Spiritual beings on a human journey? Human beings on a spiritual quest? A favorite character from A Favor Returned, Jennie Proctor, answers this deep philosophical question simply, directly, and definitively. (She should be a favorite character-I made her up!)

When asked the question by her mother-in-law, she observes that “we are all spiritual beings in human form. We are just passing through this planet. We came from somewhere and are going somewhere. There are times when I feel as if my feet are hardly touching the ground, Mrs. Becker.”

Jennie possesses a special gift which she neither wants nor understands but it enables her to help many people. She finds that doing good does not always work out. For example, she saves a young boy’s life when he is about to be struck by a train, but later, this same boy develops polio and spends his life in an iron lung. (The book is set in the 1950’s)

I’ve written this post because there is response from Fay Becker in answer to Jennie’s observation. I think it applies to many of us and is worth thinking about in connection with the hundreds of posts about the Stacey Burns murder case.

“I cannot accept the life I am leading and need to change it. We have to take control of our own destiny while we’re on this human journey, don’t you agree, Jennie?”

She does, of course. Just some proverbial food for thought . . . . . .

Duke