The Wave Becomes the Ocean: An Introduction to Spirituality

By Julian Pardo

The Wave Becomes the Ocean was purposely written and designed to be a
short and simple book. It is a collection of thirty-two essays that can be read
from cover to cover, or it can be opened anywhere and the reader will find
a brief reflection on the nature of our true realitythe world of spirit. With
illustrations by Deborah Stafford accompanying each essay, this book
provides the first steps to understanding and practicing the guidelines for a
more peaceful, joyful life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 10, 2007
• ISBN: 9781469117645

Book preview

Copyright © 2007 by Julian Pardo

Front cover art and interior illustrations by Deborah Stafford Book cover design by Tracie L. van der Keyl Excerpt from Pilgrims by Daniel Rojer Pardo

Library of Congress Control Number:    2007902416

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

About the Artist

About the Author

For Daniel Rojer Pardo,

My brother,

friend, and fellow pilgrim—

I thank God

your life was a part of mine

and I know you walk with me on my journey to

"the human soul which is ultimately

the true destination

of every pilgrim’s sojourn."

Acknowledgments

I want to express my gratitude to Andrew Skotnicki, PhD and Gregory Orfalea, MFA for taking the time to review my manuscript for me. Thank you to my good friends Joe Gall and Susan Odjakjian for their suggestions, many of which I used. Also, thanks to Patricia Austrie, Marco Pardo, Justin Pardo, Manuel Acevedo, and Grace Tanaka for their help along the way. And special thanks to my mother, Blanca, who taught me about love and the importance of faith.

Preface

In late 1997, I gave my boss my two-week notice. Feeling confident that there was more to life than being unhappy at my job, I had decided to quit. When I left, I had no plan other than to keep my heart and mind open to what God had in store for me.

For the next six months, I got a lot of things done that I’d been saying I’d get around to someday. One thing I didn’t do much of, to my family’s dismay, was look for a new job. I had some savings and trusted that life would supply me with whatever I needed to get to where I was meant to be.

It was during this time that I began jotting down what I came to think of as my moments of clarity. These were times when I’d be by myself—in the car or in the shower, for example—and suddenly, the light would go on. Something would make perfect sense to me—as if my wandering thoughts had all of a sudden come together and burst up in an exciting conclusion about life.

I didn’t want to lose or forget any of them, so I decided to buy my first computer and formally document these conclusions. Having always been a fan of Hugh Prather’s original Notes to Myself, I began writing my own essays to myself. They would be my personal guidelines that I could always return to, spiritual fundamentals that brought a little more peace and understanding into my life, nuggets that would always be there for me whenever I needed reminding.

And so it started. I didn’t know if I had five essays in me or fifty; all I knew for sure was that I was excited about this new project. I remember times when I could barely wait for the computer to warm up so that I could get my latest thoughts on paper.

I heard Bruce Springsteen once tell an audience that the greatest gift was the gift of inspiration. Typing away, I was feeling grateful to God for this precious gift and the opportunity I had in those days to do something with it.

Then one day, it occurred to me: Am I writing a book? I had always liked the idea of writing one—yes, I was writing my first book!

At that point, I began telling everyone what I was doing. My friends and family were used to me showing everyone my latest artistic endeavor, and as usual, they all supported and encouraged me.

One friend, a published writer, advised me to consider going back to school and getting some capital letters after my name if I wanted to be taken seriously as an author. This brought up some very important questions: Who was I to write a book about spirituality? Was I an expert on the subject? What were my credentials?

I knew I was no expert, and other than an AA in humanities, I had no official credentials. So why was I writing this book?

The honest answer is, because I was. I hadn’t planned on it, but there it was, developing with every passing day. These ideas were flowing out of me and the experience was exhilarating. I didn’t know where it was headed but was enjoying the process too much to worry about it. I trusted that I would find out, as I went along, what the book would ultimately say, and how and when it would conclude.

The issue of what to do with the final manuscript would be something I’d leave in God’s hands. I wasn’t too concerned about it, but I’ve always been a person who enjoys sharing things I’m excited about.