A Tale of Three

I know three different people who are on my mind almost constantly of late. The first one I have never met in meat-space, the second I haven’t seen since last fall, and the third I speak to quite regularly in meat-space. All three are going through tough times and although I know that there is nothing that I can do for my three friends, I want to be there for them, to lend them a hand, to let them know that they are not alone, to stand nearby just in case they need a kind word or a humorous, yet inappropriate, joke or a stalwart shadow that they can rely upon.

The friend I met in cyberspace is going through a horrifically troubling time. He and his family are being put through the gauntlet. This pious man and his family walk the path of righteousness like few others that I know. They are not judgmental, they are kind, and they even recycle. And yet I cannot help but wonder (as my mind often does in these kinds of situations) why exactly they are put upon the path of Job?

I have told my friend that I would break a long-standing issue I had with the God of Abraham, the God of the Israelites, the God of Moses and his wandering tribes and pray for his family. I’ve done my research and found the appropriate prayer I would invoke for his family.

Lord God,
Remember Christ your Son who is peace itself
and who has washed away our hatred with His blood.
Because you love all men and women,
look with mercy on all who are engaged in battle.
Banish the violence and evil within all combatants
so that one day, we may all deserve to be
called your sons and your daughters.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

My second friend is a leader, thinker and role-model. He would be embarrassed to admit the third, but he is. He is humble when appropriate and vigilant when necessary. He has evolved and reinvented himself more times that I would care to admit (or probably even know about), yet his insight is a constant.

His path is a difficult one as well. His loss was also not of his own choosing, but still he is handling it with as much grace and dignity as can be expected. He has been known as both demon and angel to those around him. For me, he is the ghost who walks within worlds.

My friend has a secure hold on his heart and when betrayed, challenges himself to follow the path of enlightenment rather than that of revenge. He is action when inaction is the norm and calm when the seas are tumultuous. I respect him dearly and he is my brother.

I’m again not sure of how he earned the place on his particular path, but that is a philosophical discussion that I may entreat upon him some other time. In my opinion, he deserves more. He might disagree with me quoting something from an ancient Buddhist text that I may or may not be acquainted.

For him I pray as well.

We are a link in Amidas golden chain of love that stretches around the world.
We will keep our link bright and strong.
We will be kind and gentle to every living thing.
We will protect all who are weaker than ourselves.
We will think pure and beautiful thoughts.
We will say pure and beautiful words.
We will do pure and beautiful deeds.
May every link in Amidas chain of love be bright and strong, and may we all attain perfect peace.
Namo Amida Buddha.

The last friend I will speak about in this post has, like my other two friends, had a bombshell dropped upon her life that has moved her into the shadowy recesses of an emotional roller coaster that has been put into high gear without brakes. It is a severe blow that was undercut nearly two decades of trust that was built. Unfortunately, hers is no the only life that has been thrown into disarray. There are children to be thought of as well.

I’m not quite sure what moves me more about her situation. It could be the fact that there is a small portion of her story that plucks upon the heartstrings of deeply recessed memories of my own with my own father and step-father and how the two of them treated my mother. It could also be the fact that now that I am grown with a family of my own, I couldn’t see me undercutting my relationship in such a way in which my friend has been treated.

It could also be the fact that I have played many, many roles in my life and have been on many different sides of the arguments presented by her. I have been the adulterer in my past and I have been the victim. I will atone for my own sins when it comes to my own reckoning, but I am quite sure that my friend did not deserve the well-placed blow to her psyche.

For her I will also pray.

Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun shall shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.

These are but three special people in my life and they are going through troubled times. I cannot help but to think how they were there for me when I needed them and although they remain nameless for their own privacy, they know who they are.

Peace be with all of you friends. Know that you’re not alone.