| "And, you wouldn't have believed that Marla | | | | pass. And No! All good things do not have to |
| was willing to forgo all she held dear to | | | | come to an end. All good things can get |
| spend a lifetime with an itinerant musician. | | | | better. |
| You should have seen her then. Willing to | | | | |
| give up everything for the love of a man." | | | | Where there's a 'good' there's a 'better' and |
| | | | where there's a 'better' there's a 'best.' |
| "So, was that wrong?"I asked. "Don't you both | | | | All good things continue only if they change. |
| deserve happiness in whatever way you | | | | You'll know this when you discover the one |
| choose?" | | | | great secret of the universe." |
| | | | |
| "Of course, it wasn't wrong," replied | | | | After a slight pause, Gideon took a sip of |
| Gideon,"it's not a matter of right or wrong. | | | | his coffee and continued, "Life is forever. |
| It rarely is. It was just that I was caught | | | | It flows through time and space, sometimes |
| up with the seeming pleasures of the moment | | | | slowly, other times much faster depending |
| and thought they would last forever. I nearly | | | | upon your perception of time. It's a journey, |
| forgot my mission and why I was here. The | | | | not a destination. Life is not the candle nor |
| same is true for Marla. We discussed the | | | | the flame. It's the burning." |
| situation and our feelings at length. The | | | | |
| Chief helped us each time.We've grown through | | | | "And there will be others like Kimberly, |
| those experiences and I rather suspect that | | | | other times and places of adventure and |
| there will be other, similar ones." | | | | hope," Marla added. "You'll meet parts of |
| | | | your soul everywhere you go. And every bend |
| "Isn't it a pity that all good things must | | | | in the river is an indication that life is |
| come to an end?" I asked. "My life with | | | | forever flowing." As I sat with these two |
| Mardai, for example, vanished into thin air, | | | | special friends, I still found it hard to |
| family and friends disappeared; new | | | | believe that even souls so advanced as they |
| relationships developed as old ones faded | | | | are still faced with emotional choices - |
| away. A Kimberly appears for an evening, a | | | | eternal pains and pleasures of life. The |
| dynamo of energy, passion and joy. Here this | | | | journey never ends. |
| moment, gone the next and all good things | | | | |
| come to an end." | | | | As we leisurely strolled back to the hotel, |
| | | | the echo of the rhythmic waves crashing |
| "Law of change, John," said Gideon, "all | | | | against the island crags sent forth a healing |
| growth consists of change. No change, no | | | | stream into the rivers of my mind. Yes, all |
| growth, only stagnation. Everything comes to | | | | good things. . . . |