I had little information about the circumstances that had led me to an older couple’s home in North London. As always, I had asked not to be given any details beforehand. All I knew was that my friend had told me about his uncle and aunt, and that they had lost their son some years earlier.
I felt a heavy burden and feared disappointing them, yet I did not feel nervous as I entered the house. The couple were genuinely warm and kind. I felt at ease as I sat in their front room, sipping tea and chatting. There was a strange familiarity about them, as if I had known them before, even though we had never met.
They hoped I could connect with their son on the other side, and I hoped the same. I found it difficult to follow the conversation; I was beginning to pleasantly drift away. Then I felt an urge to stand and walk across the front room toward the dining area, and I followed it.
Soon, I found myself standing in front of a large oil painting of a beautiful tiger hanging on the dining room wall. I do not know how long I stood there before I heard the woman’s voice beside me.
“You like the painting?”
Surprisingly, her question did not interrupt my thoughts. Instead, it felt comforting. I told her that it was beautiful and that I liked it very much.
I felt I should return to the front room. embarrassed that I had walked away without excusing myself, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not move from that spot. I stood there, frozen, admiring the painting.
For a moment, I lost all sense of time and found myself in a place of extraordinary peace. Eventually, I returned to the front room, where the couple were speaking in hushed tones. They were both deeply emotional and tearful. I was still struggling to follow the conversation, caught in a state of quiet euphoria.
Eventually, the father asked me why I felt drawn to the painting. I told him I did not know, and explained that I had no idea it was there in the first place.
They both began to cry.
“That was our son’s favourite painting. He used to stand in that spot and admire it, just as you did.”
I thank God every day for allowing me to serve as a reader and a healer. It is the greatest honour of my life.
