Poker

A colleague came to me today. She was asking me to play cards - symbolically. I have played Spades and Poker before, so I know a little about playing cards. She is relatively inexperienced. I don't think she spent time in college playing cards with dorm mates. So, I told her what was in the hand we were looking at and what was more than likely in the hand of our opponents. The bad news about playing cards is that sometimes you guess wrong and lose a hand. I've got about another month before the hand will be completely dealt and played. I hope that good news is the result rather than bad news, that the guess is right and we will win the stakes from the other players. In the meantime, I have my best poker face on to get that result.

Written thoughts

The written language is a contrived language in that it reflects speech, but depends on a grammar that in many instances is not the same as the spoken dialect. Punctuation is all contrived because speech does not use punctuation. So, it amazes me that ancient contact with the gods was written. Of course, the oldest material is certainly based on an oral tradition. But, as time went on, material was written as events happened, thus escaping the oral stage. Some say sacred documents are "inspired." I don't really know what that means. I guess I also wonder why a deity would want to be reduced to a contrived language instead of a vibrant living language. I intend to use language to speak of the Creator and his fabulous story of raising a son from the grave. But, to write down thoughts that rob the living language of its life and put it in a contrived form is a little short of inspired for me. Actions and talk ought to align themselves nicely. Actions and writing are not even under consideration.

Alter-dimension

The sounds of night are very much different, or at least amplified, from the sounds of the day. At night I can't see very well with my eyes, so I depend more on my hearing. I perk up when I hear sounds that are near to me. But, I discount sounds in the distance even if they are sirens or train whistles. I can always hear crickets. Of course, they're harmless. I have noticed a change in my own way of thinking. I try to move and think more like creatures who do move in the night. I think how I can move without being seen or heard. I trust senses other than sight. During the day I don't care about such movements or sensitivities.

That leads me to think about how I might move or think if I were in another dimension. What if the dimension didn't have time? What if it didn't have movement? What if light and dark didn't alternate? What if the creatures in the other dimension didn't have bodies as we do in 3 dimensions? What if our attributes were halos over our heads like bars that show the power level of a cell phone? What if one didn't have to watch evil happen in front of his or her very eyes? What if the physics of the place were so very different? What if... ad infinitum?

I think this dimension is currently called after-life. I don't know for sure, but I will know it when I get there.

Aura of Alexander

The Discovery channel shows great reinactments of great battles. I watch them just so that I can apply their symbolic strategy to some of my work situations from time to time. Recently, the channel showed several reinactments of Alexander the Great's battles. Interesting that he thought that he was the son of Zeus. The program said he went to a temple and found out he was "the son of God."

I wonder if he would have fought as fearlessly if he had thought he was only human. Without question he was a great military strategist. He thought it was because he was Zeus' son that he was so successful. As it turned out, he was merely a mortal after being wounded in battle and later dying partly as a result of a wound. Of course, the same could be said about Jesus - that he was merely mortal and ended up dying from crucifixion. Well, there is not a resurrection story about Alexander.

How do I fight life's battles? Fearlessly? What if I thought I was the son of God? Would I lead the charge that much more often and with a reckless abandon? Would I plan ahead strategically because I would be so sure of a win, being immortal? Would people around me marvel at my success? Would I be assertive with others? Of course, I have a number of years' track record in fighting life's battles. I know how all these questions are answered. The sad part is that I have been a son of God for much longer than was Alexander a son of Zeus.

The Snake Pit

I thought that I was going to be delivered from a snake pit today. Not a literal viper pit, but a symbolic one. Deliverance was not apparent by day's end. So, I spend more time around a snake that seems to strike whenever he thinks I'm not looking. I think that beheading this snake should happen, but that is not my call. Others are in this pit with me and we are trying to watch each other's back so that we don't get bitten. Today, the strongest person in the pit had a great opportunity to behead the monster. I thought it was a sign of weakness to the snake that that didn't happen. But, the one who made snakes and regular humans directed the play by giving different stage directions from the ones I anticipated. So, as long as I have to be in the snake pit, I will continue to trust that the script writer knows what we in the pit need and will send deliverance in due time.

Numbered-Unnumbered

I don't know when a person comes to the realization that truly one's days are numbered. Youth is always characterized as invincible. Sometimes, young people feel immortal. At some point, however, realization sets in that one does not live ad infinitum. My own mortality has been brought home by a son changing his residence from here to the unseen realm where he lives with his maker. So, I see the other side already. I look forward to seeing the unseen world because I know a reunion awaits. My earthly father resides on the other side too. I will join them. I don't know when I am finished here, but until I change residences, I hope to let the maker, whom my father and son see daily, guide me to a fuller life than I had imagined before I got to this place in life. I am enjoying the guidance more and more. I have not always been comfortable being led. I wanted to do the leading. That was before realization set in about numbered days. Now I know those days are exchanged for unnumbered days.

Like Father, Like Son

I had a typical father's day. It was good. I received presents, ate barbeque, had homemade ice cream, and enjoyed the day relaxing. I don't know whehter the Creator is male or female, but I guess (s)he enjoys both mother's day and father's day if (s)he is simply the essence of I AM. I get the feeling (s)he lives in perpetual father's/mother's days for surely somewhere on the earth, everyday, someone is acknowledging the Maker with gifts and honor. Which leads me to think that I, too, receive much on a daily basis that I probably overlook - encouragement, loving remarks, concern from others, kindnesses that people go out of the way just to make. That makes everyday a father's day for me. Well, I'm rich and didn't exactly know it. Rich in Father's Days. I'm better off than I ever dreamed.

Assertion Required

I have been around a younger person now for a while at work. I see this person not able to confront the people in her world that need confronting. I guess age and having raised children makes me less prone to put off asserting myself when circumstances require it. I have read a number of examples in the life of the Master Teacher in which he decided to assert what needed to be said. Print leaves out tone of voice, but I can't read some of his words without hearing assertion in it. So, adopting assertion based on his model, has been much healthier for me than holding back what needs to be said in a situation. I certainly spent the first 35 years of my life holding in words and emotions. Now, I think that some occasions require assertions to be made and I am sure going to make them. Situations seem to clear up when straightforward communication happens.

Learning for all

A colleague of mine and I were talking today about whether someone can be taught if (s)he is not willing to hear the lessons. We differed on that issue. I remember a Chinese proverb: when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I also see all around me the people who have learned much but at different stages in life. Learning is unevenly distributed, and seems to be associated to people's interests and motivations more than from cumulative effect from information. Well, no matter. People live within each moment. They may choose to learn in a few of those moments. May the One Who Made Us give us today the bread we need whether that includes learning or not.

Analogies for life

Life has 101 analogies. Forrest Gump made the most famous one probably. Tonight I had a conversation about life with a lady whom I know little about. But she told me about her life. It wasn't sad; it was just not how she had thought of it as a young woman. That's why we get such analogies such as "life's a bitch." I listened and thought in an analogy as she spoke. Life is such a long and winding road. oops, I copied a famous song on that one.

At one point she tried to engage me in telling my story, my life. I really didn't do that. I don't know why other than I didn't have an analogy for my life. I gave it some characteristics as I related one episode in my life. But, I didn't have a picture of what life was or was like. I think that probably allows the Maker of all to do more with us. If we have an analogy, we have put Him in a box. If we have no picture of how life should be, perhaps we can be more easily led.

Maybe that's a lie. Maybe if we have a clear picture of life, we can more easily move with His help inside that picture.

But maybe that's a lie, too. It would create expectations for life. That would certainly lead to disappointment.

All I know is that life doesn't really have a plan to it. At least not the plan we ourselves choose for it. And if we make choices along the way, I'm not sure that our Maker has anything but general plans for us. If we try to chart future plans based on past plans, the direction changes. Not knowing the picture of life keeps us humble, excited,wondering, suprised, and devastated. All in one rolled-up ball. oops, There's an analogy. I'm sure it's distorted. The one who made us has to be laughing.