“Show Me Love”

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Pichaya Avery

One morning, I was guided to experiment with a spiritual exercise called “Show Me Love.”¹ It is simply to ask God to show you truth, wisdom, understanding, or love. For a whole week, I had been struggling with a minor conflict with someone and contemplating on finding the best way to resolve the issue with greater spiritual awareness and grace.

I sang HU for a few minutes and asked the Inner Teacher inwardly to show me love. Then, I heard the Inner Teacher’s voice. “Go to the park, now.” 

I knew he wanted me to go to the popular park where I frequently visit for five-mile hikes and bird watching. I usually start at the river where I look for eagles and hummingbirds before hiking the trails. However, on this particular day, I was guided to skip the river and go straight to the woods.

In my heart, I knew that something was waiting for me, maybe a cute little puppy with a wagging tail and adoring eyes. This might be the way the Inner Teacher would teach me more about love. 

After I had walked for nearly a mile, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench in front of me, twenty feet away. In her hands, she was holding a beautiful bouquet of roses—red, yellow, pink, white, and orange. She was crying. 

I stood still, took a deep breath, and quietly asked, “Are you okay?” 

She shook her head and said, “No.” 

I wondered what to do next. Should I leave her alone and mind my own business? 

A few moments later, I was guided to ask the woman, “May I sit with you?” Without saying a word, the woman looked up at me and nodded her head. I stepped forward quietly and sat down beside her.

I broke the ice. “Those are beautiful roses.” 

She sobbed. Then, with a quavering voice, she uttered, “It is my husband’s first anniversary.” She pointed to the bench where we were sitting. It was built in memory of her husband. 

I reached out my hand and gently placed it on her arm. After a long period of silence, I said in a comforting voice, “I am very sorry.” 

This time she cried even louder. I couldn’t help but pull her closer, embrace her, and let her cry on my shoulder.

A few minutes passed. When she stopped crying, I continued: “I understand what you are going through. I have been there, too. I lost my first husband in 2001 when he died of lung cancer.” 

With curiosity, she questioned, “How long did it take for you to grieve?” 

“A very long time—years,” I answered. “Please take as much time as you need. His love for you will never die.” After sitting quietly for a while, I asked if she would like to have my phone number in case she needed to talk. The woman reached into her purse, took out a pen, and wrote down my name and phone number. 

Before we parted, she thanked me and spoke softly, “You are a godsend.” 

As I continued my walk, it felt as if my feet were floating above the ground. My heart was overflowing with joy and gratitude. Through me, the Inner Teacher had touched another Soul and had shown me love in an unexpected way.

I thought I would be greeted by a puppy; instead, I was serving as a channel to share love with someone who needed it more. My minor challenge became insignificant. The heaviness in my heart lifted when the Inner Teacher answered my request, “Show me love.”

1. Exercise is from The Spiritual Exercises of ECK by Harold Klemp, p. 13

Pichaya’s story is from The Golden Book of HU, p. 67.