His Godly Presence:

A Visit to Nyumba ya Wazee ( from the archives)

Once again a Thursday morning of a summer month, and I along with my healer friends were at the Nyumba ya Wazee ( Home for the Aged) at Kasarani, Nairobi. As we gave reiki treatments to those waiting their turn on the rows of chairs in the huge recreational hall, some were getting impatient while some dozed off.
Nearly three hours of about 10 of us giving healing to the elderly and we had almost attended to 60 old people and a few sisters and volunteers when Sr. Anthony requested me to give healing to someone who was very sick and was on bed. I agreed to go to see him in his room along with my colleagues Nuri and Balvinder.

There in the room Francis lay on the bed. He was old, feeble and in pain. Upon asking I was told that he had many ailments and had been sick since days. As we neared him, he seemed oblivious of our presence and was moaning with each breathe. I looked clearly at his face and somehow I felt I was seeing Jesus. Something in me told me ,” this is Jesus, he is here to bless you”. Now to me this was strange as I am not a Christian, but then spirituality is not bound by religion. Spirituality comes from within and is defined by being unconditionally equal to all so the higher self is not within the boundaries of faith, cast, creed or color.

We started giving him reiki but from inches of distance because Sister Anthony told us that he might not be comfortable with our touch due to his pain.

We were giving reiki to a person who was Jesus to me. I didn’t know his exact health condition but he was moaning and groaning aloud though in his faint voice. I felt saddened to see him in so much pain and my heart just wanted to pour out love upon him. Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked at me in the eye and closed his eyes. It felt good. His one look into my eyes had spoken the unspoken. It felt that even though I was a healer, I was getting healed by giving him reiki. Then gradually the tone of his moans became fainter and then silence. I was happy that he had felt comforted and slept. We continued to give reiki to him but it appeared that he didn’t require any more of it. Yet, we as healers continued till we accomplished the complete healing and left his room as he slept peacefully.

By then the rest of the group members were also free and waiting for the three of us. We left and I had barely reached home when Sister Teresita from the home called to tell me that Francis had breathed his last few minutes ago. I was overcome with a deep sense of gratitude that I was given this opportunity to help someone transition so smoothly and quietly and that I received his blessings as well.

The life of a healer is often punctuated with witnessing pain, relief, sadness, empathy and even death and there’s gratitude for all that as it evolves the healer towards a higher spiritual growth.
It is a privilege to be of service in someone’s last moments and help ease their journey onwards.
This particular episode made me reflect on the religious union of souls in a room : I a Hindu, Nuri a Muslim, Balvinder a Sikh and Francis a Christian. And like fools we live with separatism instead of Oneness.

The moment when Francis opened his eyes and gazed at me I had seen God. The room had turned into an entire universe of equanimity and peace. The memory is a cherished one even though years have passed since this instance occurred.

Monica Gokaldas