On the Knowledge of God: May God bless the wonderful Canadian pioneer who gave me his copy of Gleanings

I know it's not good to have favorites among your children, and I don't. To say you like one Baha'i book more than another is kinda playing favorites, too, as they are all worthy. But I will admit to having a special love for for Gleanings, too, like Mitko. -gw

I got an email today from the Bookshelf application on Facebook: “You’ve been reading ‘Gleanings from the Writings…’ for more than a week. Still true?”

This question made me smile — how is it possible to complete reading “Gleanings” in a week? I truly think one could read and reread and refer and come back and reflect and reread again and again this gem of Divine Wisdom!

So, yes, Gleanings will be on my bookshelf for a long long time! The story of the evolution of my appreciation of Gleanings is the story of my Baha’i Life:

I was given a copy of this wondrous book in the summer of 1990 in Odessa, Ukraine, when I was first introduced to the teachings of Baha’u'llah. Back home in Bulgaria, I was offered a unique opportunity to join a team which would translate Gleanings into Bulgarian. Unfortunately, due to my lack of understanding and maturity I deprived myself from this bounty. The book stayed on my bookshelf, and traveled with me, for 17 more years until last May, when facing the biggest devastation of my life I went on Pilgrimage to seek spiritual guidance and healing.

What a marvelous surprise it was to realize that the prescription for living I’ve been yearning for, has been always with me in these precious pages. Nowadays, no morning passes by without me going back to Gleanings for spiritual nourishment — particularly now that the act of fasting is inviting me to turn to God on my own, not because of fear or mere duty but out of true gratitude for the gift God has bestowed on me.

May God bless the wonderful Canadian pioneer (I think his last name was Margulis) who gave me his copy of Gleanings back in July or August of 1990. May God guide many others to the healing message hidden in Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, because:

The beginning of all things is the knowledge of God, and the end of all things is strict observance of whatsoever hath been sent down from the empyrean of the Divine Will that pervadeth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah)
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http://www.befriendedstranger.com/bahai-faith/2008/03/04/youve-been-reading-gleanings-for-more-than-a-week/
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{Re-posted with permission}