" Dr. Vasquez asked confused by how her mind worked as usual.

"Aren't you dating her?" Amy asked innocently.

"Certainly not! Whatever gave you that idea?" He asked.

She did. "I don't know, I just saw you talking to her often, and she mentioned spending time with you on a Friday night and the following Saturday morning about a month ago."

He burst out laughing, "She did see me last month on Friday night and the following Saturday morning, along with about 100 other people in our congregation." Seeing the look of confusion on Amy's face he explained, "Miss Stone belongs to my synagogue, Miss Rosen. I saw her at services."

"Oh!" she giggled happily. Duh. "I would love to go out to dinner with you tonight, where are we going?"

By now he was sorry he had invited her, realizing what bad form it is to date an employee. I will have to be careful to think of her as a little sister and treat her the same, he promised himself.

"Where would you like to go?" he gave her the option to choose a place.

"I don't know where to suggest, I rarely go out. Why don't you surprise me?" she offered.

"A surprise it will be!" he congenially agreed. She wrote her home address and phone number down on a napkin for him and agreed to be picked up at seven.

Amy coolly bid him adieu and left the ice cream shop. She walked slowly around the mall (in case he was observing her) and then, when she was sure she was out of his sight nearly ran home to get ready. A bubble bath, shampoo, and a three-hour make over turned her back into hard-hearted Amy the vamp of Davie. She wore a low-cut black velvet slinky short dress that showed off her beautiful full breasts and slim figure with dark tinted stockings and black spike heels. Her hair was artfully parted on one side, so one side was behind her ear and the other side fell over her face, very sexy and full of long chestnut waves. A simple silver necklace with a little silver heart and matching silver heart shaped dangling earrings finished the picture.

When Dr. Vasquez came to her little apartment to fetch her he took one look at her and felt his resolve melt. So much for the little sister idea he thought. He looked handsome in his chocolate brown wool slacks, a beige turtleneck, and brown hound's-tooth check sports jacket. Each one appraised the other one and thought looks good enough to eat.

"I decided to take you to Coconut Grove, there's a wonderful restaurant there where they have a floor show of Flamenco dancers and strolling guitarists, I think you'll enjoy it!" he informed her.

"That sounds elegant Dr. Vasquez!" Amy gushed.

"I think you can call me by my first name, Amy. My name is Joseph, but you can call me Joe."

"Can I call you Joey?" she teased sweetly.

"No! Only my mother would dare to call me that, call me Joe," he answered.

She decided to call him Joey anyway. But I'll wait until later, I never heard a man protest against a diminutive use of his name while he's enjoying the attentions of a loving woman, she thought.

Joey was a perfect gentleman. He opened doors, pulled out chairs, and did everything a romantic and protective man should do. She loved the restaurant, and after dinner they took a walk around the Grove. They went into a nightclub for a drink and Amy was mortified to be carded (even with her sexy appearance). She drank wine and Joey ordered a mixed drink for himself. After one glass of wine she felt tipsy and became very publicly affectionate.

"I better take you home sweetness," he whispered to her. He whisked her away from the bar and gently helped her into the car. He buckled her seatbelt for her and drove her back to Davie. At her apartment, he walked her to her apartment and made sure she got safely inside. She strongly encouraged him to come in and it took every ounce of self-control for him to refuse, but he asked her out again for the following night.

As it turned out they saw each other day and night for the remainder of the two weeks of winter break. She desperately wanted to make love to him and he primly put her off, using all the will power he had to resist her, until New Year's Eve. By then he ran out of resistance, even though he thought it was a huge mistake. He couldn't make himself stop dating her and he couldn't resist getting intimate with her.

Here's how he had his downfall. On New Year's Eve, he made reservations at a nightclub in the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach. The Vamp of Davie was almost wearing her short tight low-cut ice pink silk dress that she also had almost worn to her mother's wedding. She wore her hair in an up do, fashioned with pretty sparkling butterfly pins. That's not what broke his resistance.

They spent a night watching exciting erotic Las Vegas style show girls entertaining them. That's not what caused his downfall either. They drank Champaign all night, but he kept his resolve. At the end of the evening he felt a little too tipsy to drive and there was a violent storm raging outside. It wouldn't be safe to drive, or even to take a taxi (which would be too far anyway). There was no choice but to get two rooms at the Fontainebleau and stay there for the night. Unfortunately, the hotel only had one room available. So, late on New Year's Eve, at the height of the tourist season, there was no choice but to share a room.

They went upstairs to a beautiful room overlooking the ocean, which they couldn't see anyway because it was too dark. Joey had been so determined to keep his resolve that he actually was grateful that the only available room had twin beds. That worked out well. For about ten minutes. He had instructed Amy to go get undressed and get into her bed while he went for a stroll around the hotel lobby then he came back to the room about fifteen minutes later. He saw that Amy had undressed and was snuggled under her covers sweetly smiling at him. He said goodnight, turned off the lights, got undressed in the dark and slipped into his own bed.

Within moments the room lit up due to an enormous crack of thunder and lightning, loud enough to wake the dead. Just as quickly he felt Amy slip into his bed and snuggle up to him. "I'm afraid of thunder!" she whispered in his ear, "hold me!" That's when the great distinguished Dr. Joseph Vasquez lost the brave battle with his conscience. Goodbye sane mature thinking, hello lust.

He felt her breasts press into his side and he slid his arm around her slender but shapely form. She still had baby soft skin. He felt her sweetly kissing his neck, his face, and leaning over his chest, breast to breast with him, she kissed him on the lips. He gently lifted her up on top of him and discovered that she knew how to kiss exactly the way he liked it, with her mouth open and her tongue inviting his to come visit inside of her mouth. Has she ever done this before, he wondered (not really caring).

As he wondered, he felt her move her hand to cup then stroke his very hard erection. She shimmied down the length of his body to provide oral stimulation. I think she's done this before, he thought happily enjoying this wonderful attention. He realized that she obviously had obtained sexual experience, but he wisely decided not to ask about it. Whoever provided her with sexual expertise did a damn fine job of it; he didn't feel any need to know the details.

"Do I please you, Joey?" she sweetly murmured.

JOEY? Oh well, if it makes her happy.

"Yes, YES, don't stop!"

And she didn't, not until he begged her to. Later Joey took an active role in pleasing her as well. They seemed to be a perfect sexual match.

They spent the next two days ensconced in that hotel room making up for lost time. Hard-hearted Amy the vamp of Davie was a multiple orgasm brand of woman. Why does this not surprise me? He thought to himself, nearly wanting to pinch himself for his good fortune. By the time they checked out of the hotel he was totally enthralled with Amy, she had him wrapped around her little finger and she smugly knew it. To the tune of "Here comes the bride..." Amy sang in her head "Here comes the groom, reluctant and doomed..."

On the drive home Joey had a long talk with Amy. He carefully explained why they had to keep their relationship a secret at work.

"I don't want for anyone to think that I am favoring you over the other employees, do you understand sweetheart? We have to maintain professional decorum. I will continue to address you as Miss Rosen and you will call me Dr. Vasquez when we are work. At home though you can call me Joe, OK?" he hoped she would get the hint and use the name Joe, not Joey.

"I do understand darling. I love you Joey!" she said, meaning it with all her heart.

Nope, she didn't get the hint. He didn't care what she called him as long as she continued to be the insatiable sex starved vixen that he was happily and madly falling in love with!

They had to go back to work the next day and he knew it wasn't going to be easy. The professional charade would be necessary though. It wasn't as difficult as he had feared though because they really didn't see each other that often at work. Everything seemed to go well. They continued to see each other almost nightly and they spent every weekend together. Since they most often stayed home they didn't run into faculty or students. They were blissfully happy.

Everything went smoothly with their secret hot romance for several months. One day though they had a crash and burn ending. Miss Stone mentioned to Miss Rosen that she was very active in her synagogue "...which is how I wound up working at this school to begin with."

"Oh really? How did that come about?" Amy innocently inquired.

"Well, my best friend at the synagogue, Mrs. Vasquez, mentioned that there was an opening for an art teacher here. This goes back years ago though," Miss Stone explained.

"You mean the mother of Dr. Vasquez is your best friend?" Amy clarified.

"No, I mean the wife of Dr. Vasquez," Miss Stone answered.

HE HAS A WIFE? No wonder he wanted to keep our relationship a secret! Amy was too shocked to answer. She was horrified. Speechless. Without saying a word, she ran into her own classroom, pulled her pocketbook out of her desk drawer and stormed out of the school. She drove like the wind and went into her apartment in a fury of shock and pain. This is a nightmare! What should I do? Sue him for sexual harassment? Call his wife? Curl up and die?

In her frantic emotional state, she automatically made a hot bubble bath, crawled into it and sat there crying her eyes out until the bath water was too cold to sit in. Well I'm certainly not going back there to work at the Colonial School, they can take their contract and... but what will I do for money? I have enough saved to last two or three months. I can't ask mom's new husband for financial support, and Elliot wouldn't help me even if he could. She felt desperate to find a way to survive without depending on her family or on the Colonial School. She thought about it and suddenly remembered that she had put in applications to Broward County Public Schools. She knew there wouldn't be a job for an art teacher but there is always an opening for substitute teachers. So, she knew she would be able to maintain her independence, at least for a while.

As soon as she knew she could earn a living without her job at Colonial, she went back to feeling the shock and grief of what this monster had done to her. What a little fool I've been, letting him use me that way. Like my life was some imbecile romance novel. Well, that's over! Goodbye idiot child that I was, hello independent and indifferent woman. I'll never trust another man! She vowed to remain single for life and to absolutely never see that S.O.B. again. He'll be lucky if I don't file a law-suite for sexual harassment. She was livid, but she felt too embarrassed to see a lawyer about this situation. After all, she had let herself be duped into having an affair with a married man.

It took a while for Dr. Vasquez and his staff to realize that Amy was permanently gone. Her classes were finally cancelled. When she didn't show up for work on the second day the school, the office called her home. She didn't answer. She didn't answer Joey's calls in the evening either. Then it dawned on him that this was her childish and immature way of breaking up with him. Actually, he blamed himself for even starting a romance with someone so young and inexperienced. He hadn't been sure if their relationship would last, but he never expected for her to just get up and run away. He thought she would at least be professional enough to give two week's notice instead of just leaving the job without even canceling her classes first. He was bitterly disappointed in her.

He harshly instructed his secretary, "Don't send Miss Rosen her final paycheck. If she calls tell her she is in breach of her contract with us and she will not be paid, in fact she probably owes us money!" He considered filing a law-suite against her for breaking her contract. Perhaps he could force her to pay some of her salary back to the school. He was beside himself with anger, but he was too embarrassed to tell the school's attorney about the relationship he had been enjoying with Amy. He decided to just drop the whole thing for the time being, but he was in a dark and brooding mood every day.

Meanwhile, Amy was in a state of deep psychological pain. She didn't even attempt to get a job substituting anywhere; she just stayed in bed crying most days. Amy looked through her little jewelry box and retrieved her father's watchband, which she held in her hand, sobbing over the loss of her father as well as the loss of her first real adult love. That was when Danny received his intuition that Amy needed him. He felt a strong desire to check up on Amy. He was very worried about her. Following his intuition, he searched for Amy's light, the love light that emanates from her soul, and to his great relief, he found her.

When Danny located Amy, he discovered that she was in a terrible state of mind and it hurt him to see her suffering and lovelorn. He concentrated on hearing her mind and heart to discern the source of her great pain. Once he understood what had transpired, he tried to think of a solution for her to relieve her pain. Drawing from his own recent physical life's shortcomings, he thought her greatest mistake was that she was running away from her problem. He thought of all the times in his recent physical life that he had avoided communication because he loathed confrontation, and here was his beloved Amy doing the same thing.

Danny focused his energy on Amy and attempted to communicate with her mind, but her bitterness and deep emotional pain created a psychic block to his messages. Finally, he remembered that it's easier to communicate with an incarnate soul when they are asleep. He waited for Amy to fall asleep, when her defenses were down, and he was able to send messages to her subconscious mind.

Talk to him, Amy. Confront this man. Keep an open mind. Don't run away from this. Go to see him and face him, let him know he hurt you. Give him a chance to compensate you for the pain he's caused you. Give him a chance to explain his reprehensible actions.

Danny wasn't sure if he was getting through to Amy, so he decided to give her a dream. He created a dreamscape of their soul home, the tent that is open on all sides, like the biblical home of the patriarch, Abraham. He entered the tent and beckoned to Amy, inviting her to join him with open arms. He felt her joy at seeing him and she ran to throw her arms around him and they hugged fiercely. They communicated with whole thoughts rather than with individual words. She showered Dan with the depth of all of her love and explained to him the underlying cause of her current pain. Danny in turn advised her to be brave and to be giving. This is what he urged her to do:

Even though this man has broken your heart, my little love, you must communicate with him and keep your mind and heart open. Allow him to explain or to apologize. Maybe then you will have some closure and your pain will lessen.

In her dream, Amy promised her beloved daddy that she would do as he advised. The next morning when she woke up she remembered having this incredibly real and vivid dream. She pondered on the significance of seeing her father in an open sided tent, and she remembered what she had promised her father. Then she thought it was a horrible idea. She couldn't imagine herself going to the Colonial School and seeing that monster. NO WAY. She put the dream out of her mind and continued to suffer heart-rending pain.

The next night she had the exact same dream and again she promised her daddy that she would go and talk to the monster in his lair. It's funny she mused upon waking, it makes so much sense in the dream, but it seems all wrong in the daylight. I'm not letting that fiend have an opportunity to hurt me or make a fool of me again. She was afraid that she would start to cry, and that Joey would know how much she cared about him, and how much he hurt her. Again, she decided not to go see him at the Colonial School.

The third night she had the dream again and finally she woke up and thought somebody up there is trying to tell me something. So, she got up and bathed and put on a demure skirt and blouse. No sense in wearing makeup, I'll only wind up with mascara running down my cheeks. She was sure that this was the stupidest thing she had ever done in her entire life, but, against her better judgment she drove over to the Colonial School. Danny, invisible to Amy, followed her to the school, hoping to provide spiritual support.

When they arrived at the school Danny entered Joey's office ahead of Amy and there he discovered another disincarnate soul, a female, was in the room hovering over a dark and brooding man. The angry man was sitting at a desk, apparently muttering to himself. Amy stormed past Joey's secretary and flew into his office, causing him to jerk his head up in a startled reaction.

At the sight of her, Joey nearly jumped over the desk, he was purple with anger. "HOW DARE YOU BARGE IN HERE AFTER THE WAY YOU TREATED ME!" he roared at her.

"THE WAY I TREATED YOU? ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO IS WRONG HERE MISTER!" She shrieked right back.

"I'M WRONG? WHAT KIND OF A PROFESSIONAL WALKS OUT ON A JOB WITHOUT NOTICE? YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST GIVEN US SOME WARNING THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE COMING BACK!" he yelled until the cords of his neck stood out.

"AND YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT YOU'RE A MARRIED MAN!" she shouted back with equal fury.

He opened his mouth to scream a rebuttal but nothing came out. He flopped down in his chair with his mouth half open.

"Married man?" he whispered.

With a bitter lopsided grin and the most sarcastic tone she could muster, she asked him, "Did you think you could pull the wool over my eyes forever?"

Then she started crying uncontrollably.

A look of comprehension crossed Joey's face as he slowly and deliberately stood up and quietly informed her, "My wife passed away two years ago, Amy. I'm a widower."

No wonder she ran away, he realized, poor child, she thinks I'm committing adultery with her, and using her. He felt so sorry for her, and the suffering she apparently had gone through, he wasn't at all angry with her any more. Standing in front of him he saw a truly innocent young girl, and it hurt his heart to realize how much pain she must have suffered.

Joey walked around his desk and took her in his arms. She looked up at him dumbfounded with a tear-streaked face.

"You're a widower?" she asked between gulps and sobs.

He nodded affirmative. She buried her face in his chest and they just stood that way for a while, each digesting a new truth about the other.

While Amy and Joey stood in their embrace and regained their mental and emotional equilibrium, Dan took the opportunity to introduce himself to the female disincarnate soul in the room.

He said, "In my recent past life I was the father of this poor confused girl," he gestured toward Amy, "but in reality, I am her true soul mate. My name is Dan."

She responded, "My name is Marissa. I am Joe's soul mate and late wife." Marissa was a lovely light blue soul, she showed herself as a tall willowy woman with long flowing hair, very feminine and attractive.

"How do you feel about Joe loving another woman?" Dan asked, hoping that she wouldn't create a barrier for Amy and Joey.

"I think it's wonderful! I've been trying to give him encouragement to go on with his life. I hate to see him so lonely and isolated. Amy sincerely loves him and I think they can be happy together. What do you think? Are you happy for Amy?" She asked him in return.

Dan assured her, "I think it's grand, I couldn't be happier for Amy. I don't want for her to go through life without love. She really does love Joe and she's been so wounded thinking he was married, poor kid. This is a wonderful turn of events for her."

Marissa nodded her agreement.

"When I was recently alive in human form, I had the idea that you could have only one soul mate, only one true love in your life. But, now I don't think that's true at all, do you?"

Dan readily agreed, "The more you give love, the more love you have to give. Love is like a worm, every time you cut it to divide it, each piece grows into a new whole."

"That's very romantic, Dan, I'll have to remember that. Love is like a worm. Thanks so much for sharing

"Anytime Marissa. Well, how would YOU describe it?"

"I agree with your general concept, but let's see, is there another analogy we could use besides worms? Anyway, I think that we can have many loves in one life and across many life times. One thing I'm learning is that our one true soul mate isn't always incarnate with us, or if they are incarnate with us, they aren't always our designated lover. Even if we have our soul mates as lovers, sometimes they die young or wind up marrying another for some reason."

"I know you're right. Amy doesn't know yet that, in most of our lives, I'm her soul mate. She's looking for her one true love. I think she will have a beautiful and romantic love with Joe. She's a very sincere girl."

Marissa confided, "I've been worried about Joe because he feels guilty about loving someone else. I think he's finally over that though. I think he's really in love with Amy now. He was a wonderful loving husband to me and I think he'll be as good to Amy. In fact, I think he's fine now and I can return to Heaven. Dan, it was great to meet you. I hope we meet again!" In the blink of an eye Marissa was gone.

"It was nice meeting you too!" Dan said to the empty space, grinning and shaking his head at Marissa's abrupt departure. He was feeling so calm and peaceful now that Amy was happy, he realized that he could go back to Heaven too. He took one more tender look at his beloved Amy in the arms of her protective and adoring young man, and then he too disappeared from the office.

Joe was stroking Amy's hair with one hand and crushing her close to his chest with the other hand. Amy explained through her hiccups and sniffling what had transpired to make her believe that Joey's wife was still alive.

"My poor dear love, I had no idea that you were suffering so," he commiserated with her, "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you that I'm a widower. I really didn't think about it, I thought you either heard it from the staff or that you at least knew that I'm single."

Amy was still teary eyed and hiccupping from the flood of tears, "I feel so [hiccup] silly [sniff] because I thought..."

"Shush," he gently interrupted, "It's all my fault, I promise to make it up to you."

Amy looked up at Joe and grinned through her tears, "I guess our relationship isn't [hiccup] a secret anymore [sniff]."

That's for sure he realized. With all the screaming they had just done, and his office door open the whole time, it was a safe bet that everyone on campus would know all about them before the end of the school day. It didn't matter to Joe one iota anyway because the absence from Amy's company made him realize how much he needed her. He was totally in love with her, and on cloud nine to have her back.

"Darling," he whispered to her, "Go home and rest up. I will come pick you up later and take you out to dinner. Plan to return to work tomorrow my love."

After Amy left his office, Joe went over to his secretary and quietly instructed her to prepare a paycheck for Amy that included all the time she had worked and all the time she had taken off from work as well. Then he told her to cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the day. He started to walk away then suddenly remembered something and turned around.

"One more thing, I'll probably come to work late tomorrow and so will Miss Rosen."

Finally, he walked out of his office and jumped into his car, heading toward the nearest shopping mall.

At the mall Joe went to the jewelry store first. He selected a near perfect heart shaped three-carat diamond ring in a platinum setting. Then he whipped out his cell phone and called the same restaurant in Coconut Grove that he had taken Amy to on their first date. He made a reservation for eight o'clock at night.

Next, he went into a novelty store and bought two little teddy bears. One little bear was dressed up like a bride and the other was dressed up like a groom. He asked for a large box to put the bears in. He placed the ring, still in its little black velvet ring box, in between the groom bear's paws. He placed the two bears in the box, facing each other.

Last, he went to the flower shop and bought a dozen red roses with white baby's breath arranged in an elegant long rectangular clear crystal vase. He had that sent to Amy's efficiency apartment with a note that said, "For the love of my life, I adore you! Joey." He gagged a little when he wrote the diminutive of his name, but he knew it would please her. He paid extra to have the flowers delivered as soon as possible.

About two hours later she called him on his cell phone gushing with happiness thanking him for the flowers. He told her where he was taking her out for dinner.

"Be ready at seven my angel," he rang off smoothly.

Later, when he picked her up she was almost wearing her little pink satin dress that he loved to see her in. He had her gift hidden in the trunk of his car. When they arrived at the restaurant he secretly paid the valet to keep his car right in front of the restaurant for the evening. He had arranged for them to have a table on the second floor in a private balcony overlooking the main dining hall, but surrounded by a burgundy velvet curtain that he could close so that no one could see them. When they were seated he ordered a bottle of champagne, then he excused himself for a minute. He ran downstairs and went out to his car to retrieve the gift from the trunk of his car.

When he returned to the table Amy perked up with curiosity at the sight of the big white box. She knew it was a gift for her, but she couldn't imagine what could be in the box. Well at least I know it's not a ring, the box is too big, she thought. Joey didn't say a word he just put the box on the chair next to him and ignored it. So, Amy ignored it too, even though she was fainting from inquisitiveness.

When the champagne was brought to the table and they each had a glass full of bubbly, Joey made a toast.

"To the most beautiful, magical and adorable girl in the world!"

Amy giggled with sparkling eyes. They clicked glasses and took sips. Then Joey presented Amy with the box.

"This is a gift I bought for you today, because you've been such a good little girl and I love you so much. I hope this will be the first of many more gifts that I will have the pleasure of presenting to you."

Amy carefully opened the box with round expectant eyes. She peered into the box and saw the two teddy bears, one with a velvet box in his paws. She assumed the box was empty, just a doll's prop. "This is adorable!" She gushed with pleasure, "I love teddy bears!" She lovingly took the dolls out of the box and sat them on the table in front of her. "Look how cute! The boy bear is proposing to the girl bear! Are you trying to tell me something?" she coyly teased.

Joey reached over and removed the velvet box. He slipped down on one knee next to Amy and opened the box for her to see. Amy gasped at the sight of the ring.

Joey said, "I hope with all my heart and all my soul that you will accept this little token of my great esteem and love for you. Will you, Amy Rosen, become my wife, my best friend, my playmate, helpmate, and mother of my future children?"

"Amen," she sighed happily.

"Was that a yes?" he asked.

"YES!" she screamed and throwing her arms out around his neck, she slid smoothly out of her chair and onto his bent knee while leaning forward to kiss him. He held her and kissed her passionately. They knew without a doubt that they would live and love happily ever after.

The evening flew by in a romantic haze. They ordered huge quantities of food and didn't eat a single bite of any of it. They ended the evening at Amy's apartment in a rapture of passionate love. The next morning, as Joey had predicted, they were quite late for work.

CHAPTER TEN: A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

After Dan left Amy and Joe, he returned to the open sided tent and reunited with his soul group. Orli invited their entire soul group to attend a heavenly lecture.

"Who is the speaker?" Dan inquired.

"The master soul, Ahav, is going to teach his specialization: Love,"

Everyone in Dan's soul group knew Ahav, because he happened to be on the council of elders for each of them. Attendance is never mandatory at heavenly lectures, souls go willingly because it's interesting and provides an opportunity to learn and grow.

The group followed Orli to the lecture hall, which was a night sky, alit by millions of twinkling stars. Ahav appeared in his-her golden robe with the big red heart shaped medallion that symbolized his-her specialization area. He-she sat on a moonbeam waiting for all the student souls to come in and settle down. The audience was bursting with souls of all colors and shades waiting in a hushed anticipation. First a heavenly choir sang a song about peace and harmony. Then Ahav spoke in a deep resonant voice and delivered the following speech which he-she projected into the minds of each listener:

Beautiful souls, welcome and may G-d bless each of you for having the interest and the desire to become loving beings. We are gathered here now to learn about love, and to learn how to redeem and restore the people of Earth with love, kindness, brotherhood and justice.

Our mission as loving souls is to bring a light into the darkness by taking responsibility for our own behaviors, reactions and utterances in the face of adversity. It is easy to conceptualize this in our spiritual state, but very difficult to remember or to enact in our physical human form on Earth. I encourage each of you to do your utmost to store my words in the depths of your souls and retrieve these concepts during your next incarnations.

In our human form, we have no control over how other humans behave toward us, but what we can control is our own response. It is our mission to triumph over human negativity by providing a positive response to others. We must do everything in our personal power to conquer hatred with love, cruelty with kindness, and bigotry with knowledge. We must focus all of our effort to turn enemies into friends by showering them with love, forgiveness, and generosity. In giving, sharing, and loving we become enhanced beings.

How do we accomplish this? We teach ourselves patience, kindness and love by practicing the words and deeds of tolerance, compassion and charity. In doing this, we internalize these values. In other words, we learn by doing. We gain knowledge of the very utterances and behaviors that we perform until they are part of our intrinsic nature!

We begin the process of becoming loving beings within our own families, starting with our spouses, children, siblings, and parents. It is often harder to love and forgive our own dearest relatives than to love strangers because our own families have intimate and interdependent relationships with us. It's easy to forgive and to be kind to people whom we rarely see, but so challenging to maintain peace with those who interact with us daily and in close proximity.

In our human forms, we allow our minds to be controlled by our egos. We become consumed with the need to be right and to prove that others are wrong. We want to be the winner of every argument, because that is what satisfies our egos.

Dear souls, beautiful people, there is something much more important than egos at stake here. What is at stake here is peace, harmony, and love. It is the greater soul who can offer an apology for a wrong he did not commit. It is the better person who can swallow his pride and make the first move towards reconciliation.

How can we avoid conflict to begin with? The easiest way to avoid most conflict is by remembering a very important value: people's feelings are more important than any material thing in the environment. A child colors the wall with crayon, so what? An adult stains, or rips an article of clothing or furniture, so what? A car is scraped or dented, so what? Material things are meaningless, only love has meaning. Don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed by negative emotions just because someone has damaged a material item that you prize.

Humans become consumed with the desire for money, they become easily ruled by greed. Money is meaningless. Look around you, dear souls, which of you has bank accounts and other monetary possessions? None of you, because you can't take it with you after death. Which of you has love? All of you, because you can take it with you after death.

If you had wealth in any of your human incarnations, did it make you better souls now? If you lacked wealth in any of your human incarnations did that detract from your current worth as a soul? Money and materialism cause conflict and disharmony, but at the end of each incarnation you all come back here, into the Land of Heaven, where the poor and rich are equal. The only things you can take with you to Heaven are love, knowledge, goodness, and humor. All material assets and negative drives are left behind.

Dearest loves, kindred souls, please take this with you into your next physical incarnation: love, wisdom, kindness and humor are the greatest wealth any human can hope to attain. Share your material assets liberally with those who possess less. Share your love, kindness, wisdom and humor with reckless abandon, the more you give the more you will have. Remember that whatever individual goals you may set to accomplish in your next incarnations, we are all committed to the goal of bringing light into the darkness by behaving as loving and kind beings. May you all enjoy peace, love and harmony.

With those last words, Ahav disappeared from the moonbeam, and the heavenly choir sang another beautiful song about love and peace. This time, the inspired audience joined in and sang along. In heaven, every soul has a gorgeous singing voice and enjoys the exhilaration of vocalizing in perfect harmony.

As Dan drifted off with his soul group to return to their tent, he saw the familiar willowy figure of Marissa. She spotted him at the same moment and laughingly embraced him with a brief blending of their soul light.

"Now that our respective soul mates are in love and getting married, I guess we're sort of related!" Marissa gushed.

"We are definitely related through love. Maybe someday we will share a soul child through Amy and Joe."

"I think we can count on that, he wanted children very badly but I died before we could have a family. I'm sure he's really anxious to start a family."

"Well, don't be a stranger, come and visit us!" Dan invited as they each returned to their soul groups.

Back in the open sided tent, Dan's soul group discussed Ahav's lecture in the context of their past human incarnations. Hagete rested her buttercup yellow petite form against a pale pink pillow, propped up on one elbow.

"Too bad my last husband didn't know about this concept of love, then maybe he wouldn't have stolen all my money! But perhaps I did something wrong, maybe I didn't share enough with him?"

Ben, lounging his white-yellow lanky form on a forest green pillow laughed, "Yeah, too bad my ex-wife didn't know how meaningless money is. She valued money more than love and taught the same thing to my kids. I wonder if she heard this lecture tonight? Maybe she'll come and apologize to me."

Laura dared to offer, "Ahav says it's the greater soul who offers reconciliation even if he didn't do anything wrong."

Ben grimaced at her, "It will be a cold day in the hot place when I'll do that! No disrespect to Ahav but I'm not ready for sainthood yet!"

Laura gave a grim chuckle, "Well, that's why Ahav doesn't have to reincarnate anymore, and we do! My big regret about my last incarnation was that I didn't have a family to share with."

Dan offered, "I wish that during my last physical life I had given more to my family and community. I didn't know about any of this until it was too late. I didn't believe in life after death because I didn't have any scientific proof that we have a soul or that Heaven exists. Now I have the scientific proof but I don't have the opportunity to apply the knowledge."

"Oh, don't worry," Laura assured him, "You will definitely have the opportunity to apply this knowledge, sooner that you think! This blissful time in Heaven passes quickly and all too soon you are in another body having a new life."

"I guess you're right. I hate to think about leaving Heaven, but let's enjoy it while we can!" Dan answered her.

Laura excused herself from the soul group, "This lecture was so inspiring, I want to work harder on resolving my problems from my last life so I won't make the same mistakes all over again. I want to be ready to go into my next life and have family relationships to learn from." She left them all on their silken pillows lounging around and spread across the tapestry rug as she headed toward their library.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: LAURA

Laura entered the library and took her book of life from the shelf. She sat down to explore the life in which she had died of starvation, because she felt desperate to learn the underlying lessons from that life so she wouldn't repeat the same type of life in which she was overweight and lonely. In my next life, I will have a healthy body, maintain a healthy weight, and have a family to love, she fervently promised herself.

When she opened her book of life, she felt the shimmering privacy shield envelop her soul and her book. This time Laura relived a traumatic event that occurred before her most recent death, two life-times ago. The year was 1846 and Laura and her family lived in Ireland in the midst of the terrible famine that followed the failure of the potato crops. She found herself sitting in her home, a humble hut, where she held her dying child in her arms and watched the sweet trusting little girl pass away from malnutrition caused by starvation.

Laura felt the mind of the woman she used to be, suffering from agonies of grief and guilt. "Did I take too much food for myself and not give enough to my child?" the woman asked herself. It was so painful to see her perfectly formed bright and beautiful child pass away from malnourishment. Her former self vowed: I will never again see a child of mine suffer like this. If I live through this I won't have any more children. If I ever live again, in my next life I will have all the food a human being can eat and I will never again bring a child into the world, because life is just too harsh.

The trauma continued as Laura felt the mother's anguish while she buried her child, then watched her husband die, and finally felt her own body suffer as it passed away. Laura closed the book and felt the privacy shield melt away. Well, I certainly kept that promise to myself Laura realized. She had refrained from having children and she certainly had more than enough food in her most recent life. This is an example of the caution to be careful what you wish for, she thought ruefully.

Continuing to sit alone in the library, Laura pondered the meaning of that terrible scarring past life. What were the lessons she was supposed to have learned? Finally, she went to the classroom that her soul group used and found Hagete sitting alone in her favorite window seat.

She sat down next to Hagete and confided to her all of the events that she had just experienced from the life of two lifetimes ago. "I realize that I had set some preconditions for my life as a lonely and obese woman. When I suffered from starvation I vowed that if I ever lived again I would have two circumstances. First, I would have more than enough food to eat. Second, I promised that I wouldn't bring a child into the world. Everything that I promised myself came true, but I wound up suffering from obesity and longing for a husband and child to love! I was lonely and unhappy through my entire life, what lessons was I supposed to learn from those lives?"

Hagete was very thoughtful, "Do you think that you were afraid to love for fear that your loved ones would die?"

"Well I guess so," Laura reflected, "and I was afraid to be deprived of food too. So, I was afraid to stop eating and afraid to start loving, but what was the lesson? What should I have learned?"

"Is it possible that you were supposed to learn to stop being afraid?" Hagete suggested.

"It sounds so simple," Laura answered.

"One thing that Orli recently taught me is that fear prevents us from learning. If you think about it, Laura, you prevented yourself from learning about family love. You overate so you felt unattractive and you deprived yourself of a husband and children. You didn't let yourself get too close to anyone. Maybe your true lesson was to trust yourself and stop being afraid," Hagete responded.

Laura thought about it and nodded, "Maybe you're right, I have to talk to Orli about this. You know, I have to admit that your suggestion has a strong ring of truth. I already feel optimistic about my impending incarnation!"

When Hagete and Laura returned to the tent and they were pleasantly surprised to see Will. He had attended Ahav's lecture and then came to visit his soul group because he wanted to talk about Ahav's message relative to his own recent past life experience.

"It's easy for Ahav to talk about putting the needs of others first, but he hasn't had a physical life in eons!" Will complained to them. "I wasn't a selfish person but I was totally overwhelmed by my physical sexual drives. I found all kinds of ways to justify my relationships with little boys. I knew that what I did was wrong and harmful to the children, yet I submerged this knowledge and let my lust drive my brain."

Hagete quietly asked, "What was the most important lesson that you learned from this last life?"

"It's hard for me to say, that's what I'm trying to figure out in my solitary studies. I feel deeply ashamed and remorseful. I want to understand the lessons from this past life so that I won't make the same mistakes again. I know one thing; I won't be able to plan future lives in which to compensate my victims until I learn from my past errors. Orli has encouraged me to plan a future life just to learn more about loving before I try to have lives in which I compensate my victims," Will revealed.

"Did she tell you what that would involve?" Hagete asked.

"It would involve having a life in which I am dependent on others to love, nurture and care for me. Orli hinted that I might want to consider accepting a life as a disabled person, not as a punishment, but as an assurance that I would not have the physical ability to harm anyone else while I learn to give and receive trust and love."

"How do you feel about that?" Ben asked.

"I'm thinking about it. I wonder who would volunteer to be my parents in such a life? Anyway, it was great to see you all. I think I better go back to my own little cell though."

The soul group accompanied Will out of their tent and watched him fade away into the distance as he returned to his self-imposed prison. When he was gone, Laura turned to Dan, Hagete and Ben and invited them to accompany her to her job as a counselor of souls who died in their childhood.

"Why do they need counseling?" Dan asked.

"Some children die a traumatic death and then they feel confused about where they are, and they miss their families and friends. Not all children need counseling, only those who are feeling lost and bewildered about entering a nonphysical life."

They eagerly followed Laura to her place of work which was a beautiful playground surrounded by lovely gardens and fountains. The little souls were allowed to play in the fountains, run through the gardens and play on the swings, slides, and monkey bars. Of course, it was all a pleasant illusion, but it served the purpose of providing a fun and non-threatening environment for the little lost souls. One young soul had created a series of ramps that he was happily skateboarding on when Laura's group arrived at her place of work.

Dan was surprised to see Marissa at the children's playground, "We meet again!" he greeted her, "What brings you here?"

Laura interrupted, "How do you two know each other?"

Marissa glanced and Dan and they both laughed. Dan said, "How can I explain this to you? We are related through a love connection! My soul mate, Amy, and Marissa's soul mate, Joe, are in love and engaged to be married on Earth. I met Marissa when I went off to check up on Amy."

Marissa spoke up, "I didn't know that you knew Laura, she's been helping me acclimate to Heaven."

Dan turned to Laura with raised eyebrows, "Oh? I thought you only work with souls of children?"

"I usually do," Laura responded, "but Marissa died fairly young and she was pregnant when she died in a car accident. She came here very confused about why she was taken so early and in her state of expectant motherhood it was a double shock for her."

Dan turned to Marissa and took her hands in his, "I'm so sorry that you had such a trauma and disappointment."

"It's OK, I'm getting used to my new situation. Joe used to call to me for consolation, but now that he has Amy he's more accepting of my loss and that makes it easier for me to adjust to my soul life in Heaven," Marissa explained.

"I'm so glad that we ran into you here," Dan assured Marissa, "because I've been wanting to introduce you to my soul group. You've obviously met Laura, and this is Hagete and Ben." He waved his hands indicating the others and they all exchanged greetings.

Laura asked the other adult souls to help her gather the children together for a group counseling session. Dan and Marissa offered to go over to the playground and round up the children there while Ben and Hagete went off to find the children playing in the gardens and fountains. Laura called out, "We'll all meet on the lawn behind the playground."

As Hagete and Ben approached the fountains they saw a little girl and a little boy standing hand in hand, weeping by the side of a small waterfall. Hagete leaned down and asked, "Why are you crying?"

The little girl answered, "We don't like the water."

Ben queried, "Why not?"

The little boy answered "Because we drowned together in a canal behind our houses."

"Our parents miss us," sniffed the little girl.

"It's OK darling," Hagete assured the little girl, "You parents will be here with you before you know it!"

"That's right," Ben agreed, "You'll be with them again soon, meanwhile let us help you. Heaven is a place to enjoy and have fun in! This is a no tears place to play and learn!"

"Come with us," Hagete sweetly offered and she held out her hands, each child took a hand and walked with Hagete and Ben toward the lawn behind the playground. When they arrived they found that Laura, Marissa and Dan were sitting on the grass with three other children. All of the children's souls were still white because they were all fairly new souls.

Hagete explained that most often it is older souls who volunteer to short "filler" lives in which they die as children to help other incarnate souls learn lessons. However, these new souls that Laura worked with were just starting to gain experience as souls and they too had died in childhood.

As the newcomers, all sat down and joined in the circle.

Laura said, "Children you all have met Marissa and today we have three new friends joining us. This big guy is Dan, say hello to Dan."

The children greeted Dan and then Laura continued, "This pretty lady is Hagete. Can you say that?" The children repeated her name and then greeted her. "Last, but not least, this is my friend Ben." The children greeted Ben. "Now it's your turn to be introduced," Laura said, "This little girl is named Caroline [she pointed to the little girl who had drowned] and this is Jordan [pointing to the little boy who had drowned]. Over here we have Debbie, next to her is Barry and next to Barry we have Glen." The adults greeted the children warmly as they all sat in a circle on the lawn.

Marissa explained to Dan, Hagete, and Ben, "We are here to talk about how we died and how we feel about being here in Heaven. I told the children recently that I died in a car accident and Glen told us he also died in a car accident. Why don't you tell the children how you died?"

Dan said, "I died from a heart attack while I was preparing for a trip on my sailboat. I wasn't young like you all but I wasn't old either, what about you Hagete?"

Hagete related, "I died from old age, I guess! I was 82 when I passed away from complications of pneumonia."

"I never knew how you died," Ben told her, "I was close to 80 when I died from a massive stroke."

Caroline piped up, "Jordan and I died from drowning in the canal behind or homes. We weren't supposed to be playing near the water. Now our parents are mad at us forever and we made their hearts break." Both children looked teary eyed.

"Your parents aren't mad at you anymore," Laura assured them, "but they do miss you very much."

Debbie spoke up next, "I was killed by a bad man."

"Tell us how it happened," Laura directed.

"I was playing in front of my home with my friend Wendy, my mom was inside the house. A man drove up to our curb and asked me to help him find his puppy. I knew that I shouldn't talk to strangers, but I was worried about the lost puppy. I tried to help him but he put me in his car and drove away with me. We went for a long ride and he took me to a place where there were no people or buildings. I was very frightened, I was screaming and crying. The bad man hurt me and he killed me. When I got out of my body I was lost. Then an angel came and took me home to Heaven."

Marissa looked at Debbie, "How do you feel about being here?"

"I like Heaven but I feel sorry for my parents. They keep calling me to come and comfort them, but when I go to them they don't know that I'm there. I wish I could make them feel better, then I could be happy here."

Dan commented, "Maybe I can help you to comfort your parents. Sometimes I go to visit my daughter when she is sleeping. I get into her dreams and give her comforting thoughts. Why don't you ask your spirit guide to help you learn how to enter your parent's dreams? Maybe you can bring them comfort through a dream."

Debbie nodded and murmured "OK."

Turning to the next child, Laura inquired, "How about you, Glen, how do you feel about being in Heaven?"

Glen sighed, "I like it here, but I miss Brownie."

"Who is Brownie?" Ben asked, amused.

"My dog." Glen replied, "He was my best friend. He misses me too!"

"Well, ya know what son? Brownie will be here before you know it." Ben promised.

Laura turned to Barry, "It's your turn Barry, would you like to tell us how you died?"

Barry answered, "I was very sick. All my hair fell out, I was bald for a while and I spent a lot of time in the hospital. I tried to live but my body finally died."

Laura explained to the older souls, "Barry died from cancer. His hair fell out during the medical treatments."

Barry interrupted, "I like it in Heaven, but everyone misses me on Earth and I feel sorry for them all."

Hagete turned to Laura and commented, "It sounds to me like the biggest problem the children have is that they feel badly about leaving their loved ones back on Earth."

Laura enlightened her, "They do miss their loved ones, but the real problem is that the grief of their loved ones is causing them to feel sadness. If their loved ones could accept the physical deaths of these children, then the children would have an easier time adjusting to life in Heaven. They are being weighed down by their family's grief over their deaths."

Dan spoke up to offer advice, "You know, Ner is teaching me how to answer prayers with healing messages. Maybe if the children send healing messages to their families to encourage them to accept their losses that will help. What do you think, Laura?"

"I think it would work if the parents prayed for acceptance or comfort, but if they don't, then they might not be open to receiving the children's healing wishes or whatever you want to call it," Laura responded.

"I have an idea," Hagete interrupted, "Why don't we go and play on the playground? This group needs cheering up!"

The children were happy to comply and after they accompanied the older souls to the swings and slides, they were soon much more cheerful. Eventually they all returned to their junior soul groups and the older souls sat down on the lawn again to have a chat.

Dan remarked to Marissa, "For me the hardest thing to get used to in Heaven is that there is no linear time here. It seems like only a day or two here when years go by on Earth!"

"I know what you mean, it's hard to get used to. I was wondering about that in terms of reincarnation. If time is not linear, are we always reborn in the future relative to our last life? Can we be reborn in a prior time?" Marissa wondered.

"You mean like our next life would be in the thirteenth century or in ancient times?" Ben clarified.

"Exactly! Is it possible that we could be born in an earlier age than our last life?" Marissa asked again.

"But wouldn't that change things on Earth? I mean there has already been a history of certain events, if we go back in time wouldn't we create a new history?" Hagete speculated.

Dan offered, "If everything in Heaven is just an illusion that seems real, isn't that also true on Earth? Perhaps reality is not the product of history, but the product of our minds. We already know that there are multiple versions of reality on Earth, both on personal and on grand scales. Just ask any divorced couple what caused their divorce and you will hear two different versions of reality! On the grander scale, read the world history books published in different nations and discover completely different versions of world history!"

"Dan's got a point," Laura agreed, "but, also, when I look at my books of past lives they seem to be organized in a sequence of the linear time that we experience on Earth."

"Maybe it doesn't matter," Hagete put in, "after all, according to Ahav, the most important thing is love. What's the difference what the time frame is?"

"Hagete is very wise," Ben stated, "It really doesn't matter what the time frame is, or what the collective perception of reality is, what matters is love."

"Of course, it's easy to say that from our vantage point as heavenly beings," Laura laughed, "but I'm sure we will be very concerned about our surroundings when we go back into physical forms!"

"I just hope that in my next life, I have a wife who will be as true and loyal as Hagete was in her last life!" Ben blurted out, looking fondly at Hagete.

"I hope I have a husband who will be as good to me as you were to your undeserving wife in your last life!" Hagete responded warmly.

"Well, don't let the rest of us interfere with you two love birds!" Marissa joked, "I guess you two are soul mates."

"No, they aren't," Dan and Laura answered simultaneously.

"Not yet," Ben said.

"Not yet?" Hagete asked.

"I'm falling in love with you, Hagete," Ben admitted.

"The feeling is mutual," she confessed.

"Speaking of love birds," Marissa interrupted, "Danny, did you make arrangements to go to Earth for Amy's wedding to Joe?"

"Yes, I did," Dan declared. "Shall I be your escort?" he gallantly offered.

"I would be delighted!" Marissa agreed.

CHAPTER TWELVE: A PRAYER AND A PROMISE

AMY MARRIES JOEY

Amy stood alone in the dressing room arranging her veil and examined herself in the mirror. The bride who peered back through the mirror reflected a radiant image in an ivory Cinderella style ball gown. As she held her father's watchband close to her heart and closed her eyes and thought, Daddy I wish you were here with me now to walk me down the aisle and celebrate my wedding with me. I miss you so much and I know you would love Joey too. If only you could be here with me now, I would be able to have the happiest day of my life, she dabbed at the tears sliding down her cheeks.

At that moment, the lights in the room flickered, and Amy was sure that her father was sending her a signal to let her know he was there with her. Of course, in South Florida the lights frequently flicker and flash, even when there is no storm raging. Even though the electricity falters routinely, to Amy it was still a clear signal from Dan. She was right, Dan flicked the lights to let her know he was near. After that calming thought Amy returned her attention to primping in front of the mirror.

Do I have everything I need? She wondered. She mentally reviewed the traditional bridal criteria: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. My gown is new and my garter is both borrowed and blue. Daddy's watchband is old, but where will I put it, in the bodice? No, that would look lumpy. Should I put it in the sleeve? No, that would show through the lace. I can't attach it to the bouquet because that will get thrown to the desperate single women later. Suddenly Amy had an innovative idea: she took a straight pin from the box of bridal flowers and used it to enclose the watchband inside the wide ribbon sash of her waistband. Perfect, no one can see it and all I have to do is remember to remove it when I get undressed. If only Daddy was here to walk me down the aisle!

Marlene stuck her head into the dressing room, "Are you ready? The Rabbi is waiting!"

Amy emerged from the dressing room in all her bridal splendor and entered into the next room where the Rabbi was sitting at a small table on which the Marriage Contract was awaiting her signature. Amy signed, as did the designated witnesses and the Rabbi. Of course, she didn't know that Dan was in the room witnessing her signing of the contract. After a few minutes, the wedding ceremony began, and Marlene and David escorted Amy down the aisle to meet her groom who was waiting under the canopy for her to arrive. As she walked down the aisle, Amy had an intense feeling of Dan's presence. She couldn't see him, but he was walking her down the aisle in his spirit form. Dan turned to Marissa, the other disincarnate soul at the wedding, and smiled with pride. He projected an image of himself wearing a black tuxedo suite with a small white rose bud in his lapel.

At the same time Joey was standing under the bridal canopy watching his bride approach. She looks like a little angel! He sighed with pleasure, but he couldn't help thinking of his beautiful late wife, who died too young. He still felt a little guilty for allowing himself to love another woman. Dear Marissa, please forgive me, but life must go on. I hope that you approve of both the bride and of my love for her.

Marissa heard Joey's thoughts and she glided over the congregation and hovered behind Joey. She tried hard to mentally thrust her feelings of love and approval into his mind and heart. Be happy, she wished for him enjoy your life and your love! Afterward she thought to herself, thank heaven you didn't know that I was pregnant when I died, it would only have been a double loss for you to bear. May you be blessed with a child, dear-heart you deserve to have a happy family life.

The wedding party stood next to the bridal party in view of all their guests while Dan and Marissa floated above, unseen by human eyes. Joey lifted the veil and kissed the bride. Next was the traditional breaking of the glass under the groom's foot and the guests cried out "Mazel Tov!" (Good luck). Marissa and Dan happily hovered above the newly married couple as they descended from the altar and went to form the reception line. While the guests filed out, Dan conjured up two glasses of Champaign, one for himself and one for Marissa. They clicked their illusory glasses together.

"To the bride and groom," said Dan.

"To love," Marissa offered a toast. They took sips from their glasses. "It tickles my nose!" She wrinkled her nose, laughing.

"It's more fun when it's the real thing, but this is fun too, and of course we won't get drunk or sick on pretend Champaign. Well, since our soul mates are now married, will you be my date this evening?" Dan held his crooked arm extended.

"I would be delighted," Marissa answered, fitting her arm through his, "I thought you would never ask!"

Dan and Marissa joined the wedding party and in their own ghostly way they humorously participated in every event of the evening. When the toasts were made they, each offered a toast to the bride and groom. When Amy danced with her step-father, David, Dan was right there joining in his rightful place as the father of the bride. When Amy threw her bouquet over her shoulder for the single women to catch, Marissa floated out above the crowd to try to catch the flowers. She came away with her own illusory bouquet of flowers.

"Congratulations," Dan said to her.

"Well, I am single, at least until Joey returns to me in Heaven!" she joked. Later Dan and Marissa danced together in the midst of a crowd that had no idea they were there. "This is grand! We can eat, drink and be merry without gaining weight or getting drunk!"

"Who could ask for anything more? By the way, where are they going on their honeymoon?" Dan asked.

"I overheard Joey tell someone that he's taking Amy to sunny Spain."

"That sounds nice, I think she'll love it. Where did he take you on your honeymoon?"

"He took me on a Caribbean cruise, why?"

"Just curious."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: BACK TO WORK

When the last guest left the wedding, and Amy and Joe entered the Limousine to go to their hotel, Marissa and Dan returned home to Heaven.

"Thank you for a lovely evening," Marissa primly said.

"The pleasure was all mine, madam," Dan formally responded with a little bow and they both laughed. "Well I'm off to work, I hope I'll see you soon!"

Dan took his leave of Marissa and they waved as they went their separate ways. He glided into a landing at the heavenly post office, on the shores of eternity. His boss, the master soul, Ner, spotted him immediately and flew over to welcome him back.

"It's great to see that you returned here, Dan! Your timing is superb, you're just in time to help me with some tough cases."

"At your service, boss. It's great to be back. I just got back from Amy's wedding."

Danny described the highlights of Amy and Joe's wedding, and then, getting back to the business at hand, he looked around the beach and asked, "Where do we begin?"

"Follow me."

Today she was dressed in a mauve satin gown and foam green ribbons that streamed behind her as she glided off, with Danny in tow. They landed on a section of beach cluttered with bloody daggers standing in the sand, their blades knifing the sugary sand.

"What's going on here?" Danny asked, appalled at the sight of violence in Paradise.

On close examination of the knives, he discovered they were sent by terrorists. Danny was speechless for a while.

Finally, he asked Ner, "Do they really think that G-d will answer these prayers? Don't they know that hatred is abhorrent to the Heavenly Father?"

"This violent hatred of innocent people is not really grounded in religion, but rather is a political ploy to gain power. These terrorists are politicians who are using religion as a cover for their own aggression and avarice."

"What will become of these prayers of destruction?"

"These prayers cannot be handled here, we must send them to a higher authority," Ner answered.

"Will G-d answer these prayers?" Dan asked again.

"I'm afraid so, and in the worst way," Ner retorted.

"What do you mean?" Dan pressed her.

"I mean that whenever a person prays for evil, a black mark is entered in his or her book of life. I can assure you that each and every bloody dagger that you see stuck into this holy beach will only serve to bring bad karma to each individual sender. Their prayers for destruction will boomerang back to their own souls. G-d does not often directly interfere with the interactions between people or groups on Earth, but the goal of human life is to learn to love."

With that statement, Ner raised her right hand in a circling motion over the offending daggers and they disappeared from view, she had sent them on, to be handled by a higher authority.

Dan and Ner then moved down the beach, and Dan was suddenly hit by a little bottle of pills: which turned out to be a prayer from a mental patient. When he looked closely at the prescription bottle, he read the imprint from the soul who sent the bottle.

"Why would anyone choose to have a life as a mental patient?"

"I don't think that it's necessarily a choice that's made prior to birth, although it might be. You remember how your friend Will was unable to overcome the sexual drives of his physical body? We don't always know what kind of physical body chemistry we will have to cope with when we accept the challenge of a human life. Sometimes the individual soul is just not strong enough to overcome the chemically unbalanced mind of its host body."

"So, it's the luck of the draw? You can be lucky and receive a body with a normal mind and normal hormones, or you can receive a body that's unbalanced and difficult to control?"

"That's right, Dan, there are no guarantees when we go into a physical body. On the other hand, he may have planned for this exact health problem."

"That's really rough. This patient's prayer doesn't sound very coherent; he's obviously suffering intense mental anguish. How can we answer a prayer like this?"

Ner wheeled in front of Dan and took his hands in hers, holding the pill bottle with him.

"First, try to feel the spirit of this poor soul. Try to locate him in space. Concentrate all of your healing powers on him."

Danny did as Ner instructed. He wasn't sure but he thought he could feel the vibrations of the soul who sent this prayer. Ner felt it too, and she was very still and focused.

"Dear soul, May G-d grant you peace and serenity. May you find the strength to overcome the mental pain and anguish that this illness is causing you. May you receive compassion and understanding from all those around you."

"Amen, I hope that will help him."

"I think it will provide some comfort. One important thing to remember is that while we can't cure the physical body we can at least provide comfort for the hurting soul that is trapped inside the dysfunctional body. Even though the patient's conscious mind might not hear our healing prayer, the soul feels our love, and benefits greatly."

"It feels good to be able to help people in any way possible."

Dan looked around the beach and watched the multicolored souls frolicking after the incoming prayers. He wasn't expecting the next prayer to come toppling out of the cheerful azure sky in a little coffin. He looked warily at Ner.

"Should I be afraid?"

She laughed, "Why should YOU be afraid? YOU'RE already dead! What do you think could happen to you here in Death Land?"

"You have SUCH a way with words."

He picked the coffin up and examined it carefully. This was a prayer from someone who was contemplating suicide. A young woman, twenty-five- year-old Dina Lynn, was facing a long-term prison sentence for a drug related charge of attempted murder. She was a doctor's daughter who had stolen her father's prescription pad and wrote herself many illegal prescriptions until she was caught in the act of obtaining illegal prescription drugs. She was sentenced to a drug rehabilitation program. She unsuccessfully attempted to become drug free, and she wound up dropping out of the program. Since she was unable to successfully complete a drug rehabilitation program, she turned to drug dealers as a source of supply for her habit. When a deal went sour, because the price demanded was more money than she had, she tried to stab a dealer and steal the drugs. Caught, convicted, exposed, and facing a length of time in prison, she began to seriously contemplate suicide. She was ashamed for the entire world to find out about her habit and her crime, and terrified of what might happen to her in prison, which she feared might be a life worse than death. Dan told her story to Ner as he read her imprint on the coffin-encased prayer.

"But what are her life goals?" Ner asked.

Danny looked closely at the coffin's soul imprint and reported, "She actually had very altruistic goals, which were: to acquire wisdom, to give kindness and love, to be a helping person. She had hoped to become a psychologist but she got into drugs before she could go to graduate school. This was a waste of a life, she's totally off track."

"Hmm, that's true, she's way off track for her life goals. Going to prison will not help her to accomplish those goals, but it won't totally hinder her either. It's better for her to live, and make the best of her prison sentence. In that environment, she can still be a kind and helping person, even without a license to practice psychology. She can be a good listener, and provide moral support to other inmates. She might be forced to get off drugs as well. On the other hand, if she commits suicide she will have zero chance to achieve her life goals."

"How can we help her have the courage to live?" Dan inquired.

"That's exactly what she needs, the courage to live. We must send her a healing prayer to encourage her to open her mind and heart to alternate life plans, and to have the courage to go on living in her present reality. She must understand that her life is not over, but that it will be very different from the life that she originally had envisioned."

"Is there any way that we can ensure that she is imbued with a desire to continue her life soul goals?"

"No, we can't ensure that at all. She still has freedom of choice. All we can do is plant the seeds of hope and nudge her to realize what options she has. We can inspire her to find the courage to face a difficult and depressing life as a prisoner and that's the best we can offer her."

Dan sat down with Ner on the sugary expanse of sand that trimmed Heaven's shore and they held the coffin-encased prayer between them. They prayed fervently for Dina Lynn to choose to live, to connect to her higher self and to find the courage to go on living. They prayed for her to realize that life in prison is still an opportunity to be a kind, loving and helping soul. It wouldn't be the life she had planned or hoped for, but at least it would still be a life, and she could still fulfill some of her life's goals.

Ner and Danny stood up and drifted further down the beach were yellow and green souls were running around laughing and catching little pink and white bunnies falling from the sky. While Dan gave Ner a quizzical look, a little bunny flew in an odd arc and landed on Dan's shoulder as if specifically intended for him to catch. Dan smiled and retrieved the bunny, which he examined closely. It was a prayer for a baby. He was quite surprised to see that the bunny he caught was a prayer that had been sent from his own beloved Amy. "She just got married and she's already praying for a baby?"

"It's quite possible that a few years have gone by since you returned from her wedding, even though it only feels like a few hours to you. Remember there's no correlation between Heaven's time and Earth's time!" Ner reminded him.

"I didn't forget that, but it still keeps taking me by surprise!" Dan answered. Sure enough, when he read Amy's imprint on the prayer he realized that she had been married for a few years and after trying to conceive a child, was worried about ever getting pregnant.

"What can we do about this?"

"Listen, some things are out of our control. We don't decide who can have babies, but we can send her a prayer for patience and acceptance."

Dan agreed and they spent some time sending Amy a loving message to help her cope.

"How does Heaven view the new medical fertility treatments that so many people are opting for?" Dan asked.

"How do you think those options came about to begin with?" Ner smiled. "Scientists on Earth sometimes get a little help from their heavenly friends."

"Divine inspiration?"

"You could call it that," Ner agreed.

"It's funny to think about all these new family options. Imagine if Sarah or Rachel were able to turn to those choices in biblical days. What a different life each woman would have had, and what a different history the Jewish, Christian and Muslim people might have had!" Dan commented.

"The birth of souls is not a random thing, Dan. I think you've been in Heaven long enough to realize that every living soul is part of a divine plan," Ner responded.

"It's an awesome concept," Dan nodded. "I would really like to know if Amy is going to have her prayer answered and if she is, I would like to meet the soul of her future child."

Ner thought about it for a few seconds, considering what to tell him.

Finally, she smiled and told Danny, "I think it's OK that you know. I have it on the highest authority that Amy will have a child. If you want to meet the soul of Amy's future child ask Orli to introduce you."

"Would you mind if I leave you and return to my soul group? I want to talk to them about Amy, maybe I can get Orli to come and talk with me too," Dan anxiously excused himself.

"No problem! Anytime you come here to help out I'm always happy to see you, but there is no mandatory schedule."

Dan focused his thoughts on his soul group and picked up their vibrations, which provided his guide to return to the open sided tent. He flew through the friendly skies of Heaven feeling optimistic for Amy, relieved to know that her prayers would be granted. Back at the tent he landed and found Hagete and Ben sitting outside, alone together. He told them all about Amy's wedding and her subsequent prayer for a baby. "I want to get Orli over here and ask her if she can introduce me to Amy's future child."

"You won't need Orli for that," Hagete told him.

"I won't?" Dan quizzed.

"Nope, I can introduce you to your future grandson," Hagete offered.

"Grandson? It's a boy? How do you know?" Danny inquired.

"Because he's one of the new soul's in my infant soul group at work. I nurture new souls, remember?" Hagete reminded him.

"Can I meet him? What's he like?" Danny was joyous knowing that Amy's baby was a new little soul.

"He's adorable, his name is Alex, although Amy might pick a different name for him when he's born. He can't wait to have his first physical incarnation. He's a very gentle and sweet soul, his first foray into the human physical world is going to be short and sweet," Hagete revealed.

"What do you mean short and sweet? Is he going to die young?" Dan was concerned.

"I hope I'm not upsetting you, but that was the general plan, although I really don't know the details. Amy will have a special little boy to love, but I don't know how long he will live," Hagete answered.

Ben added sympathetically, "We can't play G-d, but we can send moral support to our loved ones when they need us. It sounds like Amy is going to need you, she might get her wish and have a child, but it sounds as though she might also be a bereaved mother at a young age. Let's hope for the best for her."

Dan nodded, "I know you're right, I just can't bear the thought that Amy might have to face tragedy."

Hagete amended, "Don't focus on the possible tragedy instead focus on the joy she'll experience when Alex is born to her. I don't know how long he'll live. By Heaven's standards a short sweet life could be 45 years or so, we shouldn't assume that he'd die in childhood! Anyway, nothing is set in stone. As you know we have free will, and we usually have alternate life plans, maybe Alex will take a path that will give him the maximum longevity allowed to him."

"You're right, Hagete thanks. Can I meet Alex?" Dan pressed her.

"I think that would be good for Alex, in fact I'll take you to meet him now," she offered.

Danny and Hagete headed for the new soul nursery. When they arrived in the blue sky of the nursery room they found Alex in his favorite place, swinging on a tot sized twinkling star.

"Alex, I have someone here who wants to meet you," Hagete told him.

The new little soul was wide eyed with wonder, as he looked Danny up and down, "Who are you?"

"I'm Dan, and you are going to be the child of my soul mate, Amy. This is a little confusing, Alex, but Amy was my daughter in my last life with her, and I would have been your grandfather if I had continued to live. You're a lucky little soul Alex, you're going to have wonderful parents."

Alex nodded and asked, "Is it time yet?"

A voice came from behind Dan, "It's time Alex."

Dan turned around and saw a lavender soul standing behind him, an elderly man.

The man looked at Dan and smiled, "I am Patrick, Alex' spirit guide."

"Take good care of my future grandson!" Dan said.

"Have no fear," Patrick answered.

He held his hand out to Alex who slid off his star-swing and took Patrick's hand. With a backward glance, he waved at Dan and Hagete as he floated away with Patrick.

"You can accompany us to the bridge," Patrick offered.

Hagete and Dan followed Alex and Patrick through Heaven's spacious skyway, to the shores of eternity, and stopped at the shimmering rainbow bridge that spans the water that separates the Heavens from the Earth. They stood together in the soft glowing lights and waved goodbye to Alex as he and Patrick crossed the bridge.

"What happens to him next?" Dan asked Hagete.

"When they cross the bridge, they will go down a dark tunnel. At the other end, they will descend through Earth's astral planes. Patrick will guide Alex into Amy's womb, where Alex will start the process of joining the developing infant. It takes time for the soul to meld with the brain of its new infant host body. Since Alex has never lived before, it will be his first attempt to join and control a human mind."

"I never thought about the soul process of being born or reborn before," Dan admitted.

After what seemed to be just a few seconds Patrick emerged again and crossed the bridge to rejoin Hagete and Dan.

"Don't worry, I think he'll be fine. He'll be back before you know it!"

"I hope he doesn't come back too soon," Dan muttered.

Patrick looked surprised, but Hagete explained, "Dan is worried that Alex might die in childhood and cause a great tragedy for Amy."

"It's true that Alex is scheduled to probably die young, but that's not definite. All souls plan alternate life paths and make choices throughout life, so don't worry in advance about what will happen!" Patrick advised.

Dan thanked him for the good advice and he tried hard to refrain from worrying. Later, back in the open sided tent, Laura told Dan some good news.

"Remember the little girl you met when you came to work with me?" she asked Dan.

"Which one? There were two girls, one who drowned and one was murdered," he answered her.

"I have good news about Debbie, the one who was murdered. Because her life was cut short unexpectedly, she has quickly been given permission to start a new life. She chose a body of little girl who will live in Wisconsin. She's a caring and nurturing soul, like you, she wants to be a healer. She'll probably become a medical doctor or something related. She's going to be born about a year after Alex," Laura reported.

"That's great, I'm really happy for her. What happens in a case like hers, will she still get to have a mate in her life?"

"Well, that's the down side. Debbie doesn't have a soul mate yet, but in her last life she was supposed to marry another soul and have a happy life with him. Since she was unexpectedly murdered, she probably won't meet that intended mate, in fact she might not have a mate in her next life. She'll be OK though because she's a nurturer and her main focus was to learn healing arts and help others."

"Still, it's a shame if she doesn't get to have a mate. I hope she meets someone to love, or maybe even finds the mate she was supposed to meet from her prior life. What are the chances of that happening?" Dan asked.

"I think she has a good chance of meeting someone to love, even if it wasn't predestined, but there's a very slim chance of her meeting the designated mate from her prior life. That mate probably will wind up marrying one of his alternates," Laura explained.

"I liked her, I hope everything turns out to be great for her," Dan said.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ALEX

Shortly after Alex descended to Earth, Dan felt a physic message from Amy calling to him. He hoped that Alex wasn't going to die during infancy. He worried as he hurried to the spot behind the library where he visited with Amy's soul when he first returned to his soul group. He focused on Amy's love light. This time Dan found himself watching Amy and Alex on the eighth day after Amy gave birth to Alex, the day of the baby's circumcision.

Once again, he found that he could read Amy's mind, and he discovered that her happiness was marred by sadness that Dan wasn't present at the bris of his firstborn grandson. He saw that Marlene, David and Elliot were also in attendance along with Joey and many other family and friends. He focused hard on sending a psychic message to Amy's mind: I am with you in spirit my darling love. I am always with you whenever you need me. Be happy! When he was convinced that she had felt his love he turned returned to his life in Heaven.

In the months following the circumcision, Amy cared for her new baby and often thought of Dan. Joe's father had passed away just before Alex was born, so Amy and Joe had agreed that their first child would be named after both grandfathers. Amy was able to prevail in using her own father's name for the first name, but Joe prevailed in establishing that the child would actually be called by his own father's name. Thus, the true name of the baby was Daniel Alexander Vasquez, but they agreed to call him Alex.

Alex seemed to be very bright and healthy. He reached all of his expected developmental milestones early. He became a friendly and curious child with a buoyant personality. There was no doubt in Amy's mind that G-d had blessed her with a special and wonderful son. For many years Joe and Amy had a wonderful marriage and little Alex brought laughter and fun into their lives, until the day that Alex drowned.

Prior to that day though, Marlene called Amy on the phone one day and said, "You know I just heard on the news that the leading cause of death for children in Florida is drowning, especially for little boys. Alex is already four years old, and you have a built-in swimming pool in your back yard. It's so dangerous to let him play near the pool, what if G-d forbid he fell in? You must take him for swimming lessons, Amy!"

"Mother, I never allow my child to play near the pool unsupervised, of course he won't fall in!" Does she think I'm an idiot? Does she think I neglect my son?

"Take him to the Jewish Community Center, they have a class to teach children how to swim." Marlene advised, "My girlfriend Barbara's daughter sent her child there and he swims like a fish now! You must take him, Amy."

"OK, Mom, I'll go over there today and find out about it," Amy promised, and she did.

The time and cost of the swimming lessons was well worth the results. By the time Amy had finished signing Alex up for swimming lessons she was convinced that it was essential for Alex to learn how to swim. It didn't take very long for Alex to catch on and before they knew it he was jumping into the pool and swimming all over. Amy and Joe set a rule that Alex had to stay in the shallow end of the pool, but they knew that at least if he fell into a pool he would be able to swim to the side and crawl out of the water.

Years went by and Alex continued to grow and bring joy into their lives. He was brimming with confidence and intelligence. Amy and Joe were very proud of him and they had great hope for his future. They were certain that Alex would grow up to become a doctor or a lawyer. He was a very good student and a wonderful athlete. He played baseball, basketball and was excellent at skateboarding, bike riding, and roller blading. They couldn't have asked for a better son, in addition to his academic and athletic skills, he was very well behaved and had a sunny disposition, what a little doll!

Alex was around eleven years old when he was invited to a birthday party at one of his friend's house. Amy dropped him off at the house and watched him trot up to the door, gift in hand, and disappear inside. She knew it was going to be a pool party but she had no qualms about letting him attend. Alex was an excellent swimmer, besides, there would be many people around to watch over all of the kids.

In fact, there were several adults present. The birthday boy had his parents and two sets of grandparents in attendance at his party. All of them saw the accident and none of them could move fast enough to prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, one wild child thought it would be funny to shove Alex into the swimming pool. He came up behind Alex and gleefully pushed him with great force. Alex was taken by surprise, lost his balance, knocked his head on the side of the concrete pool as he fell into the water and silently sank, as everyone else was busy mingling, eating, swimming and partying. They noticed a child get pushed into the pool but they didn't realize that he had hit his head on the way in.

By the time they noticed that he was underwater and not coming up it was really too late. The father of the birthday boy retrieved Alex from the water and performed CPR. The mother of the birthday boy called 911 and requested an ambulance, then called Amy and told her about the emergency. Amy rushed over to their house and called Joe from her cell phone as she anxiously sped to rescue her son. Amy arrived at the same time the ambulance pulled up

While the paramedics entered the pool area with Amy in tow, Alex's soul was hovering over the scene watching all the action below. Suddenly Alex realized that he was not alone, there was an elderly man all dressed in lavender drifting around behind him. Why would any man dress in lavender? Is he fruity? Alex eyed him with suspicion.

The old man laughed and projected a response into Alex's mind, "I'm Patrick. I came here to bring you home, to the Land of Heaven"

"I can't go with you," Alex answered.

"Why not?" Patrick asked.

"Because I'm not allowed to go with strangers," Alex explained. And you certainly are strange, Alex thought, unaware that Patrick could read his mind.

Patrick laughed again, "I'm not a stranger to you. Alex, I'm your spirit guide and it's time to take you home."

"Can I wait to see what happens to the kid down there who's sick?" he asked.

"OK," Patrick agreed, "Do you know who that kid is?"

"I don't know him but I saw my mom come in and then my dad and they are both upset. My parents must know him because they are both crying."

"That kid is you Alex. It's your body down there, but your spirit is up here with me. You see, your body drowned and your soul lived on. I came here to take you home to where your soul lives," Patrick gently informed him.

Alex looked carefully at the boy who was limp and unconscious below. He finally recognized the boy as himself.

"No wonder my parents are upset! What should I do to make them feel better?"

"There's nothing you can do, Alex, but trust me, they will be all right. It will be a sad time for them but they will recover." Patrick assured him.

So, Alex agreed to follow Patrick back to Heaven. They rose above Earth's astral planes, and entered a long dark tunnel. They emerged from the tunnel and crossed a shimmering rainbow bridge, which spanned the sparkling body of water. Waiting in the soft lights on the shores of eternity were Dan and Hagete. They warmly welcomed Alex back and he slowly began to recognize them as familiar beings. They accompanied him along with Patrick to a beautiful meadow surrounded by a white picket fence. Seated on a throne in the middle of the meadow was the master soul Ahav who held his arms out to Alex in welcome.

Alex immediately went right into Ahav's open arms and hugged him, their two energy forces combining. Then Alex sat on Ahav's lap and Ahav explained, "You are in the ante-room to Heaven, Alex. If you go beyond the fences you must stay in Heaven. Are you ready to die and remain in Heaven?"

"No, I don't want to die yet! I want to play ball and go skateboarding with my friends!"

"I'm afraid, Alex that those are not acceptable reasons to want to live," Ahav gently responded.

Meanwhile, Dan watched with great concern. He couldn't bear for Amy to be bereft of her only child. He realized that there is absolutely nothing worse than for a parent to outlive their own child, especially if the loss occurs when they are still in their childhood. Dan finally spoke up pleading, "Can't you let him live for his parent's sake? They will be destroyed by his death, but what harm would it cause for Heaven to wait a short while longer before calling Alex home?"

Ahav looked up at Dan with patience and love and told him, "Dan, it is not for us to decide who lives and who dies, you know that. Let Alex make his own decision without any interference."

"Can I live for my parent's sake?" Alex asked, taking the hint.

"You can, Alex, and that is an acceptable reason to decide to live, out of love for your parents," Ahav answered, "but if you choose to live it won't be easy. Your life won't be the same ever again."

"What will be different?" Alex questioned.

"First of all, you won't be able to walk and talk for a long time to come. You won't be able to play ball and do all the athletic things you love. Everything you do will be done slowly and with difficulty. When you are finally able to talk, your speech will always be slurred. When you finally are able to walk, for many years it will be a clumsy walk. It will be an enormous sacrifice on your part if you choose to live for your parent's sake. Do you still want to return to your physical body?"

Alex was feeling the peace and beauty of heaven imbue his soul. He knew that he would prefer to stay whole and healthy in Heaven rather than go back to Earth in a disabled body. He thought about what he should do.

Down on Earth, Alex' body was brought to the nearest hospital. He was in a deep coma, hooked up to life-support and given a very poor prognosis to survive. The doctors were in the process of explaining to Amy and Joe that Alex would most likely die, but if he lived he would be severely disabled and probably very brain damaged. Amy and Joe fervently hoped and prayed that their son would live. They preferred to have him alive at any cost.

Alex could feel his parents calling to him to return to them.

He looked around at the peaceful beauty of Heaven and, sighing with resignation, he regretfully told Ahav, "I'll come back soon, but I have to go home because my parents need me."

Glowing with approval, Ahav said, "You are a very special soul, Alex, to make this sacrifice for your parents. G-d will reward you someday for this courageous act of love!"

Patrick stepped forward and guided Alex back through the pathway that led him over the rainbow bridge, through the tunnel, down into Earth's astral planes and back into the body of Daniel Alexander Vasquez. He opened his eyes and looked around the room in the critical care unit. He heard a nurse call out that his eyes were open. He drifted in and out of consciousness and sometimes was aware of his parents, nurses, doctors, and therapists.

Everyone was happily shocked that Alex was steadily coming out of the coma over a period of time. The life support was eventually removed when they realized that he was breathing on his own. He couldn't see very clearly and he couldn't talk to answer their questions, but he was able to smile and move his eyes. Alex remembered his near-death experience, but he didn't have the capacity to tell anyone about it. Amy and Joe simply accepted Alex' survival as a miracle. Once again G-d answered my prayers, Amy thought, with relief and deep gratitude.

Eventually, Alex went home in a wheel chair. His parents arranged for him to receive physical, occupational and speech therapy at home, along with a public-school teacher, who came to the house. His progress was painfully slow and in due course he was expected to attend school again, but in a program for special needs students. At the end of the first year after Alex drowned he was able to walk with a walker and able to produce some very slow and labored slurred speech. The only people who could understand Alex' speech were Amy, Joey and the troop of therapists and teacher who came to the house. Alex was not only severely physically impaired but also clearly mentally handicapped.

At the end of the second year after Alex drowned he was able to walk without a walker, but his gait was unsteady. His speech improved to the point that strangers could understand him if he remembered to speak slowly and deliberately. He re-learned how to read, on a first-grade level. Amy and Joe were very hopeful and remained supportive of Alex. Every bit of progress was warmly encouraged. They knew he wouldn't become a doctor or a lawyer, but they hoped that someday he would learn to be independent because they wouldn't live forever to protect him and care for him.

The doctors, unfortunately, did not share Amy and Joe's hopeful attitude for Alex, they expected him to live with a severe physical and mental disability.

Amy commented to Joey, "The doctors didn't think he would live, but he lived. They didn't think he would walk or talk, but he does both. I have no intention of listening to the doctors, so far they've been wrong about everything!"

Joey agreed with Amy. Usually a patient diagnosed with traumatic brain injury makes their most significant recovery within the first year after a trauma and then progress levels off. Alex' case turned out to be highly atypical. He continued to make slow but steady progress for years after his near drowning.

Amy made sure she stayed in touch with some of Alex' dearest friends and their parents. Alex was invited by all of his old pals to every birthday party and special event and he in turn invited his friends to his birthdays. Even though Alex couldn't relate to his friends as he once did, they were very sweet and understanding toward him. Two years after the accident Alex was invited to a round of Bar Mitzvahs, with Amy and Joe in attendance as well. After attending a few of them Alex used is best speech to relate to Amy, "I wan do be baw mid vad."

Amy understood that Alex wanted to have a Bar Mitzvah, and not knowing what else to say, she said OK. When she told Joey, he was shocked.

"Amy don't you realize that Alex can't memorize all the Hebrew or to understand the lessons to have a Bar Mitzvah?"

"I didn't have the heart to tell him he can't have a Bar Mitzvah, Joey. Isn't there something that can be done for special needs children to be included in Jewish traditions?" she pleaded.

"I don't know, but I guess we have to look into it," he answered.

Amy called around, and to her delight, she discovered that there was indeed a special service for disabled children. She committed Alex to attending lessons with a tutor who specialized in teaching cognitively handicapped children to become Bar Mitzvah. The Bar Mitzvah services for the disabled children were very simple ceremonies. Most of the lessons were done with coloring and singing easy repetitive songs. Alex enjoyed the process, it took a few years, but he was able to have a Bar Mitzvah by the time he was sixteen.

Since he was their only child, and they didn't anticipate the costs of college or a wedding in his future, Joey and Amy gave Alex a splendid party to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. In addition to the numerous family and friends from Earth, unknown to Amy and Joe, a number of heavenly visitors also attended the party. Ahav made arrangements for Dan and all of his guests to travel to Earth's astral planes and attend the Bar Mitzvah. Dan invited everyone in his soul group as well as Orli, Marissa, Ner and Ahav to be his guests. The spirit guests joined in all the festivities: they danced the Hora and helped carry Alex around the dance floor in a chair, holding him high overhead. During the candle lighting ceremony Dan and Marissa went up and stood by Amy and Joe to help hold the parent's candle as it was lit. It was a delightful and lively party for everyone, when it ended Dan and his guests returned to Heaven, and Alex was officially a Jewish man.

Even though the doctors continued make sour predictions about Alex' prognosis for improvement, he continued to defy all medical expectations and slowly continued to improve his physical and mental condition. Joe began to take Alex along with him when he went to work out at the gym. Alex tried to use some of the exercise equipment and to Joe's amazement his son began to build a strong and muscular body. Alex also continued to make slow but steady progress in academics. By the time he was twenty-one he was able to read and perform mathematics on a fifth-grade level. With all of his trips to the gym he became a strong and athletic looking young man who had inherited his father's handsome looks and height. To the casual observer he did not appear to be in any way disabled.

Amy worried because Alex looked very normal, and became very healthy and hale, but who would take care of him when she and Joey were too old or had passed away? Her concerns reached Dan in Heaven and he tried to intervene on Alex' behalf.

In the open sided tent Dan told Laura, "I am worried about Alex and so is Amy. He was supposed to die young, now he's healthy as a horse and yet he doesn't have a designated mate. Wouldn't it be a good idea if we could arrange a marriage for him?"

"Isn't Alex disabled?" Laura asked.

"He's made remarkable progress, you wouldn't believe it. He became physically strong, he works out in a gym and now he's a very muscular and hearty fellow, just like his dad. He doesn't look disabled, but mentally he's in the educable mentally handicapped range. He's socially on a higher level though. Unless someone gives him an IQ test they wouldn't realize he's actually handicapped. I guess people would think he's either very shy or just a little slow. I think he could get married, I'd like to see him have a chance at a better life," Dan explained.

Laura thought about it, then lit up with a great idea, "Remember little Debbie? The little girl who was murdered, and then went back into a physical life with no mate?"

Dan lit up too, "Yes! She would be perfect! Is she single and available?"

Laura nodded, "I think so, but this is an unusual case. We have to call to Orli to get us an appointment with the council of elders. If we can present this case to them it's possible that they will arrange for Debbie and Alex to meet. Since both of them need a mate, and since Debbie is a caretaker and healer soul, they might agree to at least let them meet and see what happens."

When Dan and Laura met with the council of elders Dan reminded them, "Alex is a new little soul. He was supposed to die young, but he requested to live for the sake of my beloved soul mate, Amy, who is his mother on Earth. I am so grateful to him for making that sacrifice. I understand that to some extent Heaven has already rewarded Alex by allowing him to make a gradual recovery from his near drowning and severe disability, and he is only moderately disabled now. I came here to humbly request one more reward for Alex, I would like for him to have a mate."

Laura jumped in to explain, "We thought of a wonderful young woman for him. Remember my little client, Debbie, who was murdered in her childhood?" The council responded my nodding, and Laura continued, "She went back into a physical life but she didn't have a designated mate for her second life. We were hoping that you would arrange for them to meet and see if they might fall in love?"

The council discussed the issue privately and then turned to Laura and Alex to give their decision, "We will request that the specialists in future life planning arrange for the souls of Debbie and Alex to meet one day in the future. It is highly irregular, but not impossible for them to arrange a match after the couple has been born. We can't make any promises, but we will do our best to help both Debbie and Alex."

Laura and Dan thanked the council, and then they returned to their own place in Heaven and hoped for the best. Dan kept an eye on Alex and Laura kept an eye on Debbie.

Back on Earth, at the age of twenty-two Alex was no longer eligible to attend the public-school program for the disabled, and he had truly reached his maximum academic potential. Amy and Joe discussed what to do with their son to keep him busy during the day.

"He needs some kind of vocational training. What do you think he could do?" Joe asked Amy.

"I think there's many things he could do. For one thing, he's learned how to drive so maybe he could be a delivery boy for a business. He could also become a doorman or maybe he could learn to do carpentry or house painting under supervision."

Joe considered those suggestions.

"What about sending him to a vocational school? Do you think he could learn a trade, maybe something medical or something with computers?"

"I'm not sure...no I don't think so Joe. I don't want to pressure him or push him beyond what he's capable of. Don't forget, academically he's barely operating on a fifth- grade level."

"True, but socially he's higher. The only clue a stranger has that he's not perfect is his slurred speech," Joe stated.

"I know, but he's really more limited than people realize. On the other hand, for the past four years he's had lovely girlfriends who seem to adore him and they don't appear to notice or to mind his limitations!" Amy said, shaking her head in wonder.

"Isn't it amazing that these young college girls meet him at the beach and at the gym and start calling him and chasing him? He attracts smart pretty girls too, I can't get over it!" Joe agreed.

"Well, I guess they see a tall handsome muscular young man who is sweet, friendly and drives an expensive sports car. In their eyes, he's a successful hot young guy!" Amy related, "When he goes out on dates, he uses a credit card. He told me he asks his date to tell him what tip to leave and I guess they feel important that he consults him! What girl doesn't want to be in charge of making decisions? The amazing thing is that no one has tried to take advantage of his generosity. I pay his credit card bills and he never spends a lot of money on his girlfriends. He consults me before he buys anything in a store, and he takes his dates out to movies and casual restaurants. I think he's doing remarkably well, I never thought he would drive or date, did you?"

"Never! I'm so happy his life is normal. The only thing I'm worried about is who will take care of him when we're gone? I would feel better if we could find him the right niche, the right kind of employment. Of course, his trust funds will take care of his financial needs," Joe confided.

"That's true, but we have to make arrangements so that after we are dead or too old to watch over him, someone trustworthy will pay all his bills for him. As for work, we need to think of something he likes. One thing he loves is the outdoors," Amy reminded Joe.

"You're right, I just thought of the perfect thing! We can hire him at the Colonial School to do gardening! I'll have our grounds keeper, Manuel, train him and supervise him if Alex agrees to try it."

Alex did agree and he began to go to work at the Colonial school where he did gardening and assorted little odd jobs and errands for the school. Between the gym, the beach, the dates and his work at the Colonial school, Alex had a busy and full schedule. He was tall, dark and handsome and girls considered him to be the strong and silent type of guy. He didn't talk much partly because his speech was slurred and partly because he didn't always know what to say. Lovely girls were attracted to him and he would maintain relationships for a few months, then the girl would move on. He didn't seem to fall in love or fall apart when the girls parted from him.

This life style went on for a few years, and then one day when Alex was twenty-eight years old he met someone special. He was on Hollywood Beach, just lounging around on a lazy Sunday afternoon, all by himself. The beautiful cloudless blue sky suddenly turned dark and the calm ocean began to churn in crashing waves. Lightning and thunder preceded the rains, and most of the beach goers quickly packed up and hurriedly left.

Alex was just rolling up his towel to leave when he heard a scream. He wheeled around and spotted a girl bobbing up and down, struggling to emerge from the ocean. He ran into the water and realized that a treacherous undertow had developed and he almost got swept under himself. Fortunately, he was able to grab the girl, scoop her up in his strong muscular arms and with great effort trudge out of the ocean with her. He gently laid her down on the shore and quickly dropped down next to her, just beyond reach of the man-hungry tide. When she caught her breath, and took a look at her champion, she saw a tall tan muscular handsome young man and fell instantly in love with the man who had saved her life. She was a petite beauty in a string bikini, her shortcut blond hair matted and dripping salt water; she was huffing and puffing from the exertion of fighting the undertow.

Alex looked down at the pretty girl panting in the sand next to him and gave her his most endearing lopsided grin, "Hi."

"Hi," she panted, "thank G-d you were here! You saved my life! I guess you're my hero!" she laughed with love in her eyes, looking up at him with gratitude.

"You're OK," Alex told her, afraid to talk too much.

After a few seconds, they got their wind back and made a dash for the shelter of the shops along the boardwalk. They grabbed their beach towels and beach bags along the way. Sinking down into the plastic seats of a pizza place, the young woman smiled up at her hero and introduced herself.

"I'm Mimi."

Alex smiled back and repeated, "Mimi." He was so happy that she had a name he could pronounce correctly, but he didn't know why she was looking at him expectantly. Was he supposed to do something?

"What's your name?" she finally asked.

"Alek" he answered. His speech impediment prevented him from pronouncing the "X" in his name, so he substituted a "K" instead and his "L" sound was very weak, almost like a "Y." It sounded like "Ayek" when he produced his name. Of course, Mimi couldn't understand him, she had to ask him to repeat, then spell his name. Maybe he has a hearing loss, he talks almost like deaf speech, she thought and she paid careful attention to try to diagnose his problem.

They sat on the veranda of the Pizzeria and watched the rain thunder down around them while they had consumed slices of pizza and glasses of ice-cold cokes. Sensitive to Alex' probable hearing loss, Mimi talked loudly above the sound of the rain. Since he didn't talk much she happily did most of the talking. She revealed that she was twenty-seven years old, she had recently graduated from one of the local Medical schools and she was interning locally, planning to specialize in neonatology. She asked Alex enough questions to find out his age, and that he worked with his father in his family business.

Later, when the rain stopped hammering down, he offered to drive her to her car. She saw that he drove a new BMW convertible and she conjectured that he was both successful and modest, two qualities that she looked for in a man. As far as she could tell, his only problem was a slight speech impediment probably caused by a hearing loss? I can help him with that, she thought to herself, maybe he just needs hearing aids or something. She took his phone number and wrote her own phone number down for him before she parted from him.

This was the start of a beautiful relationship. Mimi worked strange hours at the hospital and she had a long road ahead of her before she would be finished with her specialization studies. She was so thrilled that she found a handsome sweet successful man who was supportive and loving. He never pressured her for attention and never complained about her schedule, he was just always available and loving whenever she happened to be free. He didn't talk much but he was a good listener and she confided all of her secrets to him. She told him all about her life, her work, her problems, her challenges, her hopes and her dreams. He was the tall, dark, handsome, strong, and silent type of man who listened and held her and comforted her. She felt so lucky to have met him!

Amy and Joe were delirious with joy over the relationship between Mimi and Alex and they did everything they could think of to encourage it. This relationship lasted longer than any other romance that Alex had ever had. Finally, after almost two years, Alex told his parents that he wanted to marry Mimi. Joey said to Amy, "We have to tell Mimi about Alex' medical history, we can't let her just marry him without knowing anything about his past and his real capabilities.

"I know you're right, but I don't want to scare her away, Joey. We can tell her he almost died and had to learn to walk and talk again, but we don't have to use words like "brain damage" or "mental retardation" do we?"

"I think that's fair, after all Mimi is a medical doctor and she'll figure it out for herself. If she doesn't notice his limitations then he's not really limited I guess," Joey agreed.

So, Amy invited Mimi out to lunch and had a talk with her.

When she finished explaining the situation Mimi exclaimed, "Oh, so that's what caused his speech problem! I always thought he was hard of hearing and I tried to convince him to go to an audiologist to get his hearing checked. Actually, I still think he should have his hearing checked, maybe all he needs is a hearing aid!"

"I think it's more serious than that, Mimi," Amy explained. "Alex is a kind and loving man, he can have a wonderful life with the right girl, but there are some things that he can't do by himself. For example, his wife will have to make all the financial decisions and pay all the bills. Alex can take care of his children but he won't be able to help them with their homework when they get past a certain age. He won't be able to handle emergency situations either, but he does know that he should call 911 in an emergency."

"I'm not worried about emergencies, I'm the one who can take care of those situations with my medical training. I certainly don't have to worry about who will take care of finances because I'm sure I'll be a big bread winner and I would rather make the financial decisions anyway. As for paying monthly bills I'm already doing that and someday I could have my secretary take care of writing out the payment checks for me. I really don't see any problem that I can't overcome. As for any limitations that Alex might have, I'll help him get over them!" Mimi assured her with absolute confidence.

Amy smiled and complimented her future daughter in-law on her wonderful attitude, then changed the subject. She had done her ethical duty and there was nothing else that needed to be said. A few days later Amy and Joe took Alex shopping and they selected a lovely three-carat pear shaped diamond ring set in a platinum setting.

"When are you going to give it her?" Joey asked his son.

"On Valentine's day," Alex answered.

Joey and Amy exchanged a glance that communicated to each other that once again their son amazed them. They didn't think that Joey was aware of holidays or of when or how to appropriately propose marriage.

"That's a great time, it's coming up in about three weeks. How are you going to propose to Mimi?" Amy asked.

"I'm going to take her to dinner at the beach, to the place where we ate pizza when I saved her life," Alex explained.

"That's a perfect place to take her, she'll love it!" Amy guaranteed him. Her son never ceased to amaze her. "Just make sure that you tell her in advance to get the night off from work."

When Valentine's Day came Alex brought Mimi to the pizza joint on the beach, got down on one knee before the pizza was served and took the ring out of his shirt pocket. He placed the ring on Mimi's finger.

"Will you marry me?"

Mimi said yes, laughing and crying from joy, she was so happy to finally see the day that her hero wanted to marry her. She had told her family in Wisconsin that a tall dark handsome man had saved her life at the beach one day. She had explained to them years ago that he worked for his father in the family business, a large and lucrative private school. About six months after she met Joey she invited him to come home to meet her family for Christmas. Alex went with her and told her he had never celebrated that holiday before because his family was Jewish, everything was new and different with Mimi's family.

She came from a very charming and open-minded family. Mimi's parents bought gifts for Alex and wrapped them up in Chanukah gift-wrap so he wouldn't feel strange. They did everything they could think of to make him feel at home. Mimi warned her parents in advance that Alex had a speech impediment that sounded a little like deaf speech because he might have some kind of hearing loss. Mimi's parents warned all their family and friends that Mimi's new boyfriend had a hearing loss and to talk loud to him. All through the trip everyone screamed at Alex so he could hear. He thought, they sure do shout a lot in Wisconsin.

Whenever she phoned home, her parents always asked about Alex because they thought he was a charming young man. It's hard to find a young man who still has old-fashioned manners like Alex. He was tall and quiet, but he stood up when a lady entered or left a room and he held open doors and pulled out chairs for women. Everyone who met him liked him even though he hardly ever talked. He often smiled a very endearing smile, which made up for his paucity of speech.

"He's shy," Mimi's mother would explain to family and friends.

"He's embarrassed by his speech impediment," her father would explain to family and friends.

Mimi was happy as a clam while she planned a June wedding with the help of her mother and her future mother-in-law, Amy. Since the wedding was to take place up in Wisconsin, there wouldn't be many of the Florida crowd in attendance, therefore little chance of anyone saying anything about brain damage to the Wisconsin clan. Everyone was happy and things were working out for Alex beyond his parent's wildest hopes for him since his near drowning.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: LIFE GOES ON

About a year after Alex met Mimi, Marlene celebrated her eighty-fifth birthday. David had passed away a few years prior, and Marlene was living independently with a lot of help and support from Elliot. For her eighty-fifth birthday celebration Elliot and Amy took their respective families and Marlene out to dinner to a lovely two-story seafood restaurant on the Fort Lauderdale inter-coastal waterway. They sat at a table on the second floor overlooking the water and marina. It was still light out and the view of the boats gliding on the water against the backdrop of the Fort Lauderdale skyline was lovely.

Prior to their being seated Elliot managed to pull Amy aside and talk to her alone downstairs in the foyer while the rest of the family climbed up the stairs to their table. "Is there any reason why you can't help out with Mom?" he snarled at her. "Your son is grown, you don't work, what the hell do you have to do that keeps you so busy that you don't have time to take her to all of her doctor appointments and grocery shopping? I'm sick and tired of taking so much time off from work to be at her beck and call!"

As usual Elliot had a way of bullying his sister and hurting her feelings, he didn't ever seem to consider the fact that she was not in control of her mother. He assumed that Amy was neglecting their mother.

"Elliot, I swear to you I call Mom every day and ask her if there's anything she needs or anything I can do her for her. She always says no. Last week I offered to take her to the podiatrist. She said 'Elliot will take me,' and I couldn't talk her into letting me take her. She only wants you. What can I do?" Amy responded as she shrank away from Elliot's threatening stance.

Elliot's only answer was to glare at his sister with his face distorted into a mask of disgust, and then march briskly up the stairs ahead of her to join the rest of the family. Once again Elliot ruined Amy's evening, not that she ever enjoyed being with Elliot or Marlene either for that matter. Shirley the shrew was there too of course, always a joy to spend time with her. Elliot and Shirley had one child, a morose thirty-year old woman who smoked, took drugs, and suffered from anorexia nervosa, Danielle. She had also been named after Dan.

Amy slowly climbed the stairs behind Elliot, giving herself time to calm down from the effects of Elliot's vicious verbal assault. She looked around the table at her extended family after they were seated, and she observed her niece for a few seconds. Danielle buttered her pumpkin seed bread, while glaring under her uni-brow at Alex. She was a very depressed young woman, and Amy wondered if her parents had ever taken her to a mental health professional. Danielle was the only person in their circle of family and friends who was consistently nasty to Alex, which made Amy loath spending time with her. Marlene's birthday party was extremely uncomfortable but thankfully, as all things must, it eventually came to an end.

During the evening Shirley the Shrew, with her usual rude anger, managed to insult nearly everyone at the table, including her own husband and child. She cracked her lobster shells open with a vengeance, muttering that the service was terrible and "...where the hell is the waitress? I need another glass of wine!"

Elliot, as usual, was loud and demanding. He was kept quiet intermittently while he gobbled up the food on his captain's platter, consuming generous portions of crab cakes, red snapper, and shrimp. Meanwhile, Alex, the dear boy, was quiet and sweet. He politely ate. Amy noticed that he didn't seem to notice the hostility seething around him. Amy and Joey suffered through the oppressive evening in near silence. They only spoke courteously and sparingly as needed.

Marlene was oblivious to everyone's discomfort; as usual she ignored her daughter in law and otherwise was happy to have her family around her. The only two nice aspects of the evening were that they all enjoyed the breathtaking view of the water and the food was superb.

A few days later Elliot drove Marlene to one of her numerous doctor appointments. Grumbling to himself that he has to do everything and G-d forbid his lazy sister should ever take on any responsibility, he sped from North Miami Beach to Miami Beach to fetch his mother only to bring her back north to see her doctor in Aventura. He arrived in Miami Beach a little later than he needed to be there so he was in a rush to get his mother out of her apartment and into the car. Naturally she was slow as molasses, puttering around looking for her glasses, then looking for her keys, then creeping slowly to the car. Elliot had steam coming out of his ears by the time he got her into his car and then they sped away towards Aventura.

"Elliot, slow down, so we'll be late, who cares? Believe me they'll wait to take my money! Don't speed," Marlene complained.

"Don't be a backseat driver," Elliot barked. After a few seconds of silence Elliot, still speeding over the causeway confided, "Shirley, that little bitch is divorcing me. She waited until I made a success of my CPA practice, and now that there's something to grab she wants to keep my money and get rid of me!"

"I told you she was no good, didn't I always tell you?" Marlene gloated smugly, hugging her pocketbook to her bosom.

"I should have listened, Ma. She wants the house, the cars, the retirement funds, and a share in my business," he moaned.

"I told you not to marry her. Did you listen? No. What do I know? Don't listen to me! It's a good thing you put my name on everything you own, thank G-d you listened to me on that score. She can't get more than a quarter of your assets, and she'll never find out about our secret accounts. Aren't you glad you took my financial advice? She has no idea about how much money you really have, and she can't get more than a third of what she does know about," Marlene assured him.

As she spoke Elliot flew into the next lane and tore around a slow-moving truck, intending to pass him and cut in front of him. Meanwhile, another car that had been weaving and speeding through traffic came up from two lanes to the left of Elliot and swerved onto the same lane at the same time that Elliot changed lanes. It happened too fast for the conscious mind to process, all they heard was a bang as they felt a tremendous jolt. Elliot looked down at the mess of rubber and metal beneath him, "That was a close one!"

"I thought we were goners there for a few seconds!" Marlene agreed, surveying the rubble below her.

Another soul rose from the debris, but then returned to the tangle of metal. Cars were slowly moving around the scene and soon ambulances and police cars came speeding up blasting their sirens.

"It'll cost a fortune to fix the car," Elliot muttered in dismay.

"I think the car is totaled, but who cares? That's what insurance is for! So, you'll get a new car, big deal," Marlene answered, patting her son on his shoulder consolingly.

"Wait, Mom, hush, I want to hear what the police are saying," he shushed his mother and they moved closer to the officers on the scene, craning their necks forward to hear what the policemen were discussing.

The police directed the ambulance personnel to attend to the body of the driver in the car that crashed into Elliot's car. "He's hanging by a thread," one of the officers said, "But the middle-aged man and the old lady in the Lexus are dead, we'll send them in the next ambulance. They'll arrive dead on arrival."

"Oy, that's a shame those people died," Marlene commiserated.

"Yea, tough luck, but what were they doing in my car? We didn't have any passengers in my car!" Elliot commented, confused.

"Maybe it's us," Marlene joked, "maybe we're dead and don't know it."

"Very funny," Elliot snapped back, "right, I've fallen and I can't get up."

At that moment, a lovely lady in a lavender gown appeared.

Marlene turned to Elliot and stage whispered, "What's she doing wearing a negligee in public? What's this a new fashion?"

The woman laughed her beautiful wind chimes tinkling laugh, "I'm your spirit guide, my name is Orli. I'm afraid you really have passed away from your physical bodies, I'm here to guide you back to Heaven."

Elliot shook his head and muttered, "Mom, you weren't kidding, we really are dead and don't know it!"

Unlike Dan, Marlene and Elliot had no desire to hang around for their own funeral. Once they understood that they truly were dead, they were ready to ascend to Heaven.

"It's funny," Marlene told her son, "I always thought that the two things you had to do alone were to be born alone and to die alone. Who knew?"

In reality though, Elliot and Marlene took different paths for a while. They independently experienced their life reviews, the healing light, and their meetings with their council of elders. Back in the open sided tent the over-souls of Marlene and Elliot woke up and left their soul home.

On their way out, Dan questioned them, "Where are you two going?"

Marlene answered, "I'm going to meet the other part of my soul in the healing light."

Elliot answered, "Our physical lives are over, we died together in a car accident, I'm going to rejoin the part of my soul energy that just returned to Heaven. We'll be back soon!"

A short while later Will showed up and told Dan, "I heard we're having another soul reunion. Orli told me that Marlene and Elliot are back. I came over to greet them and catch up with them too."

It didn't take long for Elliot and Marlene to return to the open-sided tent. By then Hagete, Ben and Laura had also returned and were waiting to greet them home. Amy woke up long enough to say hello as well. When they were all seated on their silk pillows inhaling the sea breeze in their soul home, they had a chat similar to the reunion that they had when Dan had returned. Each soul member reported his or her story to Elliot and Marlene and then listened to their story in turn.

Dan didn't try to explain to them that they are true soul mates because he didn't want to upset or confuse them. He knew that they would remember their true relationship very soon. He realized that it takes a period of time to acclimate to Heaven after an Earth life. At the end of the reunion Will excused himself and returned to his self-imposed prison. Laura offered to take Marlene and Elliot over to their soul library and give them a chance to do a past life review.

Dan decided to go hang out at the classroom their soul group shared so he could hear what Elliot and Marlene would say after delving into their respective books of life. Elliot was the first of the duo to enter the quaint little classroom; walking up to Dan and plopping down next to him on the window seat he shook his head but didn't talk.

"Well? What did you learn?" Dan pressed him.

"This is so unbelievable," Elliot, muttered, "Yesterday I was pissed that the shrew wanted to divorce me and today I'm in Heaven discovering that I'm immortal."

"But what did you learn from your book of life?" Dan asked again.

"You won't believe this, but I lived a life back in the days when Greece dominated culture. I was madly in love with my true soul mate and we died together in a flood."

"Of course, I believe you, why wouldn't I believe you?" Danny assured him.

"That's not all. Guess who my true soul mate is? You won't believe it," Elliot promised him.

"Marlene," Dan stated.

Elliot looked at Dan in shock. "How did you know?" he whispered.

"I figured it out when I first returned to Heaven," Dan admitted.

"This is so creepy, it will take some getting used to. Do they have psychiatrists in Heaven? My mother is my soul mate, yuck!"

At that moment, Marlene entered the classroom, and quietly sat down on a chair by the little oak wood table.

She looked around and gushed, "Isn't this adorable? I love the American flag! And look at the lovely view of the park!"

She didn't look at Elliot and he didn't look at her either.

"What did you learn from your book of life?" Dan questioned Marlene.

"You don't want to know," she mumbled.

"Yes, we do, tell us what you found out," Dan nagged.

"I relived a life in rural America, early in the nineteenth century. I was a school marm, in a little one room school house, not too different from this room," she disclosed as she looked around the room appreciatively.

"And?" Dan encouraged.

"And my husband was the town sheriff. We died together in our sleep when our house burned down in the middle of the night one night," she finished.

"Who was your husband, anyone I know?" Dan badgered.

With a sigh and look to kill she confessed, "It was Elliot."

Dan laughed, "Don't you want to know what life experience Elliot relived in his book of life?"

"Not really, but I have a strong feeling you're going to nag him into telling me," Marlene grumbled.

Elliot volunteered the story ending with, "It looks like we usually plan lives in which we die together."

"The lovers that die together are immortal together," Dan joked. Nobody laughed. "Well, are you interested to know who my true soul mate is?"

Marlene and Elliot asked in unison, "Who?"

"Amy," he revealed.

"So, we're not the only weird ones," Marlene heaved with relief.

"No, you're not," Dan confessed. "I know you will soon remember this information, but actually you did me a huge favor, Marlene. You agreed to be my wife in our past life because I couldn't learn the soul lessons that I needed to master if Amy was my wife. I also wanted for Elliot to be my son so I could help him get a grip on his problem controlling his anger."

"Congratulations, Dan, you failed on that score!" Elliot wined.

"Not totally, Elliot, there were a few times that I helped you. Mostly I spent time protecting Amy from you though!" Dan admitted.

Elliot sat bolt upright, "Is that why you favored Amy, because she was your true soul mate?"

"Probably, but don't forget that you and Marlene had a very special love-hate relationship too. Very Oedipal!" Dan teased.

"Let's change the subject, I'm really not ready to think about that yet!" Elliot cried out. Marlene nodded her agreement.

"Speaking of my soul mate, I think I'll go check up on her. After all she just lost her mother and her brother in a fatal car crash, poor kid."

"Hey, we're the ones who died, and you're worried about her? Why am I not surprised?" Elliot joked, they all laughed.

Danny invited Elliot and Marlene to join him in focusing on Amy's love light. Soon they saw that Amy was in Marlene's attorney's office. They watched as she sat in a Queen Anne style chair across the highly polished wood desk from the lawyer. The walls behind Amy were lined with legal textbooks. The wall behind the attorney's chair was made of glass and revealed a view of the calm blue bay and a dazzling blue sky. At that point in time, Elliot and Marlene's funeral and week of Shiva had passed and Amy was left with the job of sorting out her mother's estate.

"She didn't waste any time, did she? Is my body even cold yet?" Marlene sniffed.

The attorney explained to Amy, "Everything that your mother had was jointly owned with your brother, Elliot. It was your mother's intention that when she died all of her assets would transfer to Elliot. Of course, she had no way of knowing that she would die with Elliot. Oddly, Elliot also had joint ownership of all his properties with Marlene. He didn't expect to die first, but he was protecting and hiding assets from his wife, Shirley. Your mother left her jewelry to you though."

Amy was very stoical and not all surprised to hear this information, knowing the characters involved.

"Since Elliot died along with my mother, what will become of her estate?" Amy wondered aloud.

"Everything will probably go to Shirley, unless you want to engage in a legal battle with her. If you choose to take legal action, then you can probably get most of your mother's estate, otherwise Shirley will inherit it because she's the widow of the man whose name was on all the assets," the attorney advised. He assumed that he was about to make some hefty legal fees from this screwed up case, but Amy's response took him by surprise.

"I don't believe in suing my own family and Shirley is still a member of my family. My mother went through a lot of thought and trouble to arrange to leave me off of her estate ownership and to ensure that I would not inherit anything other than a few items of jewelry. I feel compelled to honor her wishes. At the same time, it's poetic justice that they went through even more thought and trouble to prevent Shirley from being able to get her hands on Elliot's assets and now she will have both Elliot's and my mother's assets, I will not attempt to get a share of the estate," she grimly and primly informed her mother's lawyer.

The attorney was aghast, and he saw his intended large fee go down the drain.

"I have to tell you Amy, Elliot called me just before the accident to tell me that Shirley asked him for a divorce. Your mother didn't want to exclude you from owning her estate she just wanted to protect Elliot. After all, your mother knew that you have a husband to provide for you, but Marlene wouldn't want for her estate to go to Shirley!"

"Then my mother should have thought of that when she made her will. I thank G-d that I do have a wonderful husband who provides for me and I don't need to get involved in an ugly fight over money," with that Amy got up and quietly left the office. The attorney sat with his mouth open, for once speechless.

After a few seconds, the lawyer regained his equilibrium and jumped up to chase after Amy. He caught her in the hallway waiting for the elevator and he cajoled her into returning to his office.

"There's some more information that I forgot to tell you. Please come back so I can tell you the rest. You can't make a major decision like this without having all the facts."

Amy was annoyed but she primly returned to the office and allowed the attorney to continue presenting his facts.

"You don't realize that between the inheritance that your mother had from your father, and the inheritance that David left her, and the value of her condominium, her estate is worth nearly a million dollars. You're not going to give away a million dollars to Shirley, are you? Your brother's estate is worth nearly as much, and Shirley will get a half a million dollars in life insurance as well, she doesn't need your mother's estate! Now what do you say?"

"I say let Shirley have it," and with that Amy rose to leave.

"Wait!" the attorney cried out, "I can't let you make this monumental decision without consulting your husband first! Here, use my phone to call him." He pushed his phone around toward Amy, first dialing nine to obtain an outside line.

Amy smiled calmly and shook her head in denial, "I really don't need to call Joey, he'll tell me to do whatever I think is right."

"Please, humor me," the attorney begged, "Call him and let me talk to him too."

So, Amy finally complied. When she got Joe on the line she explained what the attorney told her and how she felt about it. As Amy predicted Joe told her to do whatever felt right to her and he promised to support her decision. The lawyer pleaded to talk to Joe, and Amy handed the phone to him. He then proceeded to implore Joe to file a law suit on Amy's behalf, to obtain her share of her mother's estate. Eventually, by placing the phone on the public speaker they had a three-way conversation that resulted in a compromise. Amy refused to allow any threats or court actions against Shirley, but she agreed that the attorney could try to settle the estate with Shirley by entering into friendly negotiations.

At a later date Amy received about half of her mother's estate and Shirley wound up with almost two million dollars. Amy's inheritance was added to the trust funds for Alex. Most of Shirley's money was eventually stolen by Danielle to support her drug habit.

When Dan, Marlene and Elliot were done watching Amy, Dan asked Marlene, "Why did you leave Amy out of the will except for the jewelry? Wasn't that unnecessarily cruel?"

"To tell you the truth I never really thought about Amy. I knew her husband took good care of her, I didn't intend to hurt her feelings but I just wanted to take care of Elliot," Marlene explained innocently.

Elliot looked uncomfortable.

"I never meant to squeeze Amy out of her inheritance. But I was the one who did all the work. I was always leaving my job to drive Marlene around town to her appointments, I figured I both deserved the money and I needed it more than Amy!"

"Amy acted very brave and unflinching when she heard the news, but did you feel the pain in her heart when she realized that her mother didn't love her and her brother didn't want to share with her? How do you feel about your decisions now?" Dan confronted them.

"I wish I thought to put Amy's name on some of my assets other than the jewelry," Marlene conceded.

"What the heck is the difference now? We're dead and Amy still got half of the estate anyway! Let's not beat a dead horse, it's over and it all worked out OK for Amy!" Elliot spat out.

They walked back to their open sided tent in silence. When they arrived, they found Ben and Hagete lounging around on pillows talking. "Welcome back! Why are you all so glum?" Hagete asked with concern.

"It's not important," Elliot barked.

Dan and Marlene remained grimly silent.

"OK, I won't pry," Hagete, promised, and changing the subject she confided, "Ben and I were talking about what kind of future lives we hope to have. We're getting kind of anxious to start another physical life."

"What's the big rush?" Elliot whined, "Enjoy your time here while you can!"

Ben smiled, "Well, you guys will understand after you spend more time in Heaven. After spending so much time studying and analyzing past lives and planning future lessons that you hope to learn, you start to feel like you can't wait to go back and try another physical life! It presents a very enticing challenge!"

Dan, Elliot, and Marlene didn't answer him they just stood there stupidly looking at Ben and Hagete.

Ignoring the silent response from the others, Hagete continued, "Ben and I have had so much in common in our past lives, we actually have to learn many of the same lessons in future lives."

"Like what?" Dan asked.

"Like how to trust, for one thing," Hagete answered, "We both got jilted by our spouses in our past lives. We each want to have a life in which we experience a faithful and happy marriage, if nothing else."

Ben looked at Hagete with appreciation, "You certainly deserve to be loved by someone faithful sweetie."

"Let us know if you two need to be alone," Dan teased them.

A visitor suddenly approached the tent, everyone looked up in surprise. "Welcome stranger!" Dan called out warmly.

A tall willowy figure gracefully floated into the tent. "You already know Hagete and Ben, and these newly returned souls are Marlene and Elliot," Dan presented her, then turning to Marlene and Elliot he said, "This is Marissa, she's the soul of Joey's late wife."

When the introductions were over Marissa told Dan, "I came to find out if you're going to Alex and Mimi's wedding!" As she asked the question she transformed herself into a beautiful young woman wearing her hair in an up do and long shimmering evening gown, such as they wore in the 1930's glamour movies.

"Wow! Hubba, Hubba! If I wasn't already taken I would fall for you baby!" Dan joked as he in turn transformed himself into the man he was at the age of thirty-five, dressed in a white dinner jacket and black slacks, with a black bow tie. "I would love to attend my grandson's wedding with you, when is it?"

"I already requested that my spirit guide arrange for all of us to travel to Earth, I'm ready when you are!" Marissa responded.

Dan turned to Elliot and Marlene, "Would you like to come to the wedding?" he offered.

"You mean we can go to Earth?" Elliot sputtered.

"Like ghosts?" Marlene inquired incredulous.

"Yep, we can go to Earth like ghosts and join the celebrations of our loved ones!" Dan affirmed. Hagete invited herself along too because she had a special love for her former student. When they all arrived at the wedding they found that Ahav was also there.

The wedding was held in a small park on a pretty lake during the late afternoon in the month of June. The bridal couple stood in a gazebo overlooking the water and a Justice of the Peace married them. Unknown to the folks on Earth, Ahav hovered around the Justice of the Peace to transmit blessings from on high. After the ceremony Ahav returned to Heaven.

Mimi wore a knee length white lace dress that was made for her from a Simplicity Pattern by her aunt. Everything was done in a manner that was wholesome and folksy. There were very few people at the wedding, only Amy and Joey attended from the groom's side of the wedding party. Since Amy's mother and brother had died together in a recent car crash, they decided to keep the celebration small and quiet.

The Justice of the Peace read a beautiful wedding ceremony and at the end he said to the bride, "Do you, Mimi Debra Johnson take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?'

The bride said, "I do."

Laura nudged Dan, "Did you hear that? Did you hear Mimi's name?"

Dan laughed, "I heard it, I didn't realize until this moment that Mimi is our Debbie!"

"The council kept their word. I guess you and I are better matchmakers than we realized!" Laura crowed.

The Justice turned to the groom and asked, "Do you, Daniel Alexander Vasquez take this woman to be you're lawfully wedded wife?"

The groom answered, "I do."

After the ceremony, there was an afternoon snack of small sandwiches and apple cider followed by a white creamy wedding cake. All of the food, including the cake was homemade by various relatives. The result was an enchanting, down home friendly, little wedding. Amy and Joe went through the day in a blur of happiness, it was so much more than they had ever dreamed or hoped would happen for their son after his near drowning.

Amy looked around at the small group of guests nibbling at their homemade wedding feast, sitting on white wooden chairs on the lawn around the lake. We are truly blessed to have our son marry into this charming family, Amy happily realized.

Marissa said to Dan, "Joey is starting to look old. He's sixty-six already! He needs to start thinking about retiring."

"I think he's afraid to retire because what would happen to Alex? Joey wants to keep the Colonial School in his family and I think he wants to make sure that Alex will always have a job."

Marlene and Elliot had been floating around the crowd cheerfully eavesdropping and finding out all about the bride and her family.

As they drifted back to join Dan and Marissa, Marlene conjectured, "Their children will be gorgeous."

"Let's hope that Alex can handle being a father," Elliot worried.

They joined Dan and Marissa just in time to hear the discussion about Joey retiring.

Elliot asked them, "Did you know that Mimi's younger brother just graduated with a Master's degree in Business Administration?"

Marissa answered, "I didn't realize that, maybe Joey should bring him into the business with him at Colonial School."

Dan enthused, "That's a great idea! If Joe could leave the business jointly to both Alex and Mimi's brother, then Alex would always have a job and the school would remain in the family."

Marlene put in her two cents, "As long as the marriage lasts it will be a great solution."

Elliot added, "Joey would need to have a contract ensuring that Alex would be financially protected in case Mimi ever decides to divorce him."

Dan laughed, "When are you going to let yourself trust others? In case you didn't notice, money is one of the things you can't take with you when you die!"

Marissa interrupted, "Let's help Joey realize that he should include Mimi's brother in his business plans! What is the brother's name?"

"Gary," Elliot supplied the name, "how can we help Joe have this realization?"

Marissa smiled, "If we all stand around Joey and focus this thought on him he might suddenly think he's had a great idea!"

So, Marissa, Elliot, Dan, and Marlene formed a circle of caring souls around Joey and concentrated one thought that they tried to beam into Joey's mind: Hire Gary to work for you and groom him to become a part owner of the Colonial School along with Alex!

While the souls were participating in their little para-psychological experiment, Joey was standing and chatting with Mimi's father. He suddenly felt a strong desire to know about Mimi's brother, "What does Gary do for a living?" he asked.

Mimi's dad proudly boasted that his son had just graduated with an MBA degree from a northern school that Joey had never heard of. "We're so proud of him! He didn't know what to do after he finished his undergraduate degree. He worked in sales, then decided to go back to school for his MBA! What about Alex? Is he going to continue to work with you in the family business?"

"Absolutely, I actually inherited this business from my father and I intend for Alex to inherit it from me. Truthfully, I would like to retire, but the school has grown and it's too much for one person to manage," Joey explained.

Mimi's parents had come to realize that Alex wasn't very bright, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. They didn't want to interfere with their daughter's happiness and they knew she was smart enough for two people, as long as she was happy they were happy. However, Mimi's Dad wondered, what would happen to the school and to Alex when his dad retires or dies?

Joey suddenly had a brainstorm, "Do you think Gary would be interested in coming to work at the Colonial School?"

"That's a wonderful suggestion," Mimi's Dad replied, "I know he's looking for a job and I'll bet he would be happy to live close to his sister. Why don't we go and talk to him?"

Of course, Gary was thrilled with the possible job offer and he promised to come to Florida and find out more details about the Colonial School and how he could fit into the family business. Eventually he was hired and groomed to take over the Colonial School. Gary turned out to be an honest and kindhearted young man who was capable of running the Colonial School and he became very protective and supportive of Alex.

Thus, Alex had a well-deserved miracle. He recovered from his near drowning and defied all medical predictions: He walked, talked, read, drove, and found true love. Alex's life, near-death, and recovery were all gifts from G-d.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: BIRTH OF LOVE

When Dan, Marlene, and Elliot returned to their heavenly soul home after the wedding, they found Hagete and Ben sitting together in the tent sparkling and shimmering with love light emanating from their souls.

"How cute," Dan teased, "don't let us interrupt you two lovebirds!"

Hagete twittered sweetly and Ben answered for them.

"It's funny that Hagete and I have always been in the same soul group and we've had hundreds of lives together, but neither of us ever felt anything other than a sibling type of love. We never chose soul mates for ourselves, we just muddled along in marriages and love affairs with other attractive souls. Now, after all the centuries that we've known each other we're falling love!"

"Better late than never!" Dan noted.

"What made you decide to fall in love?" Elliot asked.

"It's not actually a cognitive decision," Hagete related, "we just suddenly realized that we've been living parallel lives and having similar learning experiences in all of our physical lives. We have so much in common, the more we talk about it the more we feel attracted to each other. We have a fantastic mutual understanding."

"We also have mutual respect and mutual goals for future lives." Ben added.

"So, when are you going to get married?" Marlene demanded, the eternal Jewish mother.

"We haven't made any commitment yet," Hagete answered, her head cast down in a bashful pose.

"You mean even in Heaven you can't get a man to commit? It's not like it's going to cost anything if it doesn't work out! What are you worried about Ben?" Marlene whined, incredulous.

"I'm not worried about anything, I just want to be sure it's right for both of us," Ben defended himself. Actually, he already made up his mind but he wasn't about to be badgered or pushed into making a public commitment because that was something he wanted to accomplish privately with Hagete. Towards that end he asked Hagete to go out on a date with him so they could talk alone. She accepted and they went out to wander through the gardens near the library.

"I love being alone with you," Hagete confided to Ben, once they were away from the others.

"I love you too," he assured her, "and I love being with you. In all of my lives, both the physical and the soul lives that I've had, I never realized how important it is to have a special and exclusive love with just one other person. I knew that we were supposed to learn how to be loving beings, but I never thought I needed to seriously find one soul mate, one perfect love. You've been with me, near me, and under my nose through all these centuries and I never realized until now how much I love you. I know now that you are my twin soul, and my other half. I feel as though I have been blind all my life and now suddenly I can see!"

Hagete looked up at him with her heart in her eyes, "I agree, I went blindly through all of my incarnations feeling lost and alone. I gave love but I never felt that I had found that important thing that was missing...that gnawing emptiness haunted my heart until now. Now I know that a piece of my heart and part of my soul was missing, and you are that missing part! Now that we have opened our eyes to our love I feel completed for the first time in my existence as a soul."

"And I hope that we will continue to complete each other for the rest of eternity," Ben whispered in her ear.

In the midst of G-d's Heavenly garden, surrounded by a lush array of magnificent flowers, Hagete and Ben faced each other and slowly drifted toward each other until Hagete's buttercup-yellow energy and Ben's white-yellow energy completely merged as one. In the instant that they merged a glorious beacon of light shot outward from their union announcing to all of heaven that a love had been born. While their brilliant joint love light exploded through the Heavens, a chorus of angels sang out in soaring harmony producing the most beautiful love song that announced to all the souls in paradise that Hagete and Ben were in love!

While they were joined in this blissful state, Hagete heard Ben whisper in her soul's ear, "Will you marry me? Will you be the love of my life for all eternity? Will you let me give you all of my love for ever and ever?"

Hagete whispered back, "I will marry you and I will give you all the love my soul can yield from this day and forever."

They remained united as a beacon of love for quite some time, melding their minds and hearts as one. When they finally stepped apart Hagete retained a portion of Ben's energy and Ben retained a portion of Hagete's energy, which each would continue to share in their respective soul until the end of time.

When they returned later to their soul home Orli, Laura, and Will had returned to join Dan, Marlene and Elliot. While they all waited for Hagete and Ben to return, Ahav and Marissa also arrived at the open-sided tent because they had heard the Heavenly announcement that Hagete and Ben had fallen in love. Even Amy's soul woke up to participate in greeting the couple. As soon as the lovebirds came in everyone started to clap and laugh and congratulate them.

"So now are you going to get married?" Marlene the consummate Jewish Mother demanded loudly.

"Now we will get married," Ben promised.

Ahav offered to perform the ceremony for them whenever they felt ready.

"I'm ready right now," Ben said, looking at Hagete questioningly.

"I'm ready too!" she assured him.

Ahav waved his arm and magically created the illusion of a flower covered bridal canopy for the couple. They signed their soul marriage contract, which was written in black fire on white fire. It stated that they would remain soul mates to infinity, that each would devote all their love to the other and that each would strive to respect, protect, provide for the other's welfare, and encourage each other's spiritual growth for time without end. Their soul group members were their witnesses. Ben and Hagete signed their contract by extending a forefinger into the flame and leaving a drop of their soul energy in the appropriate spot. "This contract will be placed in the throne room of G-d, in the seventh Heaven on high, where all the greatest treasures of Heaven are kept," Ahav informed them solemnly.

"G-d considers a marriage contract to be a great treasure?" Dan clarified, surprised.

"Yes, love is Heaven's greatest wealth," Ahav confirmed.

The bride and groom held hands and stepped under the flowered canopy with Ahav. The ceremony was momentous as Ahav spoke in a voice heard by all of Heaven.

"Beautiful souls, we are gathered here to join two of our children in a heavenly union of eternal love. You pledge to give each other undying kindness, support, encouragement, understanding, respect, and devotion. You are now twin flames, two aspects of one soul, with common goals to live, learn and love together endlessly."

While Ahav spoke, a chorus of angels sweetly hummed heavenly music in the background. Then Laura, Marlene, Dan, Will, Marissa, Amy and Elliot circled the bridal couple seven times, each carrying a ribbon, tying each ribbon until seven knots were joined around the bride and groom. Orli threw little red and pink hearts on the couple to symbolically shower them with love.

Ahav finished, "I now pronounce you eternal soul mates, may G-d bless your union. You may now join energies to consummate your marriage."

Once again Ben and Hagete merged their souls, and again the strength of their love blasted out of their united souls like a beacon of light while the angels burst into song to announce that Hagete and Ben were in love forever and ever. This time when they stepped apart, Hagete retained half of Ben's soul energy and Ben retained half of Hagete's soul energy, and in this way, they became joined, sharing one united soul.

After the wedding ceremony was completed, Ahav and Marissa returned to their own places in Heaven, and Amy resumed her rest. Orli invited the newlyweds to discuss their future with her over at the library, so the three of them went to their soul group's designated classroom to talk about their plans.

"I know you're both hoping to have a physical life together soon, so tell me what common goals you've been planning," Orli said

"To trust again!" Hagete affirmed.

"To trust and to love," Ben amended, giving Hagete an adoring look.

Orli responded, "That leaves you wide open to any number of possible lives. Before I go and present your case to your council of elders, is there anything else that I should know about your future life plans?"

Hagete and Ben looked at each other for a second, then Hagete confided, "We have been discussing the possibility of helping two other members of our soul group."

Ben filled in, "We would like to help Will and Laura. We've discussed this possibility with them as well and they are both interested. We have offered to parent them in their next life."

Orli took a deep breath, "Well, this sheds a new and complex light on everything. Did Will reveal to you that we have been discussing the merits of him possibly entering a physical life in a disabled body?"

"Yes," Hagete nodded, "we know about that, and we know it would be a hardship on us, but we want to give Will an opportunity to learn to love and trust too. We all have the same goals, and Will needs to be able to surrender control over his physical body to someone else, to help him learn trust."

Ben put in, "We were wondering if we could offer to parent Will later in our lives. We don't want to be old parents, but we thought we could arrange to find each other and get married in our early twenties and then have Will when we are in our mid to late thirties. That way we would have time to really enjoy and establish a rock solid loving relationship before we take on the challenge of having a disabled child. As for Will, he is convinced that if he accepts a disabled body he won't be in danger of harming any others during his next life. His goal to trust includes being able to trust himself."

Orli agreed, "That sounds like a smart plan. What plan did you have for Laura?"

Hagete answered, "I know that Laura has been discussing her next life goals with you, she wants to learn to love without fear. We want to give her the loving family and safe childhood that would pave the way for her to meet her own life goals. Since Laura is such a caring and nurturing soul, we also thought she could help us take care of Will, if she was our firstborn child. That way Will would be her baby brother. Laura is really interested in this proposal."

Orli stood up, "I will talk to both Will and Laura. If they agree to your proposal, then I will present your case before your council of elders. Ultimately, they will offer you at least two, or possibly three choices for your next physical lives, and they will have at least one meeting with you before you go back to Earth."

Orli left the room and Hagete and Ben sat and held hands, talking about their future plans with thrilled anticipation.

When Orli met with Laura and Will in separate interviews each soul confirmed that they were anxious to be the child of Hagete and Ben in their next lives. Laura agreed to help nurture Will as his big sister and Will agreed that he would accept a life as a disabled child born to Hagete and Will with Laura as his older sister. All that remained for Orli was to present their plan to the council of elders, which she did with much care. The council agreed to allow their plan but they told Orli to suggest to all four souls that they should also consider the possibility of being born into a culture and country that they had never experienced before.

Orli went to visit Will and invited him to come back to the open sided tent with her so they could talk to Laura, Hagete and Ben. Once all four souls were together Orli told them the results of her meeting with the council of elders, including the concept that they might consider living in the near east or the far east in their next incarnation.

Ben interjected, "I think we are all planning a challenging life and I had envisioned having another American life." Both Laura and Hagete were nodding in agreement.

Orli calmly and sweetly explained, "No one is going to force you to accept lives in an eastern culture, but you have to realize one thing. Before you are completely finished with all of your physical incarnations you will have to experience at some lifetimes in eastern cultures because that is the only way you will learn to understand, accept, and love those people and their cultures too. You don't have to do it in your next lives, but eventually in some future life, you will have to have the experience."

They all agreed that they would rather wait until a future life. Orli promised to report their joint decision to the council of elders, who in turn would tell the specialists in life planning to provide all four souls with at least two options for their next lives.

After a short while, Orli returned to report again to Ben, Hagete, Laura and Will.

"The council has approved your decisions. Ben and Hagete are invited to attend the theater of future lives to select their preferred lives. The specialists in planning future lives are working on a unique project for you Laura, because they want to find an exceptional person for you to marry in your next life. Since you will be born at a later date, there is no immediate rush for them to focus on you now. Soon, though, you will be invited to go to the theater of future lives and you will also meet your intended, when your time comes."

Laura was thrilled at that news, and she began to dream and plan for her next life. Will excused himself to return to his cell and continue his studies toward his next life. Orli escorted Hagete and Ben to the theater of future lives. They flew to a place in Heaven that is situated not far from the Crystal Palace. The theater was an enormous round structure that looked very futuristic.

"Each of you will see your personal choices independently of the other, then you will join to preview each other's choices," Orli explained.

Hagete was brought into one round room while Ben was brought onto a different round room, each for the purpose of viewing their selections of future bodies. In Hagete's room she sat and looked at a huge screen that surrounded her. When the images came on the screen she saw her possible future self at different ages and in the environment that she would someday experience in her next life.

The first life that Hagete was shown was the body of a little African American Christian girl of middle class parentage. The child was attractive and healthy. She was playing outside in her backyard. Hagete could feel what the child's mind and body was like. The little girl was intent on building a sand castle in her sand box, she seemed like a sweet and happy child.

In the next scene of this child's life she was already a teenager. She was sitting in a church with her mother on a Sunday morning. The reverend, who was her father, was making a speech but the girl wasn't listening, she was thinking about a boy she had a crush on who was sitting a few pews in front of her.

The last scene of the girl's life that was shown to Hagete was when she was a young woman. She was walking down a street of shops in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The air was balmy and she was on a shopping spree on a boulevard crowded with expensive boutiques. She was happily looking for an engagement gift for one her friends.

Then, Hagete found that the screen went blank for a short while, before a new possible life choice was offered to her. The second girl was of European Christian heritage. She was a little girl with blond pigtails. She was thin and frail compared to the first choice. The little girl with pigtails was helping her father to fix his car. Actually, she thought she was helping, because he allowed her to hand him his tools. She felt the child's love for her father.

In the next scene, the girl was in a middle school classroom taking a spelling test, she was worried because she had forgotten to study for the test. In the last scene, she was a young woman driving a car in a small rural town to the west of Tallahassee, Florida. She was on her way to work, feeling tired and somewhat dreading the long workday ahead of her.

In the end, Hagete decided that she wanted to live in the body of the sturdier and healthier girl in the cosmopolitan town, so she chose the African American girl's body for her future life.

In the other theater of the future Ben was making his own choices. The first choice offered to him was the body of a Native American boy whose parents were originally from the Seminole Native American Tribe, but they lived and worked independently of the Tribe. The little boy was fighting with another child over a plastic toy. He was tough and determined to win the fight.

In the next scene, the boy was standing in front of a high school class reading a term paper he had written. He was very nervous and his palms were sweaty because he hated standing up and talking in public. In the last scene, he was an attractive young man living near Tampa, Florida, working as a commercial fisherman, his first real job. He couldn't decide if he liked that work.

The screen went blank for a short time, then the second life choice was offered. The second life choice was a biracial child who was also the son of biracial parents. He had a European-American grandparent and an African-American grandparent on both his mother's side as well as on his father's side.

He was a handsome and confident child. His mother was reading a book to him and he was interested in the colorful pictures. In the next scene, he was playing basketball with his friends. He was too short to be as good at playing basketball as the other teenage boys, but he was competitive and having good-natured fun.

In the last scene, he was a young man who was selling water filters for a new company. He liked what he was doing because he was a natural salesman and he was helping people to ensure that they would have clean drinking water in their homes and business.

After giving it some thought, Ben chose the second life choice because the boy was confident and well adjusted. He liked the idea that he would enjoy and be good at his work too. Once his decision was made, he left his theater and found Hagete and Orli waiting for him. They went into a third theater where each of them could see the future body of the other one.

Orli stated, "At a later date Will and Laura will also see what choices you made. Even though they will be born to you, they will still have at least two body choices when their time comes. Now that you have chosen your future bodies, the next step is for you to meet with the specialists in future life planning because they will coach you in how to recognize each other as your soul mates in your next life."

Hagete and Ben followed Orli into the room where the specialists in future life planning were waiting. They were kindly advanced souls of a dark purple hue who sat behind a long counter in their big modern office. In that room Ben and Hagete were told how they would meet each other in their next life and what to look for. "It's really important that you pay careful attention and know what to look for so that you can find each other, fall in love and get married. If you miss the cues you won't recognize each other and you could wind up married to the wrong people!" advised the lead specialist.

Hagete was told that she would have a desire to become a nursery school teacher and to accomplish that goal she would enroll in the local Community College Main Campus. Ben was told that he would at least start college and would also enroll in the same Community College Main Campus, to study towards a business degree. They would both start with a general required course: Introduction to Mathematics. They would both forget to purchase their textbook until a few minutes before the first class and at that time there would be only one textbook available.

They would meet in the bookstore. They would both reach for the same book at the same time. They would first laugh, then worry because there was only one book available. They would agree to share the book and study together, which would lead to their falling in love and getting married. If either of them changed their mind about going to college, or bought the book in advance, then they might not meet or they might meet but not recognize each other as soul mates.

Both Hagete and Ben rehearsed several times the plan for their future meeting.

"What if it doesn't work? If we don't meet we will have wasted our first chance to have a life together!" Hagete worried.

"We won't let that happen! I promise you, Hagete, that I will find you and I will marry you. You'll see, love has no barriers!" Ben ardently vowed.

The next step in the process was for each of them to meet with their council of elders at the crystal palace. Hagete and Ben met independently with their council of elders and discussed the lessons they wish to learn in their next life. They each reported they want to learn to love and to trust. Their council approved and wished them luck then sent them away with blessings.

Ben was to be born first then shortly after that Hagete would be born. The age difference between them would be less than a year. Their soul group threw a going away party for Ben and Hagete and Orli came to the party too. Dan arranged for them to play the type of music that Ben and Hagete would listen to in their future teenage years on Earth and they all danced the future dances that hadn't even been invented on Earth yet. The music and associated dance was a delightful and sizzling mixture of tango and swing.

At the end of the party, Orli escorted Ben to the shores of eternity, over the rainbow bridge, down through the tunnel, down into Earth's astral planes and into the new fetus that would become his next life.

What seemed like only a few hours later it was Hagete's turn to join the new fetus that would be her future life. Orli made the same trip with Hagete as she did with Ben. Once Hagete was inside the fetus she tried to meld her own personality and goals with the developing infant. After a while she got bored and decided to go out and have some fun on Earth. She left the fetus and called to her beloved who in turn left his fetus and met her floating in the evening air around the beach.

"You rang?" Ben joked when he found Hagete.

"I'm bored, how long can you sit in a womb without going stir crazy?" she complained.

"It will all be worth it!" Ben promised her, "I can already feel that the baby I'm melding with has a naturally upbeat optimistic personality. I think he'll be easy going and easy to gain control over!"

"I can feel my fetus growing healthy and spunky. She's going to be a force to be reckoned with, watch out!" Hagete teased.

They spent some time together and made plans and vows all over again, then they said farewell and returned to their respective wombs.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE DEATH OF LOVE

ALEX

To everyone who knew them, Mimi and Alex appeared to have a loving relationship, but after about three years of marriage Mimi realized two important things. First, she finally understood that Alex had more mental limitations than she had grasped prior to marrying him and second she recognized that she couldn't help him to become "normal." He was still her strong silent hunk, but she finally accepted his restricted cognitive skills. Of course, she still loved him, but she sadly decided that the wisest course of action would be to devote her time to her medical career and abstain from having children. She didn't even attempt to discuss her decision with Alex partly because she didn't think he would understand and partly because she didn't want to hurt him, so she quietly took birth control pills and swallowed her own disappointment.

The life of a medical doctor is hectic and demanding, especially for young interns and residents. Mimi was at work much more than at home, when she finally came home she desperately needed to sleep. With a lifestyle of constant high-stress work and minimal sleep she successfully avoided facing her own disenchantment with Alex.

Alex continued his old schedule of working at the Colonial School, going to the gym, and he often visited his parents. He was blissfully happy with no idea that anything was amiss in his marriage.

Mimi's brother, Gary gradually took over most of the responsibility of managing the Colonial School so that Joey could at least semi-retire. This marked the beginning of a lovely and languid life for Amy and Joey. They began to take frequent cruises and other vacations and for the first time since the birth of their son they were free to renew their own romance and enjoy a carefree life.

The life, near-death, and miraculous recovery of Daniel Alexander Vasquez came to an abrupt end when Alex collapsed on the treadmill during one of his routine visits to the gym. By the time the paramedics arrived, Alex was already dead. Later, an autopsy revealed that he had an undiagnosed arrhythmia of the heart and had been a walking time bomb for years. At the young age of thirty-three, Alex died his second and final death.

As soon as his soul left his body, Alex spotted his dear old friend in the lavender suite, Patrick.

Grinning from ear to ear he immediately said, "I remember you form the last time I died!"

He noticed the old fruitcake was still decked out in pale purple.

Reading his mind, Patrick laughed, "It's good to see you Alex! You might think I look fruity in this color but believe me, someday it will be your dearest wish and greatest happiness to attain this same lavender color!"

Alex was embarrassed when he realized that Patrick could read his mind. "Sorry sir," he mumbled.

Then he looked down and saw a young athlete sprawled out on the floor where his body had been thrown from the treadmill.

"Is that me?" he asked.

"It's the body that you used to live in," Patrick admitted.

All of the disability was lifted from Alex and he was able to think and communicate with his true sharp intelligence.

"This was a short but rough life, wasn't it?" Alex remarked.

"It was tough going for you son, but you came out of it smelling like a rose! Most people have to live many lives to achieve what you accomplished in your first short life. Actually, you were supposed to have a short sweet life, but, as you probably remember, you decided to prolong your life and live in a disabled body for your parent's sake. That was a sacrifice that Heaven respects." Patrick nodded with approval.

"I received so much love and support, it was worth every minute of my disabled life. I even managed to love and marry a beautiful girl, why, I consider myself lucky!" Alex assured him.

"Well you're certainly on the fast track in soul growth," Patrick responded.

"I think my parents will be OK with losing me now, but what about Mimi? Is she going to be OK? She's awfully young to be a widow." Alex worried.

"Well, I'll tell you what Alex, why don't we just hang around and see how Mimi takes it when she finds out that you've died?" Patrick kindly offered. "After all, there's no rush to go home, Heaven can wait. In fact, while we are lingering here on Earth, we can begin your life review and when that's done we can go check up on Mimi, is that alright with you?"

Alex was relieved to find out that he could watch over Mimi for a while and he readily agreed to begin the life review, whatever that is. Since Alex is a new soul, Patrick didn't leave him alone. Because his life was short and bittersweet, the life review came and went in a flash. Alex didn't have very much to recriminate himself for, and Patrick provided intense emotional support through and after the life review.

"You're a good soul Alex, and your sacrifice for Amy and Joe will be rewarded, of that you can be sure," Patrick promised.

While he talked he guided Alex to watch Mimi receive the news that her husband had passed away. Alex watched, unseen and hovering above his beloved wife as she answered the page at work and picked up the phone to find out that Alex had been rushed to the hospital. Her first thoughts were simultaneously to be concerned and to feel stressed because she had to rush over to a different hospital from the one where she was working. She raced around to grab her personal belongings and to ask a coworker to cover for her until she could return. She had no idea when she drove like the wind to the other hospital that her husband had already died. On her way over she called Amy and Joey on her cell phone and told them to meet her at the Emergency Room.

Alex watched as Mimi and his parents arrived within minutes of each other. When they found out that Alex was dead on arrival they were stunned, but for each of them, underneath the shock was a sense of relief combined with a feeling of guilt. Guilt for surviving, guilt for feeling relieved, and guilt for not feeling as heart-broken as they each thought they should be. Alex read their minds and hearts but he wasn't at all hurt, he understood how each of them felt. He knew that to some extent he had been a burden to all of them, even if the only trouble he caused was that they were all concerned about what would become of him in the long run.

It was at this moment that he learned that Mimi had been feeling so tied down and disappointed in her marriage. Underneath her feelings of shock and grief Alex detected a gleeful realization that she was free.

"How can I let her know that I'm OK, that I'm happy for her, and that she shouldn't feel guilty?" Alex asked Patrick.

Patrick smiled fondly, "It is the hallmark of your sweet and loving character that you put other people's feelings ahead of your own. I'm not surprised that you want to relieve Mimi of her guilt and I'll help you to do that. First, we will focus our loving thoughts on both her conscious and subconscious minds. We have to wait until she falls asleep tonight to enter her dreams with more messages. For now, look into her mind and send her your thoughts. You can communicate with her soul the same way that you communicate telepathically with me. Even if we can't break into her conscious mind, we can talk to her soul through her subconscious and provide her with some relief by that method. You are quite right in realizing that while she feels relieved by your death to some extent, that very feeling is also causing feelings of guilt. She thinks that she should be more devastated that she really is."

Alex, the sweet soul that he is, waited and watched over Mimi, Amy and Joey until the funeral and the week of mourning passed. During that time, Alex, with Patrick's help, projected love and support into the hearts and minds of his loved ones, attempting to release them from feelings of guilt or depression. Finally, he allowed Patrick to guide him home to Heaven.

When they crossed the rainbow bridge over waters, Alex saw Hagete, his former nurturer, waiting to greet him, along with Dan and Ahav. He remembered meeting all of them after his near-death experience. They gave him a warm welcome home.

Ahav was the only master soul currently assigned to Alex' Council of Elders because Alex was a brand-new soul. Since he just had his first short, but highly successful life, he didn't have to go to the Crystal Palace for a formal life review. Ahav congratulated Alex for the courage and generosity he showed in choosing to live in a disabled body for Amy and Joe's sake.

He affirmed, "You lived a beautiful life Alex. You gave a lot of love and you never hurt anyone else in the process. Welcome home!"

"Now that I'm home, what happens next?" Alex asked.

"Now you will meet your soul group."

Dan said, "I'll always be grateful to you, Alex, because you spared my beloved soul mate Amy from a terrible sorrow. I know that when Amy comes home she'll be overjoyed to see you again. And don't forget, Hagete and I are always available to you if you need to communicate with us."

After they said goodbye, and Patrick escorted Alex to his new soul group, Ahav departed and Dan received a psychic message that Amy needed him. He and Hagete returned to their open sided tent and Dan focused on Amy's love light to find out why she was calling to him.

JOEY

Dan discovered that Amy was facing another big challenge in her life. She had handled Alex's demise with calm dignity, even though she loved him dearly, she was finally able to accept his death. Now, on the heels of her son's loss, she faced another crisis. Dan found Amy talking to her daughter-in-law, Mimi, getting advice about Joe's medical condition. Apparently, Joe had difficulty talking, which was their first clue that something was terribly wrong.

Amy leaned toward Mimi and confided to her, "We really didn't think anything of it, he just had a hoarse voice. We figured he was getting a head cold, or some kind of sinus problem."

Amy explained to Mimi, "It just didn't seem to go away. Then he started to get a lot of acid reflux, he thought he had a digestive problem. I told him to see a doctor, but he's so busy and it seemed like such silly things, just an annoyance. After about two months of having a hoarse voice and then another month of constant reflux and a continuation of vocal hoarseness, he finally went to the doctor, who then sent to him a specialist. The last thing in the world that we ever expected to hear was that he had cancer. It all happened so fast!"

Mimi sat next to Amy on the beige silk sofa sympathetically putting her arm around her mother-in-law.

"This is one illness I can't cure, but I'll help you to make decisions and navigate through all the complexities of cancer treatment options," Mimi sincerely promised.

Amy dabbed at a tear with her tissue, "You're a doll. We were blessed the day you came into our lives." She meant it with all her heart. Mimi was the daughter she never had, a G-d-send.

"The truth is we didn't have any time to think about it, it seems like the minute he was diagnosed they had him in treatment."

"So, you decided to go ahead with the chemo?" Mimi asked.

"Oh, Absolutely! It's too late to turn back now. We're going to fight this thing! I helped Alex fight for his life and he made a miraculous recovery, Joey will beat this thing too!" Amy spoke with unshakable conviction. There was not a doubt in her mind that Joey would survive and triumph over cancer. In her mind, it wasn't much more than a sore throat that got carried away. Of course, something with such silly little symptoms couldn't have spread yet, they obviously must have caught it on time to eradicate it.

Mimi knew better, but she decided that it would be better to keep her own council. "Well, I hope you're right. I will be here for you both whenever you need me!" Mimi assured her mother-in-law.

"I know you will, sweetie," Amy answered, "Thank you for everything. To tell you the truth I'm exhausted. You look tired too."

Dan left feeling concerned for Amy; he knew that he had no control over when or how Joey would die. He sensed that Joe's death was imminent. Ironically, while he was musing about Amy, Marissa showed up with news about her beloved Joey.

"I thought I should stop by and let you know that Joey will be coming home to Heaven soon. He was diagnosed with cancer. I have it on the highest authority that he will have a brief struggle and then he'll be released from his physical body. I just thought you would want to be alerted so you can give Amy some soul support," Marissa reported.

"You're right, I do want to be able to give Amy the support she needs from me. I actually just found out about Joe a heartbeat before you showed up. I'm kind of powerless in assisting Amy right now, but I will definitely be there to help her survive the grief crisis when Joe finishes his incarnation. I'm worried about Amy because she has no one left on Earth. Her parents and brother are dead. Her son is dead and her husband is about to die. This is going to be a rough time for the love of all my lives," Dan confided sadly.

"Don't underestimate the power of the woman you love! She's stronger than you realize, Dan. I know Joey will hang around and help her get through the worst before he comes back to me. He has a genuine love for Amy, he won't leave Earth's astral planes until he is assured that she can weather the storm," Marissa promised on Joe's behalf.

Dan sighed, I know you're right about that. I want to meet Joey when he's back home too."

"I'll bring him by, I promise!" Marissa pledged.

Amy supported Joe in his fight against cancer, but three months after his diagnosis he passed away. The funeral passed in a haze for Amy. She was surprised to see her sister-in-law Shirley-the-Shrew show up at the funeral services with the drugged-up Danielle. How did they know he passed away? Mimi must have called them. They both looked like they'd seen better days. Mimi and her brother Gary were, of course, in attendance along with many of the Colonial School's employees and student's families. Unseen to the others were the disincarnate souls of Dan, Joey, Alex and Marissa, all there to give Amy some serious soul support.

While they hovered around unseen, Joe felt torn between his concern for Amy and his love and loyalty to Marissa.

Turning to his true soul mate, Marissa, Joe asked her, "Are you upset with me for taking another wife after I lost you?"

Marissa beamed out rays of pure love that enveloped and penetrated Joe.

"Does that answer your question?" she laughed. "I'm proud of you for your great capacity for love and for being such a good husband to both of us! You don't know this, but I was actually at your wedding to Amy, celebrating with you. Let me share something with you about love that I've learned in Heaven. The root of love is in giving. The more you give the more you have to give. You were faithful to me in our physical life and that was the right way to behave. You were faithful to Amy and that was right too. I was very happy that you found someone wonderful to love after I died. Remarrying a new love was a good choice. Our whole reason for living in both physical and nonphysical life forms is to learn to love."

Joe was so overcome with his feelings toward Marissa, he walked toward her and merged his energy with hers causing the glowing beams of their combined light to shine out in blinding brightness. They just stood that way for a few seconds, and then they parted with a feeling of absolute peace, love, and oneness.

"It feels strange to be at my own funeral," Joe confessed.

"If you think this is strange, wait until you come home to Heaven. It will take you some time to get used to it and to remember your true soul life," Marissa revealed.

"As long as I can be with you, I'm looking forward to it," Joe promised her.

The group of loving disincarnate souls stayed around Amy for a week. They beamed feelings of love and strength into her mind and heart to help her cope with the loss of her beloved husband. Amy, true to form, reached deep inside of her own reservoir of strength and weathered the storm of bereavement with courage and faith. She took her father's watchband out of her jewelry box and held it to her heart, remembering her deep love for him. At the same time, she kept Joey's watch for the same purpose. Holding those items made her feel connected to the two men she loved the most in her life.

AMY

After a period of mourning passed, Amy decided that she had to set goals to give herself a reason to go on living. She could have spent her remaining years on Earth going on vacations and treating herself to material and social indulgences, but that wasn't in her true nature. Instead she decided to do some intense charity work. She donated her time to Easter Seals and United Cerebral Palsy as both a fund-raiser and a volunteer working with kids and their families. She told many of the parents about her own son's near-death, long disability, and miraculous recovery. The story of Alex's life gave hope and courage to many families while keeping Alex's memory alive for Amy.

The time passed swiftly for Amy. It seems that people die when they accomplish everything they set out to do in a physical lifetime. Amy was a wonderful daughter, wife and mother. She taught art to school children, took care of her own family, and spent her later years helping other families cope with their disabled children. In her own quiet sweet way Amy accomplished many good deeds.

One evening, as she sat in her family room watching television, Amy fell asleep and had a beautiful dream. In her dream, her father came to her with his arms out, and she flew into his arms. He encased her in a passionate embrace and filled her being with pure love light. After a few seconds, he faded away, and a beautiful sweet woman dressed in a flowing lavender gown stood in front of her.

"It's time for you to come home," the woman said.

"I am home," Amy answered, bewildered.

"Time to return to your cosmic home, to Heaven," the woman explained.

Amy felt surprised because she had expected to live much longer. When she thought it over though, she quickly realized that everyone she had ever loved was dead and that she had nothing left to live for anyway. It seemed like such a simple thing to surrender to a peaceful death. Amy had always been a spiritual person and she had open mindedly read a great wealth of information about life after death, so it seemed quite natural to her that her spirit guide had come to escort her to her next life.

Without hesitation, Amy put herself into the hands of Orli. She allowed Orli to guide her through her life review, and then she followed the lavender lady up, beyond Earth's astral planes, through a long dark tunnel, over the rainbow bridge that spans the waters separating heaven and earth, and onto the glowing shores of eternity. There she found Marlene, Elliot, Dan, Alex and Joe all waiting to greet her with loving open arms.

Before Amy's physical body passed away, Orli let Dan know that Amy's time was up and that she would be coming home to him soon. Joe, Danny and Marissa discussed how to handle it because they knew she would be confused to find out that her father is really her soul mate and her husband has a different soul mate. Marissa suggested that Joe should greet and welcome Amy to Heaven and that Dan should wait and see her later.

"That would only hurt her, Marissa, she'll be crushed if I'm not there to meet her on Heaven's shores," Dan responded.

"Why don't we all go together? That way she'll be glad to see everyone and she'll have time to adjust and figure it all out later," Joey suggested.

So, they all agreed to meet Amy and welcome her back to her soul home. When Amy crossed the rainbow bridge she was overwhelmed with a feeling of love and awe to see all of her loved ones waiting to greet her. She stood stock still for a moment, not knowing whom to hug first!

While they all stood and looked at each other, Alex rushed over to Amy and merged his energy with hers in a soul embrace greeting her with the words, "Welcome home, Mom!"

Those words brought laughter to everyone and Amy was so happy to see Alex in his true state of existence: joyful, smart, healthy, and void of any disability.

Before she could answer Alex, Joey embraced Amy, saying, "Welcome home sweetheart!"

Again, Amy hardly had a second to respond before Elliot and Marlene jointly hugged her and welcomed her home. She shared a warm embrace with them, overjoyed at this amazing soul reunion.

Finally, Dan stepped forward and merged his energy with hers. They remained fused for a long delicious moment. When the hug ended Amy was reluctant to have to part from her beloved father. She looked up at him with such intense love-light emanating from her soul that she nearly forgot all the others who were present. At last she realized that she and Dan had an audience, all of who were watching with intense interest, as though they wanted to observe closely how Amy reacted to her father. She briefly wondered why they were so interested, but then she realized that there was a soul present who she hadn't met before.

Joey stepped forward with the new unfamiliar soul and introduced her.

He said, "Amy do you remember that I was a widower when I first met you?"

Amy gave a short laugh, "Of course I remember, how could I forget?"

Joey continued, "Well, I would like to introduce you to Marissa, my first wife."

Amy looked carefully at Marissa to see if she was a jealous or angry type, but all that she saw was a kind and loving woman. Marissa stepped forward and held her hands out to take Amy's hands into her own.

"Welcome home, Amy. I want to thank you for being such a wonderful wife to my soul mate, Joey."

In a fleeting moment Amy had a realization that deep in her heart she had always suspected that Joey was not her true soul mate. She had loved him completely and they had been good friends, good lovers and good partners, but something was always missing. Although neither of them had ever had an unconquerable desire to commit adultery or seek a divorce, and they had been very comfortable and happy together, something was missing. Amy didn't have enough time to thoroughly evaluate those thoughts, so she tucked them away to be readdressed at a later time.

She squeezed Marissa hands and responded, "It's wonderful to meet you! I'm glad that you are reunited with Joey, take good care of my beloved husband, I love him too." Amy mused that it was interesting that she didn't feel any jealousy or possessiveness toward Joey.

"I know you love him too, Amy," Marissa assured her, "Don't worry you'll be seeing us again!"

After the brief reunion Amy went off with Orli first, to reunite with her total soul energy, her over-soul, in the healing shower of golden light, and then to go to the Crystal Palace and meet her Council of Elders. When she finished that business, she returned to the open sided tent, and was happily reunited with her soul group. After the soul group had a chat, and caught up with each other, Danny took Amy for a walk through a heavenly garden so that they could talk privately.

"How did your meeting go with your Council of Elders?" he asked her.

Of course, Dan knew that Amy couldn't report specific details because those meetings are very confidential, but she could tell him general information.

"I was really pleased with their reaction to my last life. The two things that they rewarded me for were for taking care of my disabled son and for sharing mom's estate with Elliot's wife without getting into any big legal battles or fighting over money with her. It felt really good to get that approval," Amy confided.

"You know I often watched over you, and I'm really proud of the way you conducted yourself in your last life. I'm so glad to have you back with me my love," Danny said.

"This all seems so familiar, yet it's all new," Amy said, as she looked around their Heavenly domain.

"I felt the same way when I first came home, but pretty soon you will remember all of your past lives and everything will make more sense. There's actually a library here where you can look through books and relive parts of your past lives. That's one of the things we're expected to do as part of our Heavenly soul work," Dan explained.

"Really? Can you take me there now? I would really like to see it and find out more about who I am and who I've been."

So, Danny guided Amy to the library and taught her how to fly right through the illusion of an outer solid marble wall. Inside she immediately found her own books of life glowing in a way that only she could see. She pulled one off the shelf and was surprised that the enormous tome was light as a feather. When she sat down on a velvet chair and opened the book the veil of privacy sprang up around her. Danny sat near her and waited for the privacy shield to disappear again.

When Amy looked down at the page her book opened to, she saw a sweet young governess wearing a Victorian style gown. Suddenly she was sucked right into the picture and became the governess. She found herself explaining to her young charges that she was not going to be their governess anymore because she is about to be married. She told the children that she had met an older man, the family doctor, who had been invited to her employer's home on several occasions. He had fallen in love with her and offered her a new life. While she explained the situation to the children she felt the mind of the governess having a déjà vu experience.

As she looked closely at the two children, she recognized them as members of her soul group, Hagete and Ben. When she saw the parents, she recognized them as Elliot and Marlene. Amy thought it was odd that her mother and brother had once been husband and wife. In the evening, she dressed for dinner with special care, knowing that her fiancé was invited to join the family. When he arrived, an attractive trim gentleman, she instantly recognized him as Danny. She realized that they had been very deeply in love during that incarnation as man and wife.

The privacy shield suddenly disappeared as Amy closed the book of her past life. That's too weird, she mused, my mother and brother were a married couple and my dad was my husband. Yet somehow it feels right, even though it shouldn't.

When Amy looked around she saw Danny sitting close by looking at her intently. She saw him as her beloved father, yet also as her beloved husband from a prior life. It slowly dawned on her that Danny was actually her soul mate. But where does that leave Joey?

Danny read Amy's confused thoughts but he realized that she was not yet used to communicating with mental telepathy, so he pretended he didn't hear her confusion.

"Is something wrong, Amy?" he innocently inquired.

"Not exactly wrong, just confusing. I just reviewed a fragment of a past life in which Mom and Elliot were married, and Hagete and Ben were their kids. This is even the oddest thing. You were my future husband, and I was very much in love with you. Is that too weird? I felt as though you were my true soul mate, but can that be possible? I understand that Joey's true soul mate is Marissa, but how can my true soul mate my father?"

"It is possible sweetness, we are true soul mates. You are correct in realizing that Joey's true soul mate is his first wife, Marissa. This is what I've learned in Heaven. We can love more than one person in one life time, and our soul mates are not always reincarnated as our spouses."

"Wow, this is deep. I'm beginning to remember though, and now I have to start to rethink everything that I thought was true. Heaven presents a whole new reality, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does, but don't worry everything will slowly but surely come into focus."

Dan brought Amy to their soul group's classroom in the library. When they arrived downstairs, they found Laura and Orli in the charming little room with the bay windows.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: NEW LIVES AND NEW LOVES

LAURA

While Dan was watching Amy study her past life, Laura and Orli were in the soul group's classroom having a conference about Laura's next life. Laura sat in the window seat of her classroom hugging her knees.

She confided to Orli, "I hope that in my next life I won't suffer from fear of starvation or from fear of loving. I know I'll be a great help to my soul pals, Hagete, Ben and Will, because I am very nurturing and patient by nature. But, I want more than that. I want to be a normal healthy weight, and I want to share my life with a special person who I will love dearly. I want at least one child too. Is that asking so much? I don't have a soul mate yet, but I could still share my life with someone special, right?"

Orli nodded encouragingly, "Of course you could! Even if you did have a soul mate you would have the option of sharing your physical life with a different person, as Amy did with Joe in her past life. As a matter of fact, Laura, the specialists in future life planning identified three potential partners for you, all of whom are interested in you, and you can meet them whenever you feel ready."

Laura immediately sat up straight and clasped her hands in delight, her bluish-white soul light lit up. "I'm ready! Who are they? Tell me everything you know about them!"

I'm not going to tell you anything, each of these charming souls will tell you their own story in their own way. It's up to you to decide which one you want to select for your mate in your next life. You could make alternate plans with the other two in case it doesn't work out with your primary choice,"

"What do you mean by alternate plans?"

"I mean that if for some reason you miss the cues to meet and recognize your first choice, then you will still have a chance to meet and fall in love with one of the other two,"

At that moment Amy and Dan entered the classroom. After exchanging greetings and orienting Amy to the layout of their delightful little learning nook, Laura shared the news that Orli had just revealed to her.

Turning her attention back to Orli, Laura gushed, "I'm really anxious to meet these three future spouses, when can we start?"

"Give me a brief time to make arrangements, I'll meet you back here shortly and escort you to the theater of future lives. You won't be viewing your future body choices yet, but there's a meeting room there where you can meet the three candidates who are willing to be your next life mate," Orli explained. With that she popped out of view while she went off to arrange the meeting between Laura and her potential suitors.

Amy asked, "Who is your child going to be? Did you meet that soul yet?"

"No," Laura answered, "I don't know if I will have that opportunity either, I didn't even think of asking Orli about that! All I can think about is who I'm going to marry!"

Amy and Dan laughed happily at Laura's enthusiasm.

Dan piped up, "You deserve someone wonderful! Don't settle for anyone mediocre!"

Before Laura could respond Orli was back.

"Follow me." Hurriedly, Laura jumped up, giving a quick wave to Dan and Amy as she left, dimly aware that they were cheerfully wishing her good luck.

While Laura followed Orli through the heavenly azure light to the place where she would meet the soul of her future husband a chorus of unseen angels sang romantic ballads. If Laura had a heart it would have been pounding, as it was her blue-white soul light was visibly pulsating from excitement. They landed and Orli guided the way through silver double doors that led into an elegant small high room with a high ceiling. The room had three walls of open French doors that led to beautiful flower laden gardens on all sides. A warm fragrant breeze gently stirred through the room. A small crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling over a round little table covered with a white linen tablecloth and set with china teacups and silverware. Two regal looking chairs were set across from each other at the table. The room created such a beautiful, romantic impression Laura had to remind herself that everything she was seeing was really an illusion made of light.

"Have a seat," Orli offered then she left the room.

Laura chose a seat and sat admiring the garden while waiting with great anxiety to see who would come to meet her. After a short while a tall slender white-yellow soul entered the room and quickly took the other seat, smiling and radiating warmth.

"Beautiful lady," he greeted her, "I am Roberto. I am a protector soul, as you can see by my yellowish color. Do you need a strong loving man to protect you in your next life?"

He had a courtly, self-assured bearing.

He certainly is a charmer, Laura realized.

"Hi Roberto, my name is Laura," she smiled calmly at him, projecting a poised demeanor. "I don't know if I'll need protection in my next life, but I truly want to marry a soul who will love me no matter what happens. Tell me what you plan to do and to learn in your next incarnation."

Roberto emanated confidence as he answered, "I will opt for some protective type of employment, such as military or police work. Probably police work. I pride myself on being a brave defender. What I hope to learn in my next life is how to love without fear. I've learned that in past lives I have had trouble trusting my loved ones. I tend to hold back my deepest love out of fear of being hurt. I want to find a mate who can help me overcome all fears, so I can feel and express the deepest love that I know my soul is capable of."

"You're singing my song!" Laura assured him warmly. "I'm in the same boat! My goal for my next life is to live and love without fear. How can we determine if we would be a good match?"

Roberto thought for a moment, then smiling he shook his head and shrugged, "It is difficult to judge if we would be a good match and as you well know, there are no guarantees in life. What do you hope to learn in your next life?"

Laura considered that question for a few minutes before answering, "I'm going into my next life for two reasons. First, I want to learn what it's like to have someone to love and be loved by. Second, I promised to help some members of my soul group who need for me to be with them as a nurturing presence"

"Well, at least we have common goals, right? I guess we wouldn't be introduced to each other by the powers that be if we didn't at least have common goals and some potential to be a good match. Perhaps it will help to make a decision if you know more about me. Let me tell you something about my best and worst qualities. I am a very loyal and caring person. On the other hand, like I told you before, I have difficulty trusting. What about you? What are your best qualities, Laura?" He leaned toward her and looked intently into her eyes.

"I'm very nurturing. I usually help other people as a counselor or social worker by profession. I have a lot to give, but just like you, I am afraid to give my love."

"What would a man have to do to earn your trust?"

"Is it really up to the man to instill a feeling of trust in me, or is it up to me to reach deep within myself and find the courage to trust?"

Roberto smiled and held his hand out to cover Laura's hand.

"Both parties have to offer something. Each partner has to make the other feel that he or she is trustworthy and at the same time, each partner must find the nerve to trust. I am very impressed by your direct honesty, Laura. You are a lovely soul. I hope you choose me for your partner in our next physical incarnation. But, if you don't, I hope you find Mr. Right and have a wonderful and successful life." He stood up and formally bowed, which was a gesture that melted Laura's heart.

"I don't know what decision I'll make Roberto, but I do know that I truly like you and if you're not the one who is my first choice, maybe you will agree to be an alternate in case we don't connect with our first choices?"

With great dignity he quietly answered her, "Agreed. Until we meet again, be at peace."

With that, Roberto glided out of the room and disappeared through the closed silver doors, reminding Laura again that her enchanting environment is just an illusion.

Within seconds Orli opened the silver doors and entered the room asking eagerly, "Well? How did your meeting go with Roberto?"

Laura sighed, "It's hard to tell. He was really nice but kind of stiff and formal. We agreed that if he's not my first choice he might be an alternate choice. I have to think about him."

"O.K., you don't have to decide right now. Are you ready to meet bachelor number two?"

Laura laughed and nodded her consent. So, Orli left the room to fetch the next victim. After a short while a tall imposing greenish soul drifted into the room exuding a gentle kindness. He quietly took the empty seat across from Laura and patiently waited for her to say something.

After a few awkward seconds she said, "Hi, my name is Laura."

Very original, he'll think I'm so clever.

"My name is Jamal. It's nice to meet you Laura," the voice he projected had a deep resonant quality.

Once again, the ball was in her court.

"Judging by your green color I'll bet you're a healer," Laura guessed.

"That's right. In fact, I already determined that in my next life I will become a medical doctor. Would you like to be a doctor's wife?" He asked half fearfully, half seriously.

He had such a sweet and patient affect it would be impossible not to like him.

"Doctors keep terrible hours. Will you make time for your family?" she joked.

"I guarantee that I would put you first," he solemnly promised.

He's so serious! Does he have a sense of humor? Would I be happy with someone like him?

"What do you hope to learn in your next life?" she asked.

"I'm going to take on a very challenging life, Laura. I am going to learn what it's like to overcome very humble beginnings, to attain higher education, to be good to my family and neighbors while enjoying success in my personal life. I want to learn how to remain humble, not allow success go to my head, and how to have a happy family life as well. In addition, I am destined to heal hundreds of patients," when he finished reporting his answer he sat quietly and waited for the next interview question.

Laura realized that Jamal was willingly answering all of her questions but he didn't seem to want to pose any questions for her. Maybe it's all about him. She remained quiet for a few seconds to see if he would think of anything to ask her, but he just sat and patiently waited for her to generate the next interview question.

"What qualities are you looking for in your life's mate?" Laura finally asked.

"I just want to find a woman who is willing to have a peaceful relationship with me. I want someone who will be content to have a lifetime of warm friendship and common goals. The girl I marry will be faithful to me and will be trusting and patient."

Then he finally posed a question, "Do you have those qualities Laura?"

"I'm working on learning how to be trusting," she truthfully admitted.

"Let me help you then," he offered earnestly.

"You have good qualities but let me think about it. If you aren't my number one choice, would you be willing to be an alternative choice in case I don't meet my first choice?"

"I'll keep an open mind about that. Is there anything else you want to know about me?" Jamal asked.

"I think I have a pretty clear idea about you. Do you have any questions that you want to ask me?" Laura counter offered.

"I see a nurturing and kind soul in front of me, what else do I need to know?" Jamal responded complacently.

You might want to know my hopes and dreams, my fears and deepest secrets.

"Nothing else, I guess," she answered, disappointed in his apparent lack of interest in her.

Jamal stood up, a tall green benevolent presence, and with infinite kindness, he said goodbye. He left her sitting and thinking. When Orli entered the room, Laura told her right away, "He was very warm and sweet but serious as a heart attack and little bit too into himself."

"Meaning?" Orli asked.

"Meaning he answered all my questions but didn't really ask me any questions. He seemed content to take me for face value. He's really nice but I think he's looking for the little woman who will quietly stand by his side. I'm not the little woman type, I have a mind of my own."

"It's good to be independent, but if you want to have a true love you have to learn to be interdependent," Orli advised.

"That's something to consider," Laura admitted. "I guess that what I'm really trying to say is that Jamal is looking for a supporting actress to his lead role, but I don't want that. I need to find a co-star. I want to be an equal to my husband, not the background person."

"I see where you're coming from. Are you ready for bachelor number three?" Orli asked.

"Bring it on!"

Orli went out to fetch the third candidate. While Laura waited to see who else would come into the room, she sat and gazed out the French doors at the lovely gardens. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she sensed a movement. She turned her head to see if someone was there and she caught a brief glimpse of someone darting away. I thought these meetings were supposed to be private. Who is out there? She wondered as she got up and drifted toward the French doors to investigate. No one was there so she shrugged and went to back to her seat and continued to wait.

It seemed to take a long time for her next candidate to make his appearance. Where the heck is the guy? She contemplated impatiently. Once again, she felt as though there was a movement out in the gardens. This time she got up and briskly shot over to the open doors to see what was going on.

As she peered around the flower-laden shrubbery, she heard a voice whisper, "Over here."

She turned and floated in the direction of the voice. Suddenly a bouquet of yellow roses, daisies, and baby breath popped out of the bushes at her. Surprised, she accepted the bouquet with some trepidation. Just as she took hold of the flowers, a tall elegant light blue soul appeared in front of her causing her to first gasp, and then laugh.

With hand over heart she startled, "Where did you come from?"

"I've been spying on you from a safe distance. I must confess to you that I decided that if I didn't like your looks I would slip away and not even bother to meet you," he admitted.

"You were going to stand me up?"

"That was my escape plan, but I didn't stand you up, did I? Because I like the way you look. You exude an aura of confidence, peace, love and kindness."

"Oh, I see, you're a sweet-talking guy. But how do you like my looks now?" she asked, as she revealed her past life appearance as an obese woman.

"I like your appearance no matter what shape it comes in. I'm not interested in you form, I'm attracted to your love light," he told her in the sweetest voice she had ever heard. "Tell me everything about yourself. What are your dreams?"

"Why, I hardly know you!" she murmured, smiling.

She really didn't know what to make of this charismatic soul, who seemed too good to be true. After a few moments she decided, Oh, what the heck. She revealed some information about herself. She told him how she had almost starved in one life and then couldn't get enough to eat in the next life. He listened intently and looked at her with such avid interest that she felt bold enough to continue. She went on to tell him how she lost her child and husband in a famine and vowed to never have a family again, so in her next life she was single and lonely all her life.

"But now I want to have a husband to love and a child to adore. I don't want to live another lonely solitary life."

"You have so much to offer, you are such an exquisite angel, I'm surprised that souls aren't lined up all over eternity wanting to be chosen as the mate and offspring for your next incarnation."

Is he for real? Who is he talking about?

"OK, tell me about yourself! What are your dreams?"

He graciously responded, "My dream is to have a mate who is my best friend, someone who I can totally trust and lean on and who in turn will trust me and lean on me. I hope that she will have a delicious sense of humor, that she will be willing to make compromises and that she will be very nurturing. I don't want a floor mat. I want a mate who has a mind of her own. Is that asking too much?"

"Not from me it isn't," she assured him beaming approval at him.

"I can promise you one thing though, life will never be boring with me. I would offer to take you to Paradise, but we are already there. I can promise however, to make your life on Earth as heavenly as possible though."

"I think you've got a deal," Laura laughed. This soul was totally enthralling to her. He gave her a sense of excitement.

"Does that mean that you will marry me when we meet on Earth?" he questioned.

"Yes! I will marry you on Earth," she pledged.

"There's just one thing we haven't discussed yet. Now that we agreed to get married, will you tell me your name?" he smiled at her slyly.

She screeched, taken aback "Oh my goodness, we didn't exchange names?"

"No, just vows!" he quipped.

She laughingly told him her name, "Call me Laura."

"Laura! I adora Laura!" he shouted gleefully, with his arms flung wide open, and his head thrown back.

That made her giggle then, realizing that she didn't know his name either, she asked, "What is your name?"

He replied quite seriously, "My soul name is Carl. Of course, we have no idea yet what our names will be when we meet on Earth in our next life. One thing we can be certain of, though, is that now we have something wonderful to look forward to. I feel very lucky."

He turned to Laura and, smilingly, held out his arms for an embrace. She hesitated for a second thinking that he certainly was presumptuous, yet he certainly was exciting. She quickly got over her fleeting moment of apprehension and walked into his open arms for a brief merging of their energy. When they parted from their embrace he blew her a kiss then darted into the sky above leaving a trail of sparkling little red hearts in his wake. She stood and watched him swiftly disappear into the celestial atmosphere above. She was still standing and staring skyward with her mouth agape when Orli entered the garden.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" Orli asked, surprised to see Laura in a state of high vibrations.

Laura giggled and glittered, "I've never been better. I just picked bachelor number three, Carl, to be my lawfully wedded mate in our next incarnation. I've never met anyone like him before. I can't wait to be his wife!"

Orli smiled, "I'm glad that you met someone you like. I will tell the specialists in future life planning that you and Carl are an item."

"You bet we are! I hope he's as good on earth as he is in Heaven!" Laura enthused, "I'm going back to the tent to tell the rest of my soul group what happened."

Focusing on her soul group's vibrations as her travel guide, Laura returned to her soul group's classroom, where she found that Amy and Dan had been joined by Marlene and Elliot.

Amy was surprised to see Laura enter the room.

She greeted her saying, "That was fast, how did it go?"

Everyone stopped talking to hear Laura's report.

"It was unbelievable, I met three eligible bachelors and they all wanted for me to pick them. Not bad for a confirmed bachelorette who spent her last life over-fed and under-loved."

"Well? Tell us everything!" Amy demanded.

"Give us the scoop, who did you pick?" Marlene chimed in.

Dan and Elliot didn't talk at all. They just sat and waited.

"Well, the first bachelor was very charming and nice, but he was so stiff. I felt that he was too -"

"Never mind those details! Tell us who you picked!" Amy couldn't contain herself.

"Let her talk!" Dan jokingly complained.

Laughing, Laura continued, "As I was saying, bachelor number one was too formal. Then I met bachelor number two who was a caring healer-soul, he's planning to become a medical doctor -"

Marlene had to interrupt with her eternal Jewish mother reaction, "Oh, a doctor?"

Amy scoffed, "Don't listen to her, they make terrible husbands!"

Elliot laughed and Dan called out, "I beg your pardon? I was wonderful husband and father as a dentist in our last life, and as a doctor in a prior life, and I'll be a wonderful husband no matter what healing profession I choose in the future!"

With her hands on her hips, Laura interjected, "Are you people ready to listen to me?"

They all laughed and settled down. When they were quiet Laura continued, "Don't worry, I didn't pick the doctor! He had no sense of humor, for one thing, and he was sort of egotistical for another thing. By the time I was ready to meet the third bachelor I was getting nervous, I thought I would get stuck with a dud!"

Laura stopped talking and looked around to make sure that she had their undivided attention.

"Would you spit it out already?" Amy called out.

"OK, so bachelor number three was amazing! He just swept me off my feet! Best of all, he doesn't want a wife who is 'the little woman,' he wants an equal partner who has her own mind!"

"That's you!" they all said in unison.

"So, what will he do for a living?" Dan wanted to know.

Laura looked stunned then finally confessed, "I forgot to ask him! But he's light blue so I know that he's more advanced than I am. He promised to make my life on Earth a paradise."

"And you believed him?" Marlene muttered.

"Promises, promises," Elliot whined.

Dan chastised both of them for their pessimism, then told Laura, "I'm sure your life with this man will be very rewarding! Maybe he'll turn out to be your true soul mate! What's his name?"

With a look of pure ecstasy Lara sweetly and breathlessly uttered the name of her new love, "Carl."

"I'm happy for you. Laura!" Amy told her.

"We're all happy for you!" Dan declared, giving Marlene and Elliot a warning glance so that they dutifully nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I knew you would be! Now I'm going to restudy my past lives all over again! I want for my next life to be blissfully happy! I don't want to miss any possible lesson I can learn before I go back to Earth. With that, she left the classroom.

DAN AND AMY

Dan looked at Amy and admitted, "As much as I appreciate the big sacrifice that Marlene made for me in our last incarnation, I really don't want to live on Earth again unless you will be my mate!"

Before Amy could respond with more than a look of delight, Marlene declared, "Roger that, aye what Elliot?"

"Oh, believe me, I'm not venturing into my next human life without my main squeeze at my side, as my lawfully wedded wife!" Elliot assured them all while wrapping a protective arm around Marlene's shoulder.

Dan laughed, "I don't see what the big improvement will be, you two always fight like cats and dogs anyway. What's the difference if you fight with each other as spouses or in a different Earthly relationship?"

Marlene was appalled, "WE DO NOT FIGHT AND WE DON'T---"

Simultaneous to Marlene's protest Elliot sputtered, "HOW THE HECK WOULD YOU KNOW? WE HAPPEN TO BE---"

Dan quickly interrupted both of them, chuckling, "I know, I know, you feel happier fighting with each other than with someone who doesn't share half of your soul."

"Damn right!" grinning, Elliot agreed, while Marlene nodded, smiling.

Amy, with an amused look on her face, offered a suggestion, "I've got a solution to your problem!"

"What problem?" Dan demanded.

"The PROBLEM that you need to have someone to fight with so you can practice open communication!" Amy clarified.

"Oh, that problem," Dan muttered.

"Why don't we offer to be the loving parents of one of these dear souls? Whichever one pops into my womb will most likely come out fighting!"

They all mulled that over for a little while.

"I like it..." Elliot offered.

"That just might be a good plan..." Dan mused.

"Pick me! I want to be your kid! It's my turn to reincarnate as your child!" Marlene cried excitedly.

"What about me, love of all my lives, maybe I should be the lucky winner of Amy and Dan?" Elliot reproved her.

"Ladies first! Elliot, if you really loved me you would want for me to have good parents! Besides, Dan, you owe it to me!" Marlene shot back.

"Hmph, well some things never change," Elliot complained.

"And just what does that mean?" Marlene challenged.

Amy interrupted before this little debate turned into something a little too honest for comfort, "Wait a minute! I'm flattered that you both want me for a mom and Dan for a dad, but shouldn't we work this out logically? We have to analyze our next life goals and calculate what combination of potential parents and children would work out best for everyone. Maybe we can even figure out an alternate set of future parents for the one that Dan and I don't parent!"

Dan was enormously relieved that Amy had prevented an argument, especially since he had already figured out which one of them should be their child in their next incarnation. Clearly this wasn't a good time to have that discussion. So, Dan did in Heaven the same thing he usually did on Earth when faced with a conflict. He departed.

"I hear Ner calling me. I have to go to work."

He did a disappearing act before anyone could even react, once again missing a good opportunity to practice honest and fearless communication.

CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE PRAYER OF THE GOLDEN HEART

Focusing on Ner's vibrations, Danny flew through Heaven's expanse to the familiar beach where prayers washed ashore in their symbolic containers. He was warmly greeted by Ner, and just in time to see a sports utility vehicle come riding out of the waves on big textured tires. It rolled over the wet sand leaving tread marks in its wake.

"We never know what to expect!" Ner cheerfully cried out, as she ran toward the SUV with Dan in close pursuit.

When they opened the back hatch of the trunk they found a desperate prayer from a man who had committed a crime of passion. He had been driving his SUV down the street, secretly following his ex-girlfriend, when he discovered her standing in a doorway kissing another man. In a fit of rage and overcome with jealousy for the girl he couldn't stop loving, he rammed the gas pedal and sped toward the surprised couple, running them over. He was so obsessed by his love for this girl that he felt that if couldn't have her no one should have her. If he couldn't live with her then she shouldn't live at all. He then backed the SUV up and ran them over again.

Later, in the midst of the court trial he realized that he was facing a possible death sentence and began to cast prayers for mercy on his soul. Lord I don't want to go to hell and burn for all eternity. Help me! Save me Jesus. This was his silent mantra as he sat stony eyed and stiff next to his attorney and listened to his trial unfold.

After examining the prayer together, Dan glanced at Ner and complained, "He doesn't seem to have any remorse for his crime, and all I'm sensing from his prayer is that he's worried about himself, about his own immortal soul."

Ner nodded grimly.

"I'm reading the same thing. He doesn't yet realize the extent of his crime. He has good reason to be worried about his soul; it will take a lot of work and many harsh physical lives for him to learn to become a compassionate and loving being. He is afraid of brimstone and hell-fires but he doesn't realize that when he comes back here he'll face something much more difficult. The only way we can answer his prayers is to send him the courage to face the death sentence or life in prison with as much dignity as possible. After that he will have to learn the hard way that he has many tough lives and lessons ahead of him, not to mention the debt he'll have to pay to the souls of his late girlfriend and her lover who both lost their opportunity to finish their work on Earth."

They joined their hands in prayer and sent the frightened man a prayer for him to find within himself the guts to steel himself against his impending death or life-in-prison sentence. They focused their thoughts on the man's soul and sent him the understanding that he must face his punishment with calm acceptance and without undue fear. When they finished their bleak task, they turned to see what other prayers were washing ashore.

Oddly enough a small metal photocopier machine was clumsily clunking over the sand into the shallowest water. Danny trudged into the water and gingerly lifted the lid of the photocopier to find a slip of paper with a heartfelt prayer printed on it. He smiled at the humor of the container when he read the prayer from a terrified woman. She was in danger of losing her newborn infant because he was an illegal clone and the courts were trying to take him away from her. The story was quite tragic. Her beloved son had died in early childhood ten years prior to the birth of her newborn. She never recovered from the grief of losing him and when the cloning technology became available she had her deceased child cloned. Now, after all the time, money and planning she had invested for the return of her beloved child, she was in danger of losing him all over again.

"You were right, Ner," Danny mumbled with a lopsided grin, "We never do know what to expect! How can we help her?"

Ner sighed and explained, "You have to realize that the laws against cloning are fear based. Unfortunately, the cloning technology sprouted up before lawmakers and scientists could develop appropriate ethics and laws to control the use of the technology. Of course, on a planet-wide basis there isn't going to be any adequate control of cloning. Not until and unless there is a worldwide government to implement and enforce such laws."

"Do you think that will happen?"

"Not in her lifetime. But, we can send her a prayer to find within herself both the courage and the determination to keep her child. Of course, she has several options. One is for her to deny that the child was cloned and to disallow any medical testing. This option isn't the most ethical course for her to choose but it might save her child. Perhaps she should have kept the information about her child's creation confidential to begin with. Another option that she has is to move to a country or place where her cloned child is accepted, or where his cloned origins are unknown."

"So, are we going to send her this information about her options?"

"No, we are going to send her soul a message to keep a calm and open mind and search for a viable solution. She might realize an option that I haven't mentioned. Cloning is not necessarily against heaven's laws but it depends on how it's done and for what purpose. Later in life this child might develop unknown medical problems and might die young or live with serious health conditions. Since Heaven has allowed her to have a living clone of her deceased child, we can assume that there is a divine plan for her and that her baby has been given a soul."

Danny and Ner sent prayers to the woman's soul to give her courage to face the outraged public, determination to keep her baby safely with her, and a message to keep her mind open to a way to prevent anyone from taking her son away from her or from hurting him. Then they prayed for her and for her son to receive Heavenly compassion.

Bobbing in the waves behind the photocopier was a petri dish. Ner unscrewed and opened the glass cover of the round shallow dish and the message that wafted out was from the woman's opponents. This dish contained the prayers of the lawmakers who opposed the woman's right to keep her cloned baby. The prayer in the petri dish expressed fears that the cloning technology would be used for evil purposes such as fast-growing armies of strong young men, or zombies to be used for organ or tissue transplants. These lawmakers believed that cloning could pose a terrible threat to mankind. They prayed that Heaven would intervene and strike dead any and all clones, and prevent the use of cloning technology completely.

Dan was concerned about the ramifications of this prayer.

"Is it truly possible to create a fast-growing army with cloning?"

"I'm afraid it might become possible some day in the future. In the course of learning how to clone humans, scientists are discovering the secrets of how a body ages. They will learn how to both speed up the aging process and to retard the aging process as well. They might learn how to grow infant clones into grown fighting men in a one to ten-year period. They might also learn to prevent the aging process so that the very rich will be able to prolong their lives for hundreds of years and appear youthful during the process. This technology could replace cosmetic surgery and extend life expectancy as well."

"How is this going to affect the planet? Won't there be too many people living and competing for the limited resources?"

"Probably, but don't forget that the Earth and everything on it, including the human race are all part of a Heavenly experiment. Whatever will happen is part of a divine plan, or at least part of divine knowledge."

"I guess we can send these lawmakers a cue to keep an open mind and a determination to protect humanity. Is that right?"

"You're right Dan. We can't directly interfere with human lives, but we can send these lawmakers cues to continue their desire to protect humanity and to keep their creative mental juices flowing!"

"But isn't that going to be detrimental to the woman who wants to keep her cloned baby? Aren't we playing both sides of the field when we answer both prayers?"

"That's right, we are playing both sides. Heaven tries to answer all prayers without taking sides or directly interfering with human decisions or actions. The woman who wants to keep, love, and raise her cloned baby isn't necessarily hurting anyone although she did defy the laws of her country. Her baby's life and health are experimental, his future is unknown. These lawmakers who oppose cloning also aren't hurting anyone, on the contrary, they are trying to protect society. We have a responsibility to answer both prayers."

Next, they saw a small cage that came bobbing up out of the waters. It was the container of a prayer from a man who prayed to have the emotional strength and patience to stay faithfully married to his disabled wife. He expressed extreme disappointment to be trapped in a marriage with a woman who rarely leaves the house and who rarely agrees to have sexual relations with him. She doesn't have any orthopedic impairment, or any clear medical diagnosis, just vague and elusive symptoms. Her doctors can't pinpoint her problem and her husband suspects that it's all in her head, yet she won't see a counselor or a psychologist. The poor man felt imprisoned in his marriage.

Danny sighed, "It's sad but not earth shattering. What should we do for him?"

"What do you think we should do for him?"

"Well, if his wife won't or can't help herself, then I think this man might need to explore his options. He wants to stay faithfully married, but can we send his soul a prayer to keep his options open? Does he have to live in misery because she does?"

"He didn't ask us to send him the courage to get divorced, Danny. Let's answer his true prayer without imposing our own values on him."

Sighing again, Danny agreed. He realized that Ner was right. They sent the man a prayer to find the strength and love inside himself to stay faithfully and patiently by his wife's side.

Looking down at the wet sand Danny spotted a textbook that had washed ashore. He lifted the book and discovered that it contained a prayer from a principal of an American inner-city school. This principal prayed to find a way to use his limited budget to improve the quality and structure of his education system so that he could assist his hyper-vigilant and hyperactive frightened street-toughened students to stay in school and attain learning.

Glancing through the pages of the book little stories of the children and their environment quickly played like fast movies. These stories gave Ner and Danny a quick view of what life was like for these children. Surrounded by constant violent crime the children become hyper-vigilant, always on the lookout for some unseen danger creeping up behind them or driving past them. These students lived in a state of chronic hyper-vigilance which caused them to be hyperactive. They existed on the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy, at the level of a pure struggle to survive. Surrounded by drive-by shootings and random acts of brutality, these were children who lived in fear and expected to die at a young age. They had difficulty sitting still and listening to their teachers. They were busy fighting with each other and trying to prove that they were fearless, trying to convince everyone around them that they could not be physically or emotionally conquered. They were desperate to survive, yet overwhelmed by fear of their hostile environment.

Danny shook his head mournfully when he read the textbook.

He said, "It's amazing to me that in the United States, in the 'Land of Plenty' this type of poverty and dire deprivation exists. If these children don't receive their fair share of the American pie, their fair share in the American dream, there is no justice."

Ner was surprised at the depth of Dan's feelings for the economically and culturally deprived children trapped in inner cities. "Danny, I didn't realize that you felt so strongly about these children."

"I never thought about them before," he admitted, "but after reading this textbook prayer I feel shocked and disgusted that any children in the United States should have to live in fear and poverty as these kids are living. It's sickening. What can we do for them?"

"There are two things we can do. First, we can send the principal courage and open-minded thinking. If he can think outside of the box he will find ways to improve education and increase his resources. We will send his soul the idea to educate the public and perhaps get volunteers to come help out at the school as well as private contributions to increase his budget." Ner responded.

"What's the second thing we can do?" Danny asked.

"This prayer reveals a long ongoing injustice that has affected generations of children and could affect generations to come. It isn't limited to one school and one neighborhood. An injustice of this proportion warrants attention from a higher authority. The second thing we can do to answer this prayer is to send it on high. An injustice of this magnitude might warrant heavenly intervention because it affects so many innocent souls over generations of time. This isn't just a school system problem, it affects an entire country."

So, Danny and Ner held the textbook between them and first sent their healing prayers and thoughts to the school principal, and then sent the text up to a higher heaven. When it was out of their hands, they looked for another challenge. Washing up on the shore was a treasure chest. The sight of it reminded Danny of his first experience as a prayer answerer when greedy souls sent prayers encased in golden coins because they prayed to win the lottery.

He groaned, "Oh this looks like it's going to be some greedy prayer for wealth."

"Maybe it isn't though, things are not always what they seem. If you haven't learned anything else in your experience in Heaven, that's the one lesson you definitely should have learned by now."

Danny smiled and admitted, "That's true."

They knelt down and opened the treasure chest. Inside was a golden heart. A poor and humble elderly woman who had spent her life in near poverty had sent this prayer. She was a woman who had started life in the inner city and with hard work had managed to move to a slightly safer neighborhood on the fringe of the inner-city. She was a law abiding, church going honest woman who had sent the most amazing heartwarming prayer. After surviving a very difficult life, and while continuing to endure the ongoing struggle to survive, with her head minimally above poverty level, this woman prayed to find a way to help other woman have a better life. Barely able to exist and support herself, a survivor of poverty and abuse, this golden-hearted woman prayed for a way to help younger women survive hardship such as she herself had endured.

"Do you understand the strength and beauty of this prayer?" Ner asked.

Dan responded, "Well, I can see that this woman is an amazing soul. Most people pray for themselves or for their loved ones. This woman is praying to find a way to help total strangers when she has every right to be praying for help for herself instead."

"You're right about that, most prayers are centered on the sender or their loved ones. Any person who tries to help others is an advanced soul. In this case we have a woman who has endured extreme hardship, yet her greatest desire is to help others. She is truly a treasure on Earth and in Heaven."

"Can we answer her prayer and help her as well?"

"We can try. First of all, we can send her the encouragement to follow her dream of helping others and in that way, we are answering her prayer. Second, we can also send this prayer on high. This is a prayer that will bring much happiness to the higher heavens, like a breath of fresh air it will bring hope and renewed love. This woman deserves great blessings. I think that Golden Bird, the Messiah's pet, will sing this prayer across the higher heavens."

"I remember learning that Heaven's wealth is love. I guess this soul just enriched Heaven," Danny commented.

"You are absolutely right, this great soul who is living in her humble and challenging world has just improved Heaven's wealth with her contribution of selfless love."

"I hope that, when I enter my next life, I will have the courage and kindness and capacity for love that this golden-hearted soul possesses. Speaking of my next life, I feel like I'm going to return to Earth very soon. I'm anxious to resume the adventure of living and loving on Earth. I've already told Orli that I'm ready to reincarnate. My soul mate, various other soul friends and I have sketched out our next-life relationships. I have a feeling that I will soon be invited to select a body for my next life."

"I'll miss you while you are incarnate, but as you know, the duration of your absence will only seem like a short interval in Heaven's time while you live your life on Earth. Don't forget that your time on Earth will be your clinical training time as a prayer answerer. When you choose your next body and life try to keep in mind that your work on Earth should be designed to augment your learning experience as a healer."

"I won't forget. I've learned so much from you already, I hope that I will be able to access this knowledge deep in my soul when I'm in physical form on Earth."

"What have you learned from me?" Ner inquired.

"I've learned that love heals. I've learned that humans are equipped with a way to communicate with Heaven. I've learned that humans have the capacity to channel heavenly love and intervention through their own souls and into their own physical lives. I've learned that when people pray, their prayers might not be granted but their prayers are always answered in some helpful manner. I've learned that the greatest prayers are those that are sent to help others. Most of all, I've learned that Heaven's wealth is love and that the human spirit is the light of Heaven."

"You will someday become a great healer and a great soul."

"I guess that will take many life times of both physical and spiritual lives, though right?"

"We're not in a race. Try to enjoy the process."

Danny said his last goodbye to Ner and returned to the open sided tent.

CHAPTER TWENTY: DOWN TO EARTH

When he returned he was greeted by Orli who summoned him and Amy to the Theater of Future Lives. They both followed her and they were each presented with three possible live choices for their next life. When they emerged from their respective theaters they were very quiet, absorbed in the possibilities facing them. At first, they joined hands and just walked slowly and silently toward the exit, then Danny spoke up, "Why don't we go to the garden behind our open-sided tent and have a chat?"

Amy readily agreed and they quickly transported themselves to the assigned spot. Once they were comfortably ensconced in a comfortable little nook Amy suggested, "You go first, tell me what your choices are."

So, Danny described his three life choices in as much detail as he could remember. When he finished, Amy asked him which one he thought would be best for him, but Danny declined to answer.

He said, "First I want to hear what your choices are. Tell me who you might be in your next life."

He wrapped his arm around her and she cuddled up to him happily. She explained her three life options, all of them in sync with her true creative nature: the actress/singer, the writer, and the ballerina.

"I'm not afraid to tell you that of all the options I felt most comfortable with the ballerina. I sensed that the beautiful actress/singer was too high strung and I'm usually a low-key type of person. The writer, on the other hand, was a little too withdrawn. I liked the ballerina because she felt right for me! She's lively without being on fire, except of course for her flaming red hair! She's creative, but also maternal. I think she's the one who I would be most comfortable with."

Danny laughed cheerfully, "So, I'm going to have a red headed ballerina to dance through life with! Well, let's see...who would be the best husband for a little American-ballerina? Would she be a good wife for a medical doctor? How would she fit with an acupuncturist? Maybe she would be best off married to a religious leader?"

Amy giggled as she imagined each possible couple, "I think the ballerina and the religious leader would be the best fit."

Danny nodded, "We could make it work any which way I imagine, but I think you're right. Furthermore, I felt like I was most interested in the religious leader. I've been loving my job as a prayer answerer, and I think the best possible clinical experience I could get on Earth would be through counseling members of a religious congregation. I also felt drawn to the aspect of the job that would require me to research and write powerful sermons. It appeals to the intellectual side of my nature."

"So, we are going to be an adorable couple one more time? I will be the dancing wife, and you will my dashing, elegant husband."

"It's funny that you put it that way, darling Amy. I think we will have a very interesting and challenging life together."

They decided to let Orli know which life choices they had agreed on. After they did that they resumed their activity of going to the library to review and study their past lives. Time, such as it is in Heaven, passed pleasantly. It didn't seem to take very long before they were summoned to meet with the specialists in future life planning to find out how they would meet on Earth.

Amy was going to achieve some measure of success as a ballerina. She was told that she would perform for a charity benefit and Danny will be in the audience. He will recognize her flame red hair and freckled skin, and then he will realize that he has always loved red headed, freckled girls. He will be smitten by cupid's arrow, and fall instantly in love with the adorable ballerina. Amy will recognize Danny by his kind eyes and quiet dignity.

They told Danny that he would rush backstage after the performance and introduce himself to Amy, then ask her to come and perform for his congregation in a performance that would be used as a fundraiser. This is how he will get Amy to come and spend time with him so he can convince her to accept his love.

"It's never taken very much effort in any lifetime to get Amy to love me," Danny bragged to the specialists with great confidence.

"Remember," they warned him solemnly, "there are no guarantees in the physical form. Anything can happen, it's up to both of you to meet and recall that you are soul mates."

Danny promised to do his best to stick to their plan. Each of them had to meet with their individual council of Elders before they could reincarnate, but since Amy wasn't ready yet only Danny went to the Crystal Palace while Amy returned to their soul home, the open-sided tent.

Orli accompanied Danny to the Crystal Palace just as she had when he was newly arrived in Heaven after his last incarnation ended. Now, though, he was getting ready to return to Earth. His Council of Elders reviewed with him what lessons he had learned in his prior lives, what lessons he had learned while he had sojourned in Heaven, and what goals he had for his next life. They gave him approval to reincarnate with their blessings.

Danny went back to the tent, there was nothing left for him to do but be ready for the summons to return down to Earth. Feeling restless, he decided to spend more time alone with Amy before he left Heaven. He invited her to fly away to a private place where they could talk and dream and plan before they were separated again. He took her to a cliff overlooking the shores of Eternity, where they could view the rainbow bridge in the distance.

They talked about their impending life together, what they hoped to accomplish and what concerned them about their own lives and about their proposed relationships with other soul group members. After exhausting these subjects, they sat quietly looking at the view of the sparkling waters reflecting the glittering rainbow arched bridge against the pale starry sky.

After a while, Danny said, "You know what I miss and love most about Earth? I love the smell of grass and the trees after it rains. I love the smell of freshly baked bread and the taste of warm chocolate chip cookies that melt on your tongue all gooey and sweet from the oven. There are just some sensual experiences that you can have on Earth that can only be cheaply imitated in Heaven!"

Amy nodded, "I know what you mean. I miss the feel of satins and silks and the aroma of flowery perfumes, not to mention the taste and aroma of freshly brewed coffee! There's one more thing...dare I mention it? Did you forget about having a great orgasm? Remember sex?"

They laughed, and Danny hugged Amy closer to him. Turning to face her in their close embrace he tells her seriously, "I have always, and will always, love you above all other souls, and all other things, both in Heaven and on Earth. You are my other half, my better half. Every time I see you, my heart sings for joy. You are the one who makes my life sweet, and worth living. I will miss you terribly when we are apart, but I know we will be together again, on Earth, soon. I can't imagine living a life without you at my side. I will remember you the minute I find you again, down on Earth. Until that day, I will always feel as though a part of me is missing."

Amy responded by stepping toward Danny, and into Danny, as their souls melted into one in a soul-embrace. Their joining created a soft and twinkling light that shimmered and glimmered in a protective pink and lavender mist. Their own unique love song vibrated from the depths of the glistening vapor and sweetly seeped through the Heavens captivating the hearts of every loving soul. Angels harmonized with their song and Heaven became enriched with their renewed love.

When they returned to the open-sided tent, they were greeted by the members of their soul group and Debbie, Alex, Marissa and Joe were also there. After hearing Amy and Danny's love song they came to say goodbye because they realized he would be returning to Earth very soon. Orli came and told him that it was time for him to leave. He said his last goodbyes and allowed Orli to escort him to the shores of Eternity, over the rainbow bridge, beyond the waters, down through the tunnel, deep inside of Earth's astral planes, and into the womb of his future mother.

Once he was safely nestled in the womb she said farewell.

"Very soon you won't remember me or anything about your soul life. But, deep in your soul you will have the knowledge of many lifetimes and many between lifetimes. I will be watching over you as well. Whenever you are in doubt, reach deep within yourself and you will find answers that will ring true. Your values and morals and experience gleaned from many physical and spiritual lives will dwell deep within your heart and soul, ready to provide you with guidance and comfort whenever you need it."

"I will miss you, Orli. Thank you for everything you have done for me in all my lifetimes, as my guide and my light."

Orli left Danny to meld with the infant that was developing in the womb. He felt warm and safe inside this place. As the infant formed, Danny tried to get control over the child's brain waves to help the child adapt to his own soul vibrations. His goal was to understand his new body and to be the guiding force of the heart and brain that was developing around him. He had plenty of time to get used to his new body while also thinking and making plans for his future.

One day, while he was peacefully probing and guiding the infant's mental development he felt a sudden impact, like a strong wave hit him. About 20 minutes later it happened again. Then the waves were knocking into him with increasing intensity and frequency. He felt himself being forced to turn head down and then he was being pushed out of his warm, safe womb. He knew he was about to enter the land of the living and forget everything he knew about Heaven. Finally, one forceful wave found him gushing down through a narrow tube and suddenly hands guided his head gently out of the birth canal and into a cold room flooded with blinding light.

Danny gasped for air and gave a small cry. At that moment, he saw an angel waiting patiently right above and behind the doctor's shoulder. The angel swooped down and quickly placed his forefinger on Danny's lip, right at the indentation above his lip which caused Danny to have amnesia. He could no longer remember Heaven or anything associated with it. He began his new life with his mind posed as a blank slate, but deep within his soul was all the knowledge of all his lifetimes.

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End Note

Eternity has no limitations. Some souls advance quickly, some souls advance slowly, but every soul is valuable. Every soul is part of G-D, immortal and everlasting.

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Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed reading it please consider leaving a review at your favorite retailer.

About the Author

G. R. Zee

Also wrote a science fiction book "Baily and the Time-Crystals"

Please visit her at:

Faceboook: G. R. Zee

Website: <https://grzee-author.com/>.

Email: drgezee.gmail.com.

She is also on TUMBLR, and TWITTER

Acknowledgements

This novel takes place in Heaven. The theoretical construct of Heaven that is described in this novel is partly from the author's imagination and experience, and partly derived from books written by psychiatrists, psychologists, medical doctors, psychics and near-death survivors. A few authors who had a significant impact on my concept of Heaven include: Michael Newton, PH.D.; Brian Weiss, M.D.; and Raymond A. Moody, Jr. M.D. Another important writer who influenced my choice of title is Leonard Cohen who wrote a beautiful poem called "Out of the Land of Heaven". Thank you for the cover design by Caligraphics, www.caligraphics.net.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Do you believe in life after death?

2. What do you think heaven is like?

3. Do you believe in reincarnation?

4. Have you ever had a memory of a past life?

5. Did you ever have a dream about a departed soul that seemed like it was true?
