THOUGHTFULNESS -

A LESSON BY ABDU'L-BAHA

From An Early Pilgrimage, pp. 14-16 - quoted in Vignettes from the Life ofAbdu'l-Baha, AnnaMarie Honnold, p. 87

On pilgrimage May Maxwell came to realize that every word and every act ofthe Master's (Abdu'l-Baha) had meaning and purpose. The pilgrim party wasinvited to meet Abdu'l-Baha 'under the cedar trees on Mount Carmel where Hehad been in the habit of sitting with Baha'u'llah.' She recalled that 'onSunday morning we awakened with the joy and hope of the meeting on MountCarmel. The Master arrived quite early and after looking at me, touching myhead and counting my pulse, still holding my hand He said to the believerspresent: "There will be no meeting on Mount Carmel today...we could not goand leave one of the beloved of God alone and sick. We could none of us behappy unless all the beloved were happy." We were astonished. That anythingso important as this meeting in that blessed spot should be cancelledbecause one person was ill and could not go seemed incredible. It was socontrary to all ordinary habits of thoughts and action, so different fromthe life of the world where daily events and material circumstances aresupreme in importance that it gave us a genuine shock of surprise, and inthat shock the foundations of the old order began to totter and fall. TheMaster's words had opened wide the door of God's Kingdom and given us avision of that infinite world whose only law is love. This was but one ofthe many times that we saw Abdu'l-Baha place above every otherconsideration the love and kindness, the sympathy and compassion due toevery soul.'