Some years ago a dear friend told a wonderful story in our A Course In Miracles group after the end off a personal relationship, giving a profound spiritual analogy that beautifully demonstrated his awareness. Many people have since found peace through this wonderful wisdom, expressed as follows:

On my path to the great distant mountain peak, I came to a wide river. Looking far to the right and left, I saw no bridge, and pondered how to cross. Suddenly a pretty little boat appeared, came to the shore and offered to take me across, to assist me in completing my journey.

The trip started happily, and I was pleased with the little boat, and grateful for the assistance it provided. There were a few areas of turbulent waters, one that even spun us around a few times, but presently we reached the far shore.

The trip had been so wonderful, my gratitude and happiness so full, that I hated to leave that little boat, even though I knew I must to continue my journey. Much as I wanted to stay, to spend more time drifting on the river in that little boat, yon mountain beckoned, and my course had been set.

As I continued on my journey, I kept looking back at that little boat with profound sadness. It had been so pleasant, had guided me across the great river, I had grown to love that boat deeply. Yet I knew that the boat had its place in the river, and that it couldn't follow my path to the mountains. Even if I tried to take that boat along, it could not have made the journey with me, and would have halted my own progress had I tried.

And as I watched, the little boat turned around, went back to the far shore, there to assist yet another following the path to the mountain. And I realized how "all works together for good", for each part of this magnificent universe perfectly plays its role in assisting all other parts to find that Oneness that IS God.