‘O Amor Nao Tem Fim ~ Love Has No End’: Soul Level communication and A Dryer repair
by Nancy M. Schwartz
The dryer in our home quit over a month ago. The warranty company had lots of trouble finding a repair person. My heart leaped as I pulled into my parking spot seeing the exact same car as mine a black e
Eclipse Cross Mitsubishi. Except this car had a repair service decal on the side. Finally, the dryer repair man arrived and got to work.
Upon seeing him, my gratitude for his presence was measurable. The dust on the floor combined with his intense concentration on the task at hand was intense. A bunny towel that Alex used after bathtime was retrieved from the crack it had fallen through between the washer and dryer in our upstairs bathroom.
I said how I prayed he could fix it and that we only have laundry in our home every hour. Our son is learning to use the facility with guidance. Linford gave a wide smile and said, “It’s the same in my house.” Linford seemed to have the spirit of a Shaman. Healing light and good vibes, an energy he exuded. He looked like he should be on a stage performing a beautiful reggae song, “Three Little Birds, Cause Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright.”
I ran up to my room and retrieved my new book, Up Bow Down Bow. Here I extended the book. “Book,” yelled the two kind women, Vanessa, and Milena. They help keep the dog hair and home clear of dirt and dog hair. The team arrives once a month. I was rushing around trying to shower and said, “Yes, here have the book, “ Obrigado~ Thank you for cleaning our home. They smiled. Milena pointed to the photo on the back of my book. It is a cute picture of Alex. She said something in Portuguese.
I hurried up to my room and undressed to get my shower in for the first night of my first-ever college course, at Rosemont College. I am teaching as an adjunct professor for the first time. I realized a shower would not work since the team would be cleaning it. Oh well, as I ran by Vanessa I laughed because I did not realize she was on the step. “Ahhh,” sorry, I said. I threw on more deodorant and a spritz of Burberry Brit Sheer perfume. I was rushing to maybe get a coffee before class and a bite to eat, before my three-hour class.
Milena stopped me in the Kitchen on my way out the door, and she held up a photo on her phone a small one-year-old boy, adorable. He had Down syndrome/ Trisomy 21 is the medical term. I said, “Awww.” I was trying to ask if it was her son. She nodded since Pirtugues is not my language and Milena could not explain in English. ‘Clabeso.” “Wow, you have a son like my Alex?” She shook her head, yes, but there was a no too. Somehow I figured out from gestures that yes, he was one, and had passed away.” He died the year my Alex was born in 2008. Fourteen years ago.
I stopped. I could not move, I cried, she cried, and I hugged her. The rush of what I needed to do before my first course at the college level, was gone. I hugged her again saying, “I am SO sorry.” She showed another photo of her other two sons, holding a photo of her baby Clabeso. Such beautiful boys. The love you could feel in the photos. We hugged again and snapped a few photos of us together. Words are not needed. Soul-level communication. Heart to heart. Milena said, “I am a special education teacher in Brazil.” ‘You are, AMAZING, I say.” “I read part of your first book,” Milena explained. We hugged again and as I drove to my first college class where I would be teaching my undergraduates the nervousness left.
I drove realizing that this interaction would be top of the list I would be sharing with my undergraduate students learning to teach students other languages. Sometimes words are not needed to convey a thought or a feeling. Soul-level communication. I learned on this day that love never ends~ o amor nao fim ~
