Grapes for the Trail
by Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
Let us suppose for a moment, everything we see about us is an illusion and the things we come in contact with will no longer be there when we awake on the morning.
What will we do? Will we laugh or cry? Will we be happy for this experience or will we want more? Will we have sweet or bitter memories? How will these experiences prepare us for our real lives?
O spiritual traveler, give thought to this proposition; it is not very far from the Truth.
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As the hour glass drains
What is important to you?
Each grain is a precious moment
That cannot be reclaimed.
What have you left undone?
What else do you wish to accomplish?
Consider your answers well.
You are not promised another day.
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O the pain of death. The moment of bitterness as the soul separates from the body. What parent wants this for their child?
Yet we are not thinking in the right way. This life is a prison term for the soul
And the moment of release is a joyous one. The soul is returning home. Learn to think of
this moment as a release into a greater freedom. Forget the worldly consciousness
and focus on the transcendent.
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O man/woman, of what are you Created? Flesh and bone is only part of the answer.
Remember you are also of spirit and will wake-up one day to find you have
joined the morning sun; another flickering star in the ebony night..
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Did you think this world could go on forever? Travelers lying and stealing; lining their pockets with their neighbor’s gold.
O creature of flesh, you are on a journey and must prepare for the next phase.
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When the potter is forming a bowl and it has a defect which cannot be repaired, what does he do? Keeping the clay, the potter starts anew.
O traveler, the hour of change is upon us. That which will be kept is essential to the new form.
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When the child cries why must it be so? I have not been given the opportunity to reach my full potential. Answer with kindness: the destruction is necessary and that which you will be given will far exceed that which you lost.
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And so the prophecy must be fulfilled. You did not create this world and are not responsible for the decay. Yet you are a child of flesh and have participated in the pain.
And as you chose this life so have you wished for this cup; drink deep my fellow travelers for we helped press the grapes.
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And as the lion attacks, will we lift our voices in prayer? Will we pull our loved ones toward us as we ascend to the Creator’s chair?
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You ask why it must be so. I tell you your mind cannot understand. You must experience the answer, which is all part of the Universal Plan.
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The book of your life is filled with many blank pages. You are free to write on them whatever you choose.
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One day sit down and number all the things you are concerned about. Make a list and leave nothing out.
These things and people which comprise your list are your gods. They are the things which fill your mind instead of the Beloved.
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The hour of a traveler’s death is fixed. What is not fixed is how we spend our life. Use these hours well. They are as precious as any treasure you will ever find.
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What piece of advice to offer your children? Love God and serve your fellow travelers.
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Also by Dr. Bitkoff, A Commuter’s Guide to Enlightenment, Llewellyn, 2008 and Journey of Light: Trilogy, Authorhouse, 2004. These books are available on Amazon.Com or from publisher.
To contact author go to: www.stewartbitkoff.com or e-mail: goldpath@ptd.net.
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