I met John-Roger when I was 11 years old in Santiago, Chile my home country. What impressed me the most about him was his happiness. He always seemed to be smiling at a joke only he could hear. Everyone and everything around him had a glow of celebration.
Every time the MSIA staff came to visit, life felt profoundly special during those glorious days. It was an everlasting Christmas morning that had no other present than being around J-R and his contagious joy.
A little over a month ago our children—twins boy, and girl—had the opportunity to meet John Morton. I saw in their faces the same joy and anticipation that something really special was about to happen. They couldn’t wait to get out of the car as if they were about to unwrap the most wonderful present. Sharing that preciousness with my husband Jeff was the icing on the cake.
I’ve heard J-R say many times that spirituality is the most natural thing in the world. I’ve never seen it to be so true as it is with children. Growing up with J-R’s teachings set a definite course for my life that I see now directly influenced the lives of my children. Connecting those dots has been such a testimony to God’s Grace operating non-stop in our lives, and how all we have to do is choose back time and time again. The impact of choices has never been so evident to me as it is now.
As I watched John and the kids interact I couldn’t help to think of my mom and the bold choices she made at a time and a place that wasn’t particularly open to change or enlightenment.
It was the early 80’s and she was a full time working woman with a graduate degree in a mostly male-dominated environment. She had separated from my dad (divorce didn’t exist back then) in a predominantly Catholic country ruled by an iron fist dictatorship that fueled an atmosphere of constant repression and fear.
She met J-R at a seminar at a Hotel in downtown Santiago. She had been looking for a spiritual path after her marriage had ended and the Catholic Church had turned its back on her. A friend from work invited her to see J-R. They agreed to meet at the location for the event but her friend never showed up. My mom didn’t know J-R’s name or the title of the seminar he was facilitating. She could have gone home but instead decided to go looking for this “gringo” in the hotel’s directory. Out of all the other talks and events taking place that evening she told herself she would knew where to go. And she did.
She sat in the far back at the end of the last row. She knew immediately J-R was the teacher she had been waiting for. She raised her hand, convinced J-R would never see her, especially because he had just turned to face the opposite side of the room. In flash J-R swiveled his chair back. “You,” he told her. She thought he was pointing to someone else but soon realized he had seen her somehow, even though he wasn’t looking. It was a pivotal moment and a gift of tremendous healing of wounds from her past. In just a flash she knew without a doubt that J-R loved her unconditionally and that she felt the same way about him.
I always loved hearing this story from her because of the glow on her face every time she would recount how J-R saw her. In many ways I think all of us, in our own special ways, have experienced that moment of being seen for who we truly are in our hearts, and perhaps more purposelessly, when we couldn’t see it for ourselves.
Decades later while I was working as a Staff member at PTS here in the U.S., I received a note from J-R via email at the end of a routine registration report I had just sent him. He was visiting Chile with the Staff and wrote, “I saw your mother tonight at the Seminar I was facilitating. She was as lovely as ever.” I felt as if I was thrown into a blender of perplexity, joy and elation while filled with an inexplicable sense of familiarity and intimacy—with J-R, as he had always been, at the center of it all.
That single connection, in that hotel in downtown Santiago in the early 80’s, became an ever-expanding spiral of unconditional loving with its own gravitational force. My decision to move to the States was nothing else but the answer to a call coming from deep within my heart. It was so deep at times that my mind would run in circles unable to make sense of all the obstacles and challenges in the way of making such a move a successful venture. But the heart sees beyond what this world can explain.
When I found out I was pregnant with twins I had the blessing of seeing J-R within a few days of receiving the news. Before I could say anything he told me “you’re pregnant.” He gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear “and you’re having twins.” We laughed together as I kept saying, “I know!” There it was again—that magical moment of total familiarity, as if we lived in the same house and had been having breakfast with each other that morning.
The twins were born extremely early. My due date was August 15 and they came on May 3, 2009. It was a time when stories like “Footprints On The Sand” truly become flesh and blood. Friends, family, ministers, initiates, J-R, John Morton and HeartReach (an organization that responds with Light and assistance to members of the MSIA spiritual family who are undergoing life-challenging or medical crises) led by the amazing Patti Rayner, held us day in and day out in a mantle of prayers and care.
We were cared for in ways we never imagined possible. Food was delivered to us almost on a daily basis at the hospital; gifts, cards and so many seeds came our way. My dad, who was visiting for a couple of weeks, was deeply moved by all the kindness around us. He was never a fan of MSIA or J-R but that experience completely changed his perspective. He had never seen so much generosity from such large group of people in such a consistent way. “These are really good people!” he said so many times during his trip. And that didn’t include the infinite invisible support, love and Light coming our way from so many other ministers and initiates around the world.
My husband Jeff and I witnessed miracle after miracle almost on a daily basis during our stay at the hospital. There were close calls and insurmountable challenges we overcame through pure Grace. Leaving the babies at night was never easy. Overnights were not allowed for parents. My personal prayer was that the Traveler would cradle them through the night and that a battalion of angels would guard their sleep in our place. The thought of children feeling alone or abandoned was particularly heart-wrenching for us as new parents.
On the last day of our stay, after 19 weeks in the ICU, the doctor on call went over their chart with a perplexed face trying to find something wrong that would require a follow up visit. “Well there’s not much here. They’re fine,” she said with certain disbelief before signing off their discharge papers.
Fast forward seven years. We’re driving after school pick-up and my daughter spontaneously says how much she misses J-R and not being able to speak with him physically. Our son chimes in with the same concern which leads into a conversation about connecting with the living Traveler: John Morton.
The golden opportunity didn’t take long to show up. I was participating in the PTS Class “Travelers Through the Ages” and John decided to come visit the class. Total and pure wonder. Our daughter had lots of questions for John about some nightmares she was having, using and working with the Light, etc. My son had just one thing to say: I love you.
The day came and the excitement of it all was incredible. Not only were they going to meet John but they were also going to meet “mommy’s classmates.” Both children decided they wanted John to bless something special for them so they brought their most precious possessions at the time. Our daughter wore her Cinderella necklace and our son brought “Monkey” (his bedtime stuffed animal).
Walking into the home of Rama Fox (one of the facilitators along with Inez Hayes) that evening was like coming home for Thanksgiving. The children felt so welcomed and comfortable, as if they had known everyone for a lifetime. The place had the glow of celebration, and Spirit filled the air completely.
John’s sweetness and loving with both children was especially touching and heart-melting. He shared such precious and personal messages with each child. Every word was so on point and perfect for their own unique selves. I was particularly moved when John pointed our son’s heart and said to him something along the lines of “there’s a special place where I live in there. And you can talk to me anytime you want. I’m always there.”
Memories of their nights at the hospital briefly flashed through my mind as I realized my prayers had been answered all along. The depth of the gratitude that filled my heart was infinite. God’s love for us knows no limits and is ever present. I could almost see J-R winking at us while smiling at that joke he can only hear.
Our son didn’t let anyone touch “Monkey” for a few days, and while getting ready for school the next day I overhead our daughter telling my husband Jeff that John was now her “very, very, very best, super best friend ever.”
The teachings have become our family values and daily routines: calling in the Light, sending the Light, holding the Light for each other, chanting the Ani-Hu before bed and relating to God as an active participant in our daily lives. These practices will go on as our children share them with their children, and their children with their children, spreading like an ever-growing mantle of blessings and spiritual awakening for generations to come.
Having a Mystical Traveler in the family is the gift of an unconditional friend that’s always there to dry the tears and tell the best jokes with the best laughter after the punch line. The Traveler is now my co-parent, particularly when I have nothing left in my “parenting toolbox.” What do I say now? How do I handle this one? The Traveler is there like a best friend on a spiritual speed dial.
Above everything else the Traveler carries the gift of belonging. No matter where we are and what year it is, the Traveler comes in and we are home, warm and safe.
With deep gratitude,
Ana Maria McCombs and the rest of the gang
Read the complete NDH May / June 2016 Edition via ISSUU
