Marriage Counseling

[Listen to Asha read this story]

(Told by an Ananda devotee)

I was with my husband at a party at Crystal Hermitage. Swamiji came over to where we were standing, greeted my husband, asked about some of the things he was doing, then stood and chatted with him for a few minutes longer.

He didn’t, however, say a single word to me; he didn’t even glance in my direction. When he finished the conversation with my husband, Swamiji turned his back on me completely and started talking to someone else as if I didn’t even exist.

Usually Swamiji is warm and gracious, not only to me, but to everyone. I was deeply hurt and tried to think what I might have done to displease him, but I couldn’t think of anything. Fortunately, that was the only time Swamiji treated me this way.

Not long afterwards, I had an argument with my husband. It was nothing important, just a difference of opinion. I was so annoyed, however, that he wouldn’t go along with me, I turned my back and refused to speak to him. This was not the first time I had frozen him out in this way.

This time, however, when I turned my back on my husband, I remembered Swamiji turning his back on me. Suddenly it was obvious why Swamiji had done that. He picked that behavior right out of me! My husband is far too kind ever to respond in such a hurtful way. Swamiji had to show me what it felt like.

Immediately I turned to my husband and said, “Dearest, please forgive me. I’ll never treat you that way again.”