A Holy Man

I believe there are people among us who have sat at the feet of the Master and have learned from Him. There is such peace surrounding them that they stand out as special people. We are often so busy in our day to day activities that we sometimes don't recognize these special people. I was blessed several years ago to have seen one of these people with my own eyes. I almost missed the experience, because at the time I was wrapped up with worry about some drama happening in my life. And it is true that we oftentimes only see what we are looking for.

On one of my marathon Greyhound Bus trips I saw a man who I now feel was one of God's prophets and almost dismissed him as just another one of those interesting/strange people one observes on bus rides. It was not until almost 500 miles into the trip that I recognized that he was indeed a special person. In appearance he was pretty ordinary looking. He had a monklike haircut and was dressed all in black. Early on in the trip he had sat in a seat where someone had left some chewing gum in it and had subsequently gotten gum all over the back of his coat. He did not get the least bit upset when he discovered the gum. Instead, he very calmly and methodically picked the gum off his coat with his hands. His patience in dealing with this situation should have been my first clue, but as I said, I was not looking for a person like him. And even if I had been looking, I would not have thought he would be riding a Greyhound bus.

Anyway, the thing that finally got my attention was overhearing a conversation he was having with a fellow passenger. As I was listening to him talk, I was somewhat amused because the fellow he was talking to was a Chicano and I was not sure they were connecting because of the obvious language barrier, as he was speaking English. After a little while the Chicano got up and went to use the bathroom. So I was right, I thought somewhat smugly to myself. I have often used that ploy myself to get out of similar conversations. The fellow was probably tired of pretending to understand what was being said.

But wait-the good part is coming.

After about fifteen minutes the Chicano came back to talk to the prophet and it was obvious at this point that they were connecting in a very real and spiritual way. The essence of what they were saying was that God provides everything that we need when we need it and to worry about money or things is unnecessary. Such a simple concept was stated by two men who obviously did not have a lot but stated their belief in this concept with such profoundness. They talked back and forth for about thirty minutes. When the Chicano was approaching his destination, he stood and told the prophet that he was happy to have met him and would always remember what he said and would always try to follow what he knew to be God's teachings. And with that said, they gave each other a very warm hug in parting. Needless to say, I felt blessed to have witnessed such an encounter and it brightened my spirits and helped to remove my previous worries.