Sally was so frustrated that she wanted to bang the phone. She had been trying to reach her mom since last night, but the busy tone was all she could get. She was worried. She also wanted to check if her documents had been couriered, which she needed before her Job interview later in the week. She tried her mobile number which was out of coverage. Mom couldn’t be talking all night and day, she thought. She then decided to leave for the university. She tried calling her during the breaks but there was still a busy tone. She asked one of her friends to call the number just in case if there was problem with her phone. That didn’t help. How can she be so irresponsible, she thought.

Sally went to check her emails on PC and send a couple of emails to her mom. By the evening there was no answer to her emails, phone calls or text messages. Worried, she updated her Facebook status about the issue. She got some sympathetic comments but no solid solutions. She remembered the incident on her first Sumer Camp when her Mom travelled almost 500 miles to find her whereabouts when the phone lines went dead due to bad weather. Should I go and find what’s wrong with mom, she thought. Instead, she called her cousin who lives not far from her mom’s place. His journey to her mom’s house was fruitless as there was a lock on the door. ‘But mom never go anywhere without telling me’, she told her cousin. It was nearly 7pm when she hailed a taxi for home. She was too distressed to travel by her usual bus and underground train service. She realised that she hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

Her mind started playing various negative scenarios. She decided to report this to Police. She called one his relative who was a lawyer. He consoled her and asked her to have patience. He advised to take her mom’s photo to the Police station.  She agreed and told him that she was heading home so she will take photo and then go the Police Station.  Her frustration grew exponentially when she found that there was no electricity in her flat. She turned on the torch facility in her mobile and walked towards the electrical closet near the end of the kitchen. Suddenly the whole house lit up and three of her room mates exploded into laughter. They were trying to play prank on her. She couldn’t stop yelling at them as loud as she can and bursted into tears. She sunk into the sofa, covering her face. Her friends rushed to her and gave a group hug. When she overcame her emotions and became calmer, she was struck by the aroma of the home cooked pasta. ‘Who made the pasta?’, she quizzed her friends. A blank reply was all she could get from their face. She instantly knew the answer and rushed into her room.

The towel wrapped figure coming out of her ensuite shower room looked as if someone was stepping down from heaven. That was her mom. They both jumped in joy and hugged each other as opposite poles of magnet. Sally couldn’t stop crying. She got her mom back and the feeling of losing her was way too much for her to handle. She couldn’t believe that her mom had driven all night to surprise her and bring the papers as the small courier company in her town couldn’t promise to deliver them on time.  When her sobbing subsided, Sally looked at her mom in appreciation and asked, ‘Can I have Pasta please? I am dying of hunger.’

What should we do when GOD doesn’t answer our prayers? If we hear a Busy tone, then we should try different method of communication just like Sally did (phone/email/text). Prayer is our first type of communication. Meditation and seeking a channel within ourself to open a dialouge is the second but more effective solution. Seeking help of others (Spiritual Gurus, Books) is one more way to reach GOD. If all the channels seems to be not working, don’t be disheartened and be assured that He is planning something good and in due course it will be revealed. Like Sally’s Mom, GOD will always go extra mile to surprise us.