A small miracle to share...

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This was over twenty years ago, when I was financially poor but richer in spirit than I am today. I was living in Pacific Palisades, writing a program for a cash-strapped software publisher. I believed so fervently in my vision that I lived on advances of about $500 a month. I did nothing but work, eat and sleep, and used this as a period of complete dedication to a mental discipline. However, one day, I noticed that my self neglect had led me to a rather painful state of complete cashlessness. Although I lived in a luxury apartment, lent to me by a wealthy friend in Europe, I had absolutely no cash and no hope of any money coming in the near future. I looked in the refrigerator and found only a handful of rice and some mayonnaise. So I cooked the rice and mixed it with the mayonnaise to eat. It was delicious.

Not knowing what to do... I walked over to a beautiful spiritual place, the Yogananda Lakeside Shrine on Sunset (which was next door to my apartments), and sat in the gardens, in the sun, and meditated. I prayed and connected to my guardian angels, or whatever else was out there, and said, "Dear God, I just wanted to tell you that I really, really appreciate all of these wonderful life lessons, and for this... uh... opportunity to burn through my negative karma... but I just want to say that I could really, really use some relief. Is there any way that I could miraculously get my hands on maybe two hundred dollars to pay for some food? Whatever happens, I accept with great gratitude. Thanks, God, I love you a lot!"

Then, I sat a while longer in the warm sun, and then went home. I figured that if God wanted me to fast, poverty was one way to make it happen. Anyway, when I walked back into my apartment house, I noticed that the mail had arrived. And in my mailbox, I found a letter from a far away friend who owed me some money, and so I found two one hundred dollar bills in cash wrapped in magazine paper. EXACTLY what I had prayed for.

This really happened, and through this, I have come to realize that God - or whatever we want to call that universal consciousness - watches over me and cares about me. Eventually, that software program helped to launch a successful company with many wonderful and caring employees.

You know, over the years, I've been lucky sometimes and smart sometimes. But I KNOW that there's more out there, there's someone or something watching over us.