The Stream: Keys to Peace
by Thomas Fargnoli
Bublish


"Prayer opens the door, but prayer with faith brings you into God's presence."

This short, delightful sixteen-chapter read presents five paths to finding the peace of God through two stories. A story within a story, the narrative follows Benito, a twelve-year-old, and his grandfather, Lolo, as Benito searches for his stream with Lolo's help. Benito and Lolo both love things beyond the physical world, and Benito has a dream regarding finding the real stream—a way to attain wisdom, love, and joy through the five keys of life. The other story has Bob, who is struggling with the thought of retirement and has anxiety over this, seeing a therapist who recommends a book. However, Bob buys the wrong book, getting one that parallels Benito and Lolo's journey. Bob is mesmerized by the story and begins to change his life as Benito changes his. They begin to realize that they somehow know one another on this spiritual journey and benefit each other through it.

A magical story, this is one of synchronicity, divine connections, and the metaphysical. Beautifully written, it moves from the literal search for a stream of water to a figurative interpretation of it. The physical descriptions are luscious, and the descriptions of God and the divine are presented in such a way that all belief systems can be incorporated into the reading. The book opens with a poem by Kahlil Gibran, and each chapter begins with a quote related to that chapter. In addition to belief, love, prayer, peace, and forgiveness, the book examines bullying, death, and faith. Throughout all of these issues, the story flows through consciousness, as it flows through the stream of existence. In the end, what is needed is to love one another.

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