"I, love you! I love
you," He said, and
whop! He slapped my face!
Hard! What I could not
believe it! My beloved
Bhagavan just smacked me-and
I was so happy, all I could
do was giggle joyfully like
a little boy.
My wife next to me in the
inter view room, was also
happy and laughing too. Then
Swami took my namaste, hands
in His and leaned close to
Him. His face only a few
inches from mine, "I am
always with you". He
intones in DEFINITE, serious
voice, "Always with
you".
The message burned itself
into me. Later when I said
"I am worried about one
of my grown up sons",
he turned quickly to me,
"Why do you worry? He
snapped, He is my son! I
will take care of him."
Soon after our return to our
home in California, the
grown up son came to pay
respects. It was mid-day and
I could already smell the
alcohol in this breath. With
that, sadness wafted across
my mind recalling the
problems and grief that his
drinking had brought him
over the years. And then, I
remembered Swami's words.
Son asked. "How was the
trip?" "Fine",
I said and proceeded to tell
him of our interview with
Sai Baba. I took his two
hands into mine and said,
Swami looked at me in the
eyes, like this, and I
looked into the eye in the
same manner, And Swami said
to me I love you! I used the
same force in my words as
Swami's. The boy started
smiling broadly. Then, I
said Swami slapped me and I
slapped my son's face as
hard as Swami slapped mine
and repeated His words,
"I love you!" Whap! The
sound of it startled my
wife. The son, jolted,
giggled joyfully like a
little boy. Then I told him
that Swami said that he was
His son, not mine and not
mine, he would take care of
Him. The boy's eyes squint a
bit as he took in the
importance of those words,
and slowly nodding his head
in agreement.
Sharing this episode with
him made me experience again
the utter joy, I felt when
it actually happened half a
world away. And I could see
that the boy was also
enjoying it. I was also
aware that I had omitted the
part of Bhagavan's message
about always being with
me/us, but trusted that it
will come out when that time
is right.
It was several months later;
I was on a flight to a town
in another state. I had been
asked in to go there by a
company that I had worked
for several years
previously. (I am a
management consultant
specializing in organization
behavior-, which means I
help companies improve
communication, develop team
spirit, and so forth). The
work I do is positive and
thus the people in the
companies that call me
usually look forward to my
coming. Especially in this
case, they already knew me,
so I settled in and relaxed
as the plane carried me to
this assignment. "This
will be an easy one, a piece
of cake", I thought.
How wrong! The people who
met me at the door (the
personnel Director and
Operation Manager) were
shaken. "We have got a
big problem" were their
first words. They briefed me
on it as they hurried me
down the hall to the
conference room. The union
had become quite belligerent
over the past year, had god
wind of my coming, and was
determined to use my coming
there to bring a number of
grievances to a head. So
instead of a pleasant
project with some old
friends, I found myself the
centerpiece of a nasty
conflict.
By then, we were at the
conference room and they
flung the door open for me.
I entered hesitantly into an
atmosphere so tense, it
pinched sitting stiffly on
the other side of
rectangular table, a sour
look on their faces, were
four union delegates. The
company official motioned me
into a chair and took their
seats along the wall to my
left. I was alone facing the
angry delegation. Without
fanfare or introduction the
Personal Director began. I
have filled Dr. Hawley in on
the situation and have told
him that we have agreed to
your demand that a union
representative sits in all
every talk he conducts with
employees."
I was taken a back what he
said. In my work
confidentiality and
anonymity are critical- it
is a part of the ethics, the
dharma of what I do. I sat
there in shock growing more
concerned. I came expecting
to solve problems, not to be
one! Here I began, an
instant failure! Dread began
to creep in. "Well"
I said. "I do not work
that way." I noticed my
voice beginning to pinch, as
it does when fear takes
over.
The Union representative
butted in. "If you don't
agree, we are going to call
in the National Labour
Relation Board, and we will
walk off the job in protest".
The company people flinched,
Oh dear, I thought.
The personal Director
nervously picked up the
phone and dialed the company
President, said a few words
and handed the phone to me.
"Hi Jack", the
president said, "Glad
you are here, hope you have
a nice trip. Uh we have
thought about this and
decided to agree to the
union's demand. That is okay
with you, is not it?" I
paused to catch my breath,
the quite in the room was
deafening. "Um That is
not the way I work." I
said my voice dry. "Oh",
it was his turn to pause.
"I will call you back",
and he hanged up.
I cradled the phone and
turned toward the angry
faces, wondering what's is
next. Then rising up slowly
out of the center of the
table between the Union
People, and me came a life
size two-dimensional image
of Swami! It was his head
and shoulder, as though He
were sitting in the table
with us. He was moving His
head, there was a playful,
impish smile on His face,
and His hair and robe were
of lighter color than usual.
I realized that he was
transparent! It is like one
of those TelePrompTer
devices that T.V speech
gives-giver, but the viewers
can't see the words and
think the speakers are
looking at them. Well, here
I could look at the union
people "through"
Swami, and they looked back
at me, but they could not
see him. The company people
could not see him either
from they sat, only me.
I was fascinated with
Swami's Leela, with this
expression of His love for
me. I was taken by His
peacefulness. The atmosphere
in the room began to change.
Calmness had entered and was
setting in. Swami's strong
love was dissolving my fear.
My power returned my voice
came back. I sat up and
squared my shoulder. There
was a laugh inside me, close
to surface.
As though trying to catch me
before it is too late, the
Union Chief piped up, more
loudly that before,
"Well, agree to it or we
walk" I answered my
voice fully recovered.
"You do what you have to do
and I will do what I have to
do."
At that moment the phone
rang, the personal Director
handed to me. It is the
President, who had
apparently been talking with
some advisors. "Do it
your way. Jack," he
said, "Let the chips
fall where they have to".
The whole thing had a happy
ending. The project goes
smoothly. I talked to,
privately, with many
employees. After some
initial ratting, the union
people got along with the
program many of them
saying how glad they are to
get this chance to discuss
issues confidently. Within
six month most of the
long-seething problems were
gone.
Now several years later, I
still look back on that
wondrous pop up image of
Sathya Sai Baba with great
love in my heart. He is
always with us! He does not
speak in metaphors.
Everything He says He means
even when we were too
troubled or hurt or sacred
to ask. He comes!
I did not call out to Him in
the conference room. I
didn't mutter "Om Sai
Ram". I did not say
"Om" in my head like
Krishna directed Arjuna to
do. I wish I did, but I
forgot to! All I did was
need him.
He did not slap me that time
to grab my attention. Nor
did he have me slap my son
to grab His. The drinking
problem worsened for a time
and then in my deepest
bottom, it abruptly ended!
Did the boy also receive a
visit from the calm, loving
see-through Baba? I do not
know, but he joined a
12-step program, got a good
job, a car and new friends
and had not taken a drink
for four years. Not one. It
is as though he had been
granted a new life?. All
needed only one thing: We
need him!
Aum Sri Sai Ram
(By Dr. Jack Hawley)