Linda Diane

A spectacular thing happened just out of the starting gate on my first pilgrimage to Master’s shrines, an hour and a half down Interstate 5. I was going 70 mph in the fast lane when my engine blew. That’s just what it sounded like; the engine was clanking, shuddering and the likes of which you hope never to experience in this lifetime. My heart leaped into my throat, and I thought "gee, Divine Mother, I thought sure I was to make this trip!"

Almost immediately, without hesitation, I realized that my planned adventure was taking a drastic detour and I surrendered the thought of completing the pilgrimage. Now, the practical aspects of the situation started to unfold. OK, Linda, get safely over to the shoulder and stop. Then, reach down and open the hood latch, get out of the car, raise the hood and see what you can see. What I saw was a roaring engine that was virtually trying to leap out of the chassis! The sight was so shocking that I slammed down the hood and raced to turn it off. But...to no avail. I had locked myself out of the car.

"I can’t believe this, I can’t believe this, I can’t believe this," my mind chanted a mantra as the sound of metal against metal accompanied me.

Now...I could open my car door if only I had a long, thin, rigid implement. A screwdriver is a precision tool for this job but unfortunately it was in the car. God helps those who help themselves, I thought as I scanned the shin-deep fox-tails lining the highway looking for a substitute, all the while the engine laboring to remind me that each second’s delay compounds my predicament. But this stretch of highway was the cleanest stretch of highway in the whole of California. Not a twig, not a broken windshield wiper nor a metal rod to be of assistance, or any other scrap of refuse for that matter, blighted the roadside.

The lack of refuse seemed pretty suspicious, and it occurred to me that it would be a good idea if I would spend some of this valuable time getting centered. With my car’s death rattle in the background and the din and vibration of huge trucks, trailers, semis and cars zooming by me toward their destination, I stopped long enough to call out to Master.

It was at first difficult to let go of the idea that I would find a magic implement glowing in the grass. But after time spent with Master and with a renewed optimism, I re-focused on finding help from someone in the traffic whizzing by. I am sure that barely 5 minutes passed before a small, old economy car pulled to the shoulder in front of me and then slowly backed up. During this adventure, I had created in my mind a whole scenario around the repair or disrepair of my car and how in the heck I was to get home. But as the gentleman in the little rescue car walked toward me, all I could think of was getting a tool and turning that engine off..

As I asked him for a screw driver, I took in this gentleman’s appearance. I say gentleman because there was an old-fashioned quality about him. He had twinkly eyes, a nice smile and a very calm demeanor. He was dressed in a herring-bone suit with a little pin on his lapel (fraternal?). For California, he was over-dressed, really. At my request he went directly to the passenger side of his car and pulled out a carousel of tools that were sitting on the seat. Dear Lord, this was gadget heaven. In moments, he opened my car door and I was able to turn off the engine. (ahhhh...relief!)

He then asked if I would raise the hood to take a look. Inwardly balking (my earlier mental scenario had me getting the car towed to the nearest garage—40 miles away?) I said, "Do you know cars?" He just smiled and again I was struck by his sparkling eyes. "It doesn’t sound too serious," he calmly volunteered. "Yeah, right," I thought!

What came next felt like a dream. He asked me to start the engine again, which against recent experience should have been an extraordinarily repellent idea. But under his spell I immediately complied. We peered into the chassis cavity until he said that I could turn the engine off. After having discharged that task, I turned back to see his face, smiling and radiant. His aura enfolded me like a comforting blanket. "

Would you like a laugh?" he serenely offered. He then reached way, way down between the engine and chassis and carefully pulled up a spark plug dangling on a cable. Immeasurable, indescribable relief flooded through me as he popped the spark plug into its’ proper position.

The engine now purred, and this man, this wonderful soul, this angel, quietly drove out of my life leaving an imprint on my consciousness that will never go away.