A Letter From God

Why are we so stupid, Lord? Why do we yell and shout, rant and rave,pillage and kill? Why do we cheat and lie, ignore and disdain, leave and abandon? We could all be so close, so loving, so kind--we all share the same things: the fresh air, the blue sky,and oh, the rich moonlit nights.... We all have the same fears: loneliness and sickness, poverty and death.... And we all hold fast to the same dreams: friends, family, a lover, perhaps happy children whirling like small dervishes in their own little worlds. A bit of praise, a kind word, work that goes well--that's all we really need.... I wrote this as a poem but it is really a prayer. I spoke it aloud so many times-- even unto the thick part of the blackest night until I fell into a deep, deep sleep, the very deepest sleep, a sleep almost like death itself.... When I awoke the next morn, the mail had come early. I opened an envelope that strangely had no stamp. It was handwritten in unreal, almost unearthly beauty. It began quite formally: Dear Mr. ( my name ), I have broken my own rule to write you, but you are so very persistent! If life were easy, you would not feel alive. If love were easy, you would not value it. And if I were easy, you would never seek me. Faithfully yours, God