sidneyworld
Senior Member
The Man In The Hilltowns
"I am reminded, from time to time, of a man who lived with almost nothing, up in the hill towns of the Catskill Mountains. He lived in a shack on a farm, that afforded him a meager cost of living. And very little else. He worked in construction for as long as he needed and could budget $100.00 over a month's time. He did not take food from anyone and did not complain of anything. A middle aged man of about 50.
I am reminded of the wisdom of his experiences he subtly affirmed with each conversation. They were neither reaching nor replacing nor condescending. They were more a reciprocation, digested into his mind and soul, and recycled into a view far less common. Reciprocated in a compassionate candidness that one would initially find intimidating. As if to convey things of yourself to him, would find you suddenly less noble and honorable and righteous and wealthy. As if to suddenly realize that self-worth is worthless, if what we've gained in materialism, would sustain us, from it's loss. That we would have to walk at least a mile away, in shame, before we realize that we've always had more than enough to survive, even with nothing.
I am reminded that what we harbor in our spirit is forever. That it will get us through anything, as he would tell you. This man in the hill towns. He would tell you that we should perhaps live vicariously through him. With the least amount of responsibility, except to ourselves and our spiritual well being. He would tell us that love is everything, even in it's isolation. He would tell us to walk a mile in his life, perhaps towards his shack. That this exercise would afford us enough humility to bring us back to good, away from the charms that measure the successes of our lives. In what we have gained or lost. Instead of the success of his wisdom, which abounds so freely and graciously within his world, in his evaluation of ours.
I am reminded, daily, of the things I have, of the things I've lost and the things that will stay with me forever. As I live and breath, it's only a short walk in the park sometimes, that equates into hours of sleep affording me years of rejuvenation. Or meeting that elusive man, holding a mirror to my face, my having pondered over such senseless, unimportant things. This man in the shack in the hilltowns, not far from me, that for many years I haven't seen...
Anne Marie xxx Copyright 2009
********
For me, realizing one's self covers a broader ground for me. This man has never spoken of God or of any faith, yet he carries a greater reception to this wisdom than most people in my life, because he actually lives as he speaks. The kind of profound humility which brings us back to good. I believe I am fortunate in this respect, as well. And it's because of my faith. You might say he's somewhat of a Buddhist as is reflected in his love for nature, and well grounded self-perception. I have no idea of his faith, except for the wisdom that would typically come of it.
I have a great deal of respect for Buddhism. I don't see a conflict of interest necessarily with that and genuine Christianity. Divine Providence and Nirvana are both in tune to ourselves and what lies beyond conventional perceptions of life, and the universe. But with me, there's far more tangibility based on blind faith and infinity, which in itself is difficult for us to perceive, but nonetheless some of us are driven by a higher power. And it's not religion. It's not man-made.
There is a difference between institutionalized religion, and genuine faith. Jesus was here to remind us of our inherent nature. Something that existed well before His teachings, before His conception. But for me, that nature is of God. His father. He was the divine messenger.
I truly believe this, not as a protocol or ultimate act of faith in Catholicism, despite my being a cradle Catholic, as I am not bound by protocols incepted by individuals who themselves, all too often use religion subversively, but because I've had my experiences, shall we say. And I know some pretty wonderful people.
I know full well that our souls live on, that we have a soul to begin with. I know the fresh fragrance of roses, and a perfectly etched Oak Tree in ice on my window in an otherwise cold old musty basement that hadn't been lived in for over a year, in a moment of grief over my father's death. In remembering the type of wonderful man he was. In just missing him, that moment and being overwhelmed by such things. Such sudden unexplainable fragrances and art etched in ice, from thin air on a window I had just cleaned dry. I love trees, especially oak trees and maples.
I know the feeling of being overwhelmed with absolute love. With a sense of well being, indescribable, incomparable to anything else I've ever experienced. Including the most passionate of moments. As deeply as I have loved someone, as deeply enamored, this feeling surpasses all common exhilaration. And it's the Grace of God that I feel.
If I'm delusional, then I would be in the good company of many world renowned physicians, many scientists, many physicists who have concluded no other possibility than there being a continuance in our existence. The we are souls surrounded in a body of flesh. Our souls live on.
I know this full well, and I know full well, who God is and what is expected of us, despite our free will. This is the perpetual challenge. Self-preservation through self-regulation. The concept of core value predicated on our spiritual reality. Not physical reality. I know that we have the ultimate responsibility of self-preservation, as He and only He created us, no matter the process of evolution. There is no conflict of interest there. It was part of His master plan, yet exclusive to a separation of species. There is nature, and there is us.
We are judged by our capacity to balance our existence with nature, by accommodating nature. Not in reverse form. We are challenged to not reach for things we don't need, no matter it's abundance. And with such abundance we are obligated to share our degree of wealth with those who have yet to be challenged. It'll be there turn next time. At some time. But indeed we must pass the legacy of our existence in such fashion. We have this obligation to motivate even if just one individual to such higher ground. And you will begin to understand, who God is.
He is not responsible nor accountable for our self-destruction, because those who are befallen to such evil, will find paradise with Him. You will come to know what this means as well. We are inherently good people, born of His breath. His love well within our grasp, and hopefully deep inside of us, as I have felt. He watches those who have taken to mission a mockery of His glory. And He waits for a reprise to such innocence. He has waited relentlessly for these people, as He would leave no-one behind but they will be left behind. I assure you. I have come to know such things, because my level of perception became increasingly acute and comprehensive when my father died and my mom soon thereafter. That was many years ago. It has since reached new heights. As if all these things that are happening in this world, I have foreseen in some form or another, though lacking in any definition. I believe many have and simply don't understand what's happening.
I have been shown things that will bring anyone to tears, both in it's magnificence, and it's horror. All quite profound, all quite real. Things that are soon to come. I can feel a sense of uneasiness simply laying down and talking to Him as if a neighbor, a friend. Something is happening, beyond common knowledge. And we are not all prepared to face this.
If God is non-existent, which to me is as ridiculous as denying my own existence, as I live and breath in love and despair, then we have lived for nothing. We are here for no reason. This is not logical. We view the world exclusively through our own minds, as children who view other children, not yet understanding such a connection, yet having a closer view of God, in their innocence. We are all very separate individuals who are spiritually connected. As being in close proximity of the cloaked presence of evil is quite vivid to us. We sense evil because we sense God. It's not a matter of clinical survival. It's an inherent familiarity that for those who have gained such senses and spiritual sensibility know, again, full well. We are surrounded by evil, embraced well within God's hands. If we are suddenly taken down by it, He carries us to His place. We are reunited. And this reality is being demonstrated by thousands and thousands of people, in the worst unimaginable conditions in the worst unimaginable places, far away from the freedom we are afforded in this country. And some of these people, having lost their families in the most unimaginable way, have found some resolve. They did this through the unintrusive compassion of foreigners. Genuine Christians, who have themselves risks their lives to give these people some hope to not so much measure their loses, but to begin to understand their own existence.
It matters little what institutional practice of faith we adopt into our daily lives. It matters that we come to find this inherent love for humanity, which draws us closer to loving ourselves, and loving nature and ultimately understanding who God is. This supreme being, the likes of which I have yet to fully define, or come close to any resolve of my worth to Him. I don't know that I will ever imagine such things. Except that He has brought me to this place. This beautiful place which, no matter the difficulty, the lack of humanity, the lack of common sensibility to our own image of God, is here for us.
We carry the weight of our sins, on our shoulders. But you will no sooner find happiness and fulfillment until you allow God's grace to adorn your spirit. When this happens, as I hope it does for everyone, you will have found providence within your own existence, your shortcomings, and all that pain and misery, and overwhelming worry and anxiety ceases to stifle these sensibilities. You will then have begun to find God, who is pure love, beyond anyone's imagination. Love is everything.
Anne Marie
"I am reminded, from time to time, of a man who lived with almost nothing, up in the hill towns of the Catskill Mountains. He lived in a shack on a farm, that afforded him a meager cost of living. And very little else. He worked in construction for as long as he needed and could budget $100.00 over a month's time. He did not take food from anyone and did not complain of anything. A middle aged man of about 50.
I am reminded of the wisdom of his experiences he subtly affirmed with each conversation. They were neither reaching nor replacing nor condescending. They were more a reciprocation, digested into his mind and soul, and recycled into a view far less common. Reciprocated in a compassionate candidness that one would initially find intimidating. As if to convey things of yourself to him, would find you suddenly less noble and honorable and righteous and wealthy. As if to suddenly realize that self-worth is worthless, if what we've gained in materialism, would sustain us, from it's loss. That we would have to walk at least a mile away, in shame, before we realize that we've always had more than enough to survive, even with nothing.
I am reminded that what we harbor in our spirit is forever. That it will get us through anything, as he would tell you. This man in the hill towns. He would tell you that we should perhaps live vicariously through him. With the least amount of responsibility, except to ourselves and our spiritual well being. He would tell us that love is everything, even in it's isolation. He would tell us to walk a mile in his life, perhaps towards his shack. That this exercise would afford us enough humility to bring us back to good, away from the charms that measure the successes of our lives. In what we have gained or lost. Instead of the success of his wisdom, which abounds so freely and graciously within his world, in his evaluation of ours.
I am reminded, daily, of the things I have, of the things I've lost and the things that will stay with me forever. As I live and breath, it's only a short walk in the park sometimes, that equates into hours of sleep affording me years of rejuvenation. Or meeting that elusive man, holding a mirror to my face, my having pondered over such senseless, unimportant things. This man in the shack in the hilltowns, not far from me, that for many years I haven't seen...
Anne Marie xxx Copyright 2009
********
For me, realizing one's self covers a broader ground for me. This man has never spoken of God or of any faith, yet he carries a greater reception to this wisdom than most people in my life, because he actually lives as he speaks. The kind of profound humility which brings us back to good. I believe I am fortunate in this respect, as well. And it's because of my faith. You might say he's somewhat of a Buddhist as is reflected in his love for nature, and well grounded self-perception. I have no idea of his faith, except for the wisdom that would typically come of it.
I have a great deal of respect for Buddhism. I don't see a conflict of interest necessarily with that and genuine Christianity. Divine Providence and Nirvana are both in tune to ourselves and what lies beyond conventional perceptions of life, and the universe. But with me, there's far more tangibility based on blind faith and infinity, which in itself is difficult for us to perceive, but nonetheless some of us are driven by a higher power. And it's not religion. It's not man-made.
There is a difference between institutionalized religion, and genuine faith. Jesus was here to remind us of our inherent nature. Something that existed well before His teachings, before His conception. But for me, that nature is of God. His father. He was the divine messenger.
I truly believe this, not as a protocol or ultimate act of faith in Catholicism, despite my being a cradle Catholic, as I am not bound by protocols incepted by individuals who themselves, all too often use religion subversively, but because I've had my experiences, shall we say. And I know some pretty wonderful people.
I know full well that our souls live on, that we have a soul to begin with. I know the fresh fragrance of roses, and a perfectly etched Oak Tree in ice on my window in an otherwise cold old musty basement that hadn't been lived in for over a year, in a moment of grief over my father's death. In remembering the type of wonderful man he was. In just missing him, that moment and being overwhelmed by such things. Such sudden unexplainable fragrances and art etched in ice, from thin air on a window I had just cleaned dry. I love trees, especially oak trees and maples.
I know the feeling of being overwhelmed with absolute love. With a sense of well being, indescribable, incomparable to anything else I've ever experienced. Including the most passionate of moments. As deeply as I have loved someone, as deeply enamored, this feeling surpasses all common exhilaration. And it's the Grace of God that I feel.
If I'm delusional, then I would be in the good company of many world renowned physicians, many scientists, many physicists who have concluded no other possibility than there being a continuance in our existence. The we are souls surrounded in a body of flesh. Our souls live on.
I know this full well, and I know full well, who God is and what is expected of us, despite our free will. This is the perpetual challenge. Self-preservation through self-regulation. The concept of core value predicated on our spiritual reality. Not physical reality. I know that we have the ultimate responsibility of self-preservation, as He and only He created us, no matter the process of evolution. There is no conflict of interest there. It was part of His master plan, yet exclusive to a separation of species. There is nature, and there is us.
We are judged by our capacity to balance our existence with nature, by accommodating nature. Not in reverse form. We are challenged to not reach for things we don't need, no matter it's abundance. And with such abundance we are obligated to share our degree of wealth with those who have yet to be challenged. It'll be there turn next time. At some time. But indeed we must pass the legacy of our existence in such fashion. We have this obligation to motivate even if just one individual to such higher ground. And you will begin to understand, who God is.
He is not responsible nor accountable for our self-destruction, because those who are befallen to such evil, will find paradise with Him. You will come to know what this means as well. We are inherently good people, born of His breath. His love well within our grasp, and hopefully deep inside of us, as I have felt. He watches those who have taken to mission a mockery of His glory. And He waits for a reprise to such innocence. He has waited relentlessly for these people, as He would leave no-one behind but they will be left behind. I assure you. I have come to know such things, because my level of perception became increasingly acute and comprehensive when my father died and my mom soon thereafter. That was many years ago. It has since reached new heights. As if all these things that are happening in this world, I have foreseen in some form or another, though lacking in any definition. I believe many have and simply don't understand what's happening.
I have been shown things that will bring anyone to tears, both in it's magnificence, and it's horror. All quite profound, all quite real. Things that are soon to come. I can feel a sense of uneasiness simply laying down and talking to Him as if a neighbor, a friend. Something is happening, beyond common knowledge. And we are not all prepared to face this.
If God is non-existent, which to me is as ridiculous as denying my own existence, as I live and breath in love and despair, then we have lived for nothing. We are here for no reason. This is not logical. We view the world exclusively through our own minds, as children who view other children, not yet understanding such a connection, yet having a closer view of God, in their innocence. We are all very separate individuals who are spiritually connected. As being in close proximity of the cloaked presence of evil is quite vivid to us. We sense evil because we sense God. It's not a matter of clinical survival. It's an inherent familiarity that for those who have gained such senses and spiritual sensibility know, again, full well. We are surrounded by evil, embraced well within God's hands. If we are suddenly taken down by it, He carries us to His place. We are reunited. And this reality is being demonstrated by thousands and thousands of people, in the worst unimaginable conditions in the worst unimaginable places, far away from the freedom we are afforded in this country. And some of these people, having lost their families in the most unimaginable way, have found some resolve. They did this through the unintrusive compassion of foreigners. Genuine Christians, who have themselves risks their lives to give these people some hope to not so much measure their loses, but to begin to understand their own existence.
It matters little what institutional practice of faith we adopt into our daily lives. It matters that we come to find this inherent love for humanity, which draws us closer to loving ourselves, and loving nature and ultimately understanding who God is. This supreme being, the likes of which I have yet to fully define, or come close to any resolve of my worth to Him. I don't know that I will ever imagine such things. Except that He has brought me to this place. This beautiful place which, no matter the difficulty, the lack of humanity, the lack of common sensibility to our own image of God, is here for us.
We carry the weight of our sins, on our shoulders. But you will no sooner find happiness and fulfillment until you allow God's grace to adorn your spirit. When this happens, as I hope it does for everyone, you will have found providence within your own existence, your shortcomings, and all that pain and misery, and overwhelming worry and anxiety ceases to stifle these sensibilities. You will then have begun to find God, who is pure love, beyond anyone's imagination. Love is everything.
Anne Marie
