“What a delightful place,” Rose sighed, looking round our house. “The comfort of it!”
“See how simple it is,” Janet said. “On earth, people complicate life so much. Here, with a place to rest, fruit to eat and all the land to roam in, one can be completely happy.”
“I almost wish I could stay,” our guest said. “How strange it is that one can come here in sleep and then go back again!”
“So many people do it without knowing,” I told her. “It is the true, hidden value of sleep that the Father uses to teach His children.”
“He giveth His beloved sleep,” Rose said gently. Janet and I exchanged a quick glance; then I told her what my angel had said—that at the reading or quoting of His Word, in Heaven or earth, the angels bow down to worship at the Throne. She was enchanted and begged to hear more. Had I really seen an angel? Had I been beyond this Plane, into Heaven? Had I seen the Master? She was such a simple creature and so fired with love for her Master that we delighted to talk to her. I forgot all about my misgivings and we all three chatted away as though we had known one another a lifetime. Janet produced the fruit, and once more Rose plied us with questions. We were at last forced to call a halt, or we thought she would become confused with all she heard, so for a while we refreshed ourselves in silence.
After some time, our visitor began again. “Will I remember all you have taught me when I return to earth?”
“No,” I told her regretfully. “As soon as you enter your physical body again, you will become limited to its five senses, and so all memory of this visit will be gone.”
“Oh, what a pity,” she exclaimed, her face clouding. “How will I be able to take advantage of all this learning?”
“You will be able to do that,” Janet comforted her. “Things that often puzzled you before will be quite clear, but you will not know why they are clear.”
“I see what you mean,” she said eagerly. “ I shall retain all the wisdom, but not remember how I came by it.”
“Yes!”
“It is wonderful,” she mused. “Earth has so many problems and one needs wisdom. One cannot find the answers to questions in the mind, or in books. But now I shall find it in sleep!”
“One thing you must remember,” I told her, “and that is that the Father is Love! If only more and more men could realise this! Men think of death as an ordeal, or as a falling into nothingness instead of as a falling into Love Itself. If only men knew how lovely Heaven is!”
“I will remember,” she whispered. “I have always thought of Him as Love! I thought if one tried really hard, we could come to Him as the little children came. Then, the disciples tried to send them away, and now, people’s own ideas of Him keep them away from His love. Yes, yes, I will tell the people that the Father is Love.”
“Another thing,” said Janet, after a pause. “Try to help people to realise the value of preparation. If they do another person wrong and they are uncaring, it leaves a stain, but if they try to make amends, all is clean again. Of course, we cannot make ourselves clean, but if we try to give good in place of evil, we unite ourselves to Him.”
“All this I will tell them,” Rose promised us. “Help me to tell people on earth how to please Him! This will enable me to please Him also.”
After our long conversation, we were feeling very happy about meeting Rose again. She too asked anxiously if she could come to us, and we assured her that our house should be her home between earth and Heaven. While we had been resting, I was dimly aware that the other houses were filling up, that people were meeting and talking there, and waiting. . .
Waiting! Suddenly the memory of my last visit returned to me and a great joy sprang up in my heart. I wondered if Janet remembered, and glancing toward her, found that she was looking at me.
“I think perhaps we should tell Rose now,” she suggested. Rose turned attentively to hear the news.
What joy it gave us to describe the coming visit! Her face glowed as she listened and her breath came fast. She could scarcely believe it, and kept exclaiming under her breath, “To see Him again, really to see him!” Afterwards we fell silent, waiting in company with all the others in the houses. The air was still and the rhythmic sound of the sea was like an anthem. . .