Dear friends,
When I was 17 I had what was supposed to be a fatal brain tumor. They did not have PET scans and CAT scans in those days, so the diagnosis took quite a while, as I had none of the normal symptoms that one would expect (in my entire life I have never had a headache, for example — not even then). By the time it was clear what the problem was, I had to be rushed into surgery. Fortunately, I had an emergency appointment set up with a top-level neurosurgeon by a close family member who was a doctor colleague of that skilled neurosurgeon.
After the operation my mother asked the surgeon, “What was the chance of his surviving?” The doctor said, “About twenty-five percent.” She then asked, “What was the chance of him coming out without any impairment at all, as he has done?” He said, “Zero.” It was truly a small miracle. There is no doubt that it was his extreme skill in part that resulted in that happy outcome. The surgeon also said that had I not come in when I did, I’d have died in bed within 24 hours!
Then fast forward about ten years. I found myself at Ananda Village, the Yogananda Community outside Nevada City, California. I learned much about many things, including about Yogananda’s life. After a time there I took discipleship and opened my heart to His guidance in my life.
His boyhood name was Mukunda Lal Ghosh, but I did not make the connection for some time. My surgeon’s name was Hank Gosch (spelled differently but pronounced identically). When I finally noticed that remarkable “coincidence" it immediately brought tears to my eyes. I have never met anyone with that last name before or since. Have you?
It left me with a deep feeling that Master was, unbeknownst to me, watching out for me for all these years... and how many incarnations? I opened my heart to him that day at Ananda Village, but he apparently had his eye on me well before. We are never as alone as we think.
Blessings,
David G., manager
for the Gang at East West