A little story...

Just two days ago, my wife Mary and I visited an ancient Indian burial mound on the Amelia Island Plantation, which is located near the backwater area on the property. Given my lifelong love affair with the Indian world, I wanted to visit the site and seek spiritual inspiration.

I stood before the mound and silently asked for my heart to speak to me. A very old Indian man said this to my heart: "What do you look for here? We are no more."

I was startled by the words that came to me. I thought it's obvious that there are no Indians here now. As I was standing there, I had lost track of time. Suddenly, I was jolted back to the present by the thought of where my wife Mary was. Fear cut through me like a sharp saber. I ran to the path where Mary had been standing earlier. She was no where to be found. Frantically I searched up and down the path and the nearby marsh. I started calling her and eventually she called back to me. Like a curious child, Mary had wandered down the path to another part of the backwater area. I was SO relieved to see her.

I thought how curious that I would have this experience as I stood by the mound seeking spiritual guidance. It occurred to me a couple hours later that the fear of losing Mary was the sign that I had asked for. It was a sign of my deepest love for her. As they say, you never know what you have until its almost gone. This was a reminder to me of how important Mary is to me. It was also an insight showing me that much of my life has been a journey to find love and understanding.

Our hearts speak to us in amazing ways. I am trying harder to listen to what my heart has to say to me. Sometimes we need a vacation to hear our heart speak. For some of us denser types, it takes talking to the Indian spirits at a backwater burial mound.