I am not ready yet..

"Yes, I remember the woman. She was right; I did enjoy my work in the carpentry shop. She taught me to talk to things."

"If you had not worked as a carpenter, you would not have been able to place your soul outside yourself, to pretend that it is a crow talking, and to understand that you are better and wiser than you believe", came the

reply. "Because it was in the carpentry shop that you discovered the sacred

that is in all things."

"I always took pleasure in pretending to talk to the tables and chairs I built; wasn't that enough? And when I spoke to them, I usually found thoughts that had never entered my head. The woman had told me that it was because I had

put the greater part of my soul into the work, and it was this part that answered me."

"But then, I was beginning to understand that I could serve God in this way, and the angel appeared, and - well you know the rest."

"The angel appeared because you were ready," replied the crow.

"I was a good carpenter."

"It was part of your apprenticeship. When a man journeys toward his

destiny, often he is obliged to change paths. At other times, the forces

around him are too powerful and he is compelled to lay aside his

courage and yield. All this is part of the apprenticeship.

Elijah listened attentively to what his soul was saying.

"But no one can lose sight of what he desires. Even if there are moments

when he believes the world and the others are stronger. The secret is:

do not surrender."