Welcome to The River,
A parable of the Holy Spirit.
My name is Judy and I am the author of this story.
I'm honored to walk alongside you here.
In this journey,
We'll meet Spirit,
The living creative pulse of the Divine that moves through all things.
Spirit is the source of all that is.
It flows within every cell of your body,
Weaves through every molecule in the world,
Lives inside every experience and hums within every person.
It's always present,
Always inviting,
Always guiding.
Before we enter the story,
Let's take a moment to center ourselves and listen.
Find a posture that feels natural and safe.
Close your eyes if that feels right.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in.
And let it drift out gently.
Let your shoulders soften.
Your jaw release.
Let your mind calm like still water.
Imagine yourself sitting on the soft edge of a riverbank.
Hear the water as it moves,
Subtle yet unstoppable.
Feel Spirit flowing around you,
Through you,
And within you,
Carrying a quiet readiness,
A soft openness.
You don't need to force anything.
Simply allow yourself to be here,
To receive,
To be present.
Let your heart and mind relax into the rhythm of this gentle current.
The river is ready.
Spirit is here.
And you are ready to meet them.
Let's begin.
Chapter 10.
The Waterspout.
Why,
Hello,
Stranger!
A familiar voice shouted from across the courtyard.
I turned to see Silas coming toward me with a broad smile on his face.
Seeing him was an unexpected surprise and it took my mind a few seconds to register.
Silas,
Man,
How you doing?
I said,
Reaching out to shake his hand.
What's new?
Oh,
You know,
Riding the river,
Delivering goodies,
Meeting people.
We laughed.
What's new with you?
I thought about all of the experiences I'd had and the realizations I'd come to.
Even though it would be nice to share them with someone who'd understand,
Suddenly I wanted to keep them to myself.
Oh,
You know,
Not much.
Traveling the river,
Like you,
Only slower.
Hey,
Have you eaten yet?
Nope,
Only had a cup of coffee at camp this morning.
Came into town to get supplies like breakfast.
Oh,
Well,
We can't have that,
He said.
There's a great little hole-in-the-wall place here.
Best waitress anywhere.
You'll like it.
Sounds wonderful.
Do they have bacon?
It's been forever since I had bacon and,
Well,
Bacon.
Am I right?
We both laughed as we walked to Silas' favorite place.
After we ordered,
We sat for a moment,
Sipping coffee.
It took only a moment for the caffeine to hit our systems.
So,
Where you coming from and where you going?
I asked.
I just came from deliverance.
There was a young woman there who needed passage to the reflecting pool to stay with her Aunt Bess.
Now I'm headed to Millerton to pick up some grain.
I'm just,
I'm just not sure how I'm going to do it.
What?
The great Silas doesn't know how to ride a section of the river?
What is the world coming to?
I teased him and laughed.
No,
It's not that.
I have to get my canoe to Millerton to pick up the grain.
But I also have to deliver something to an older man who lives further inland between here and Millerton.
It's better for me to walk than ride.
But if I walk,
I'll have to come back from my canoe and I'll miss my deadline for picking up the grain.
I nodded in understanding.
Do you see my problem?
I do.
I thought for a moment.
I may have a solution.
Oh,
Please tell me.
What if I took the canoe to Millerton and met you there?
I'd understand if you don't feel comfortable.
I'm not as good at riding the river as you are,
But I have been practicing.
As long as there's nothing crazy between here and there,
I should be okay.
He looked at me as if I had said what he'd hoped I would say.
That would be such a big help,
He said.
There's a short run of rapids between here and Millerton,
But it's not too bad.
It's short,
The water doesn't run super fast,
And the rocks aren't close together.
It's a good stretch for a beginner.
The only challenge is there's a small waterfall at the end.
It's several feet high,
But the water past it is pretty deep,
So as long as you go over near the middle of the river,
The worst that'll happen is you'll get dunked.
He sat back in his seat as though the matter were settled.
Well,
Looks like you're going to get broken in.
His smile was wide and contagious.
The waitress brought us our food and we dug in.
It was as amazing as Silas had said it would be,
But it also could have been because I was especially hungry.
We enjoyed the meal,
Talking and eating for almost two hours until Silas finally said that it was time to go or he would never reach the man's house by nightfall.
We paid for our meals and he showed me where his canoe was tied.
Thankfully,
There was nothing in it,
So if I flipped it,
I wouldn't lose anything other than my pride.
Now please take care of my baby was the last thing he said as he put a small box into a backpack full of supplies and started off inland.
I watched him until he was gone before turning to the canoe.
What have I gotten myself into?
I said as I climbed in and pushed off.
I felt the rapids before I heard them,
And I heard them before I saw them.
The first thing I noticed was that the water began to speed up.
Then I heard the water get louder.
Then I saw the rocks and the foam.
To be honest,
My first thought was,
And oh my gosh,
Oh my gosh,
Oh my gosh,
Oh my gosh.
For a split second,
The thought ran through my mind that I might be able to turn the canoe around.
Then I heard him laughing.
It sounds strange to say it now,
But the sound of the river changed from roaring to laughing.
Not a forced laugh like when someone tells a bad joke,
But laughing like when someone is full of joy and just can't keep it in.
It was the laugh that all laughs hope to grow up to be.
It was like a baby's laugh,
And it was infectious.
As I listened to that laugh,
That deep,
Throaty,
Belly laugh,
I started to laugh too.
At first it was just a snicker.
Then it erupted,
And before I knew it I was sitting in the canoe laughing so hard my sides hurt,
My cheeks hurt,
And tears were coming down my face.
I actually started to cry because I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed with such joy,
And I couldn't remember why that was.
I wouldn't say my heart broke as much as it got bigger,
And broke the chains that had been binding it.
The canoe began to move through the rapids,
And I saw the rocks before I saw them,
If that makes any sense.
It was like I was one with the river,
And the river knew where every rock was.
I paddled around each one,
Moving the canoe back and forth,
Laughing with the water,
Laughing at my fear,
Laughing at the rocks because they couldn't hurt me,
And laughing from the sheer joy of being free.
Suddenly I was airborne.
I flew over the waterfall and landed in calmer waters.
My face was wet with tears,
Both mine and his mixed together.
I sat in the canoe,
Breathing fast,
Caught in the afterglow of joy and freedom.
I remembered how Silas had talked about Lover's Run,
How he had said it was hard to describe.
I began to row the canoe toward Millerton,
When I remembered how he had also said that there were parts of the river that had to be experienced to be understood.
Well,
I had experienced,
And was beginning to understand.
The water spout carries you high,
Laughing and free,
Only to spit you out into the river below.
The water hurls you back,
Shaking you,
Laughing with you,
Reminding you that release is sometimes sudden,
Sometimes messy,
But always transformative.
As you sit with this story,
Take a deep breath and ask yourself,
What moments in your life have thrown you off balance,
Only to leave you lighter than before?
How does surrender feel when it's both exhilarating and terrifying?
Can you identify a time when joy surprised you,
Catching you off guard like a river spout?
In what ways might you allow yourself to be spit out by life without clinging to fear or control?
The water spout shows us that even in the chaos of being hurled forward,
There's laughter,
Freedom,
And growth.
Sometimes the river's lessons are messy,
But they always leave you more alive.
If this chapter resonated,
Share your experience in the comments.
Your insights could remind someone else that surrender and joy are intertwined.
Support the river by following me,
And sharing if this story helps you feel a little more carried by the current of life.
