This is a proverb of sorts that I feel compelled to share with my relations....Rember, I am most definitely not a writer, nor do I claim to have a fluency with words.... but they are my words, humble as they may be.
The River
The spirit is a river, I think. That great incomprehensible Mystery that we call the Creator, Budda, God, and so on. We are all born with a cup in our hand, along the bank of the river, to drink of the spirit, and begin our spiritual journeys.
Some of us are born knowing instinctively how to use the cup, some learn how, and some are born with a basic idea. And sometimes some either do not know, or have forgotten.
There are still others either too stubborn or proud to use the cups. There are ones who freely share their knowledge without thought of gain, and there are some who demand compensation for sharing the knowledge of how to use the cups with others.
There are some who want to learn, and some who want to buy the knowledge. There are also others who do not want to know, or want to forget, and perhaps give themselves up as lost. Then there are still others who are being forced to drink...
As we dip our cups in the river, we may find a place that is cloudy and confusing, or as bitter as a brave man's fears, and as difficult to swallow. Perhaps as turbulent and chaotic as the whirlwind, bringing unwanted change to our lives and so we withdraw for a while, only to return again and again until the lesson is learned.
Other times we may find it as smooth as a well aged brandy, and as sweet as sunshine on a spring morning, bring a sense of peace and contentment to our life.
There are many twists and turns in the river, perhaps we become confused or think that we are lost. We may meet many others as we search for just the right spot to stop and enjoy the ebb and flow of things around us. Perhaps we will learn something from them, perhaps we will be the teacher, albeit unknowingly, and no two encounters are the same.
Yet each leaves an indelible mark on us. The innocent smile of an infant in it's mother's arms, the chance encounter on a street corner, or perhaps a random act of kindness from a stranger...
And finally, when we reach the end of our journey, we too become a part of the river, offering a part of ourselves so that another may find spiritual nourishment, as we have during our journey through our lives, fostering spiritual growth, recycling our knowledge and maybe, just maybe, aiding others in learning their life lessons.
