Three years ago I met a new cocktail waitress, whom I'll call "Mary". I felt the instant affinity and recognized the inner light that radiates from those on the spiritual path. After two weeks, her "vacation fill-in" stint ended, and more than two years elapsed before I saw her again. Over the past year we have become close friends, and I have been privileged to watch her awareness grow dramatically. I also learned of her life, a difficult growth process that included a bout with a debilitating disease that was in remission and a rape that led to an out-of-body experience.

Despite difficulties that would have turned lesser spirits bitter and cold, she maintained an exuberance, brightness and zest for life that characterize the Light-worker, the spiritual Self leading the world in Its spiritual evolution.

When I saw her Thursday evening she seemed somewhat subdued. When I asked what was wrong, she told me that her illness had resurfaced the day before, and that she had to leave work early because of it. Over dinner, we reaffirmed our spiritual awareness, and she left in her usual high spirits. On Friday she informed me that the ultrasound showed only a minor flare-up, easily controlled with medication and diet, and we shared the knowing that all was in Divine order.

On Saturday I read a profound line in Gregg Braden's Awakening To Zero Point: The Collective Initiation, in which he got the message "If you truly believe in me, and truly believe that I am the source of all that is, then how can you believe, at the same time, that anything of your experience is other than me?".

That evening she greeted me in tears. Another cocktail waitress had said to their boss that Mary's illness Wednesday was a hangover from drinking the night before. He had just chewed Mary out, threatened her with the loss of her job, and wouldn't allow her to respond. The injustice of the accusations, and his unfairness in not listening to her side of the story were too much, and her emotional self took over.

I responded with compassion, but also encouraged her to rise above the event, to look at the lesson. In sharing Gregg Braden's lesson with her, she began to regain her composure, and concluded that she had to "force" her boss to listen to her. I must admit that I, too, got a little caught up in the "story", and set out to "help" by talking to his boss, the food and beverage manager (a friend). When I found that he had taken off on Saturday night for the first time in history, I was reminded how perfectly everything works together for good, and that I needed to "do" nothing. I remembered that we are all in the process of co-creating a lesson for all of us, that she was the central figure in that lesson, and that my role was "holding the vision" as I had learned the week before from James Redfield's The Tenth Insight.

In sharing that with her, I again encouraged her to look for the lesson, suggesting that it had to do with her personal empowerment, and that her boss was playing a role to help her do that. She decided to talk to him on her dinner break.

While I was having dinner, a profound awareness came over me. We learn our strengths by having them tested, by practice. In every team sport, the one team divides into two opposing forces to learn, practice and test their strengths and expose their weaknesses. I remember gym class in grade school, when we played basketball as the "shirts" versus the "skins". And realized that all teams, high school, college and professional, do the same thing, dividing themselves into "offense" and "defense" to practice and hone their skills. And yet, they still know that they ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME TEAM.

And I realized that we, as humanity, are doing the SAME THING. We are all One, but we divide and pretend to be opponents so the One can learn all of Its strengths, the total power of Its Love. And we divide ourselves so very many ways, by sex, by race, by nationality, by outlook, and by experience, so that we can, collectively, experience the Infinite Fullness of Love.

And I realized that, when we are in the experience, we forget that we are all part of One team, that the "opponent" is another part of One Self who agreed to play the opposite role. And so we see him as an "enemy", and are "hurt" by him, and don't see the Love. And I knew that the events of this evening were a demonstration of this Divine Truth.

I didn't expect to share this with Mary until later, as she was on her dinner break, supposedly speaking to her boss. Upon returning to the poker room, I was drawn beyond it to speak to another friend. I heard my name, and turned to see Mary sitting in an alcove, where she couldn't have seen my return had I gone to the poker room.

When asked how the meeting with her boss went, she told me his door was locked, and she hadn't spoken to him. I then understood, that she hadn't been ready until we shared the new insight, and she could approach him with understanding and Love. She understood perfectly, and decided, calmly, to go talk to him.

When I saw her later, I asked how it went. She replied "Not good. He yelled and I cried, I couldn't keep my composure." "Then what?", I asked. She related how she had waited until he was done, and told him calmly that it was her turn to speak, and his to listen to her. She told him how she had worked for four years without a customer complaint, how she had never missed a day aside from illness supported by doctors' reports, how she appreciated his cooperation and kindness through her illness, that she was not a "drinker" or "party animal", and that she thought it unfair for him to take the word of another "catty" waitress without hearing her response. When he said it didn't matter what he thought, she told him that it mattered to her, and that was why she was here to clear her reputation. And she told me how he listened, and that he believed her.

"So", I said, "it turned out pretty well, didn't it?". "No", she replied, "I cried, I lost it". And then I shared another viewpoint, how she had integrated her female and male energies, using the female emotional power when appropriate to break through his barrier and cause him to listen, then switching to her male logical power to present her case clearly and powerfully, including her caring about his opinion and her appreciation for his assistance. And I opined how wonderful and beautiful it was for him to help to create this circumstance, to play the role of a nasty boss to help her find and integrate her power, her Love.

"Wow", she said, "you sure have a unique way of putting a different spin on things!". "Yes", I answered, "I have learned to look for the Miracle, the shift in perception, and am so grateful to see through the eyes of Love. And am grateful to you for sharing your Miracle, and helping me to become more aware of that One Love".