The River: Chap 8 - The Reflecting Pool | Story & Reflection

In The Reflecting Pool, the traveler learns that calm surfaces can conceal powerful depths. After nearly drowning in what appeared to be still waters, she begins to see that people, like the river, reflect the parts they’ve internalized. Those who have received Love mirror it back—clear, steady, and life-giving.

Guided by those who have learned to “listen to the river,” she comes to understand that the flow within each of us reveals how deeply we’ve allowed Love to move through us. This story invites reflection on how we embody what we’ve received and how inner transformation becomes visible in the way we live and love.

Background music by Liborio Conti.

Transcript

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 8.

The Reflecting Pool.

I felt like I was drowning.

Well,

That was stupid,

I thought as I fought for the surface.

It was the first time I'd rented a canoe,

And now would be the last time because I was drowning.

Suddenly an arm shot down from above the surface,

And a powerful hand grabbed my arm around the wrist,

Pulling me upward.

I shot out of the water like I was riding a rocket.

No air has ever been as sweet as that first breath.

As I sat shivering on the rowboat seat,

The owner of that powerful hand gruffly shoved something into my chest.

Here's a blanket.

Wrap it around you.

He didn't need to tell me twice.

Here,

Drink this.

I took the thermos lid into my shaking hands and inhaled the scent of peppermint tea before sipping the hot liquid.

It began to warm me from the inside out.

I looked at my savior,

Watching as he rowed the boat back to shore.

I'll send Barry for his canoe.

Good thing those paddles are looped on or you'd have lost him for sure.

His voice sounded like rough sandpaper deep in his chest.

I got the feeling that he didn't like words much.

Back in town,

The man deposited me at my hotel,

Entrusting me to the owner,

A woman named Bess.

I felt like they must be related because she was as stoic as he was.

She helped me to my room and told me she'd be back for my wet clothes.

I had just finished a hot shower when she knocked on the door.

I handed her my soaked clothes and she looked at me as if deciding whether I was okay before nodding sharply and going back downstairs.

Apparently,

I passed inspection.

I felt embarrassed as I put on dry clothes.

I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong,

Why I'd flipped the canoe.

I went down to the dining room to get lunch and ran into Barry,

Owner of the canoe I'd rented.

Hey,

He said jovially.

Stan told me you flipped the canoe and got yourself soaked.

I wanted to come by and make sure you were okay before I went out to get the canoe.

I'm fine,

I said,

Embarrassed.

To be honest,

I don't know what happened.

I was fine.

And then I wasn't.

Didn't respect the rivers what happened,

Bess said as she sat my plate down in front of me and turned away.

Let me guess,

Is this your first time canoeing by yourself?

Barry asked.

Yes,

I admitted.

Ah,

Okay.

Tell you what,

I'll come back after I catch that canoe and we'll talk about it.

With that,

He walked out the front door.

Great,

I thought.

I must have beginner tattooed on my forehead or something.

Lunch was delicious,

As usual for Bess.

I mean,

It wasn't fancy,

But good home-cooked food.

Bess wasn't one for putting on airs.

I was out for a walk when I ran into Barry again.

Were you able to find the canoe?

Yeah,

It wasn't far from where Stan told me it was.

Oh,

Good.

I'd hate to have to pay for a canoe.

I laughed and he joined in,

Slapping me on the back.

No one wants that.

I just don't understand what I did wrong.

Out of curiosity,

Are you planning to ride the river more often or was it just a spontaneous thing?

I'd like to ride the river.

I have a long journey ahead and it would help me get there faster.

Ah,

Okay,

Okay.

Well,

Bess was kind of right.

You didn't respect the river,

So you got tossed.

What do you mean,

Respect the river?

I thought I was.

What attracted you to try a canoe here and not somewhere else?

Well,

The river runs so slowly here.

The surface is so smooth that I thought I could focus on the mechanics of the canoe.

He nodded as if he'd heard this before.

Yeah,

That's what I thought.

The surface can be deceptive.

When riding the river,

You have to listen to the river,

Not evaluate it with your mind.

We'd stopped at a cafe and were waiting for our coffee to be made.

Beneath the surface is a very strong,

Very fast current.

That's why I'm glad Stan was there.

We've lost some people because of the current.

You probably felt the current when you were underwater.

I thought back.

Now that you mention it,

I did.

I felt like I was fighting to get to the surface and something had a hold on my legs,

Pulling me down.

Yup,

That's the current.

Our coffees were ready,

So we took them and continued walking on the street.

River here is a lot like the people here,

Still on the surface and strong underneath.

It doesn't put on a show.

Its power is hidden in its depth.

I thought back to Stan and Bess and realized that he was right.

We call this space of the river the reflecting pool.

The surface can sometimes be as still as glass,

But that doesn't mean the water's not moving.

Deep under the surface is a strength that can't be stopped and won't be denied.

The river doesn't have to show off to be the river.

It just has to flow.

Not to change the subject,

But I just noticed something.

Shoot!

It seems to me that the people I've met are kind of like the river.

I mean,

Those who experience the river slow and gentle tend to be slow and gentle.

He began to nod.

Those who refuse to experience the river are dry,

And those like Stan and Bess who experience the river as still and deeply powerful are still on the surface and powerful underneath.

Have you noticed that,

Or is it just my imagination?

Nope,

Nope,

I think you're onto something there.

I don't know if you know this,

But I wasn't actually born here.

I was born in wonder.

So when I came here,

I made the same mistake you did.

I thought that the surface was still because the current was slow and gentle.

When I met the people,

I thought they were rude and abrupt until I got to know them.

You've heard that still waters run deep,

And that's exactly how this town is.

Several years ago,

Someone new moved into town,

And within just a few days,

Their house burnt down.

The entire town showed up in the middle of the night to put out the fire.

Bess took the whole family to her hotel and put them up for free,

Feeding and sheltering them.

Stan gave them new clothes from his store.

The next Saturday,

The whole town showed up,

Cleared the rubble,

And built them a new house.

When they tried to pay,

They were told their money was no good.

When they tried to say thank you,

The people told them that it just needed to be done.

These people don't tell you they love you.

It shows in everything they do.

I think they get that from the river.

It's like the river has taught them how to love each other,

And this is what it taught them.

That's why you have to learn to listen to the river.

It's always telling you to love,

But how to love,

That's going to be different depending on where you are.

For a moment,

He sounded like Silas,

Saying that the river flowed with the heartbeat of the source.

It was like he knew about my experience with the inner tubers and my revelation about the river as love.

I see that you've had similar thoughts,

He said,

Sipping his coffee.

I have.

I just didn't expect others had,

Too.

I mean,

That seems silly now that I would see a truth but no one else would,

But it's true.

It seems so obvious now that I can't believe I didn't see it sooner.

Well,

The thing about truth is that it's truth no matter who says it,

He said.

I nodded in agreement.

I began to feel excitement.

I'd started on this journey expecting that my destination was what I needed,

But the journey had proven so enlightening that I'd wondered whether the journey was what I needed rather than the destination.

And if that was the case,

I couldn't wait to reach the next stop in my journey.

Maybe that's what the river had been trying to show all along,

That stillness isn't the same as emptiness.

It's strength held in quiet form.

What looks calm on the surface can carry a current so powerful it reshapes everything it touches.

And maybe that's what love looks like,

Too,

Deep,

Unseen,

But always moving beneath it all.

As you sit with this story,

Take a breath and reflect.

Where in your life do you mistake stillness for stagnation?

What quiet strength might be flowing beneath your own surface right now?

How has love shown itself in unspoken,

Unseen ways through action instead of words?

And when you imagine listening to the current beneath your life's surface,

What does it whisper back to you?

If this chapter resonated with you,

I'd love to hear what part of the story reflected your own hidden current.

You can share your thoughts in the comments,

And each reflection adds another drop to the current of understanding that connects us all.

If you'd like to help keep the river flowing,

You can tap follow.

Every gesture of support helps these stories reach more hearts,

And I'm deeply grateful for that.

Until next time,

May you honor the stillness that holds your strength,

And may the river remind you that even when all seems quiet,

Love is still flowing beneath it all.