Today was another of those days where I allowed stress to overcome me and overwhelm me. Too many details about relocating my mother, too many thoughts about her funds dwindling, the what-if’s began to panic me. I had several phone calls that needed to be made, the important one was to the woman who works with the mover and who takes care of all the details. We are looking at the last Tuesday in July.

Then I had a conversation with my mother’s aide who will be accompanying her and I found it hard to discuss the parameters for her stay: time, money. I can’t deal with conversations about money and salary, it makes me very uncomfortable. All I know is we can’t continue paying her as we are now and once she moves up here for however long, adjustments have to be made. There are too many things to think about and I was in a semi-panic again.

I had just had dinner: the usual evening meal that I barely tasted and forced myself to eat. I loaded the dishwasher and heard the doorbell ring. I could see two young Asian women on my porch. I didn’t think twice, I opened the door. Just opened the door and one said they were “missionaries” and wondered if there was anyone in my home who wasn’t feeling well, who might be ill or stressed for whom they could pray.

My first instinct was to say, “no thank you,” and shut the door, but there was something very kind and genuine about these girls. I heard myself say, “you can pray for me!” They looked at me in surprise, likely because I didn’t shoo them away, that I was open to them. I found myself telling these total strangers of the last ten months–the stresses from worrying about my mother, her near-death journey, the plans to bring her to New York, the fear of not being able to make her funds last. On and on, it all came pouring out…how I rescued five animals this year. (and with that a man and his dog walked by and the dog started to come to me.) One translated to the other in Japanese, and then turned to me and said, “You have a kind heart. You are very sensitive and you feel things more so you get stressed.”

And as I was unburdening myself, sitting on a porch chair, one of the young women asked if she could give me “massage.” This was a hands-on prayer service. “Sure,” I said, and as she laid on her hands I realized that my neck and head were one big knot of cumulative stress. I was a veritable ocular migraine factory.

One young woman was from the neighborhood and fluent in English while the other had just arrived from Japan for the soul purpose of offering healing. She was the one massaging my knots. She was just beginning to learn English. She was the one who was going to say the prayer for me. The two turned their backs to me and were silent through several rounds of three claps. They were bowing to my front door and silently asking God to relieve me of my trials.

The young woman who as massaging my neck and back put her hands on my head and my eyes as she sang prayers in the sweetest voice. My shoulders came down from my ears and I began to feel peaceful.

Their names are Toshiko and Emmy. Emmy’s father has a church in his living room not too far away. The religion, Tenrikyo, was at one time, but no longer affiliated with Shintoism. It is monotheistic and began in the nineteenth century. Tenrikyo promotes the teaching of a joyous life through acts of mindfulness, charity and kindness. Followers believe in reincarnation. They believe that God is throughout the Universe always around us and protecting us. Negative energy is referred to as “dust” and is swept from the mind. It’s goal it to make the world a peaceful place. When we help others, we ourselves feel better. I always have known that; I believe these sweet angels were sent to me.

Emmy and Toshiko said they would pray for me to sleep well tonight. I believe I will.

Three strangers met on my porch with kind hearts and open minds.

They each walked away a little richer. Whatever your beliefs, practice random acts of kindness.

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