It is the second new day of this year, 2021, connected with jumping Jenny instead of Hopping John and I wondered what I might do. There were a lot of possibilities and I was on my own. I decided to pray/meditate first. Surely I would know what to do after that. 

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I thought of the sermon at that rollicking service I attended on New Years Eve night. I was masked and social distanced. The singing was professional and the sermon was great. We laughed and were pulled toward ourselves. My take away was was the question “Am I doing “my father’s business” or something else?” He made the point that we want god’s blessing on our work but it often is not God’s work we are doing. He finished off the sermon with my favorite “The Lord is my Shepherd.”  

I consider my counseling practice and also my writing as the business for me taking me in the right direction, what I am supposed to be doing on this earth, provided I am in my right mind, my right attitude. I like to catch up on writing when I have a few days off. And having fun is the counterbalance to all that work. 

So after meditation this morning I knew for sure I was going toward the water, at Rawley springs. A lot of rain had fallen recently and today was in the fifties and the sun was flirting around in the clouds, often visible. I had no doubt that I was going in the right direction, as I headed out toward the mountains of West Virginia. The river hugged the bottom of the mountain and the sun, while visible was not in my place of standing. I had the intention to read a holy book for an hour. I also speculated that I was meant to meet someone there. I usually find someone to chat to.

I knew that getting into the water was an option – but later. I started to read and my feet were turning to ice in my shoes. I leaned against the wooden railing above the river where the bridge used to be that linked a road across the river, where I moved and stretched my legs until I felt a little thawing out.  I read at the same time.

When I had read about four chapters, my ears were assaulted by a growling dog, which gave me a fright. A youngish man accompanied the dog and I growled at him and his dog. However I checked myself and said I am sure he is the person I came to the river to see and his dog also and had he a dream for me?

Three other members of the family, parents and a seventeen year old brother came along and the man with the dog asked them if they could appease me with a dream seeing, as their dog almost ate me up. 

The seventeen year old was sacrificed by all his family members who volunteered that he had a dream that morning about being with a bear and the bear acted like a dog, very friendly and cozied up to him. 

The family members laughed a lot as I pinned them down about what the dream could mean. I kept saying that it was very unusual to have such a bear – one that was as tame and friendly as a dog. I have another client who has a lot of bear dreams. I was told that a bear was a symbol of the negative mother image. They laughed even more when I volunteered that information. 

The boy who had the dream was still living at home and I remarked he was still in the nest and that when he left home the bear might change. He said bears could not be domesticated like dogs, as they did not produce quickly. It was all very cozy, cozy. (Some days later the meaning comes to me but this is a public space so I will keep it to myself.)

I said I was going for a dip in a bit and they asked me what I was reading and I said something that helps me go inward and see how and where the chakras, the seven churches are connected to me. I told them a phrase I had just read; “that the voice was as the sound of running water.” We listened to the river below us for a moment.

They bade me good-bye and walked a little distance.  Two of them took off their clothes (mostly) and the young man reached high with his arms above and jumped in off a rock and went under. His father equally lean looking walked in and dropped down also. It was a great pleasure to see their lean bodies stretch and jump and go under.

Both got out quickly, with much shouting. The mom and the bear son did not get in. There was plenty of whooping and hollering and I laughed so much as they. I had persuaded them to jump in. It was the most fun I had in ages. 

I held back and did not ask them if they wanted a baptism. 

They rung out their wet underpants and were on their way following the mother and younger son who gave his white poncho to his Dad. The younger boy had the face of an angel and I wondered afterwards if his dream bear was a white one. 

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When I finished reading and stretching,  I put on my swimsuit and had a solitary dip. I went under, hair, ears and all. It was fast and furious and followed by brain freeze. I was redressed and back in my heated car as quick as I could go. I felt renewed, baptized and ready for a New Year. Happy New Year to my readers! I prayed for you this morning. Make sure you are praying for me. Love you all. Rose. 

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