The River: Chap 9 - The Source | Story & Reflection

In The Source, the traveler encounters the Source—the living presence behind the River itself. What begins as a mysterious morning encounter unfolds into a revelation about Love, freedom, and why control was never the path to peace. In this quiet, sacred meeting, she begins to understand that the River was never just water—it was a relationship calling her home all along.

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 9.

The Source The first thing I heard upon waking was my name being called.

The light from the dying embers in the campfire revealed only that it was early morning.

At first,

I thought I was dreaming and snuggled further down into my hammock to go back to sleep.

Suddenly I heard it again.

This time I sat up,

Putting both feet on the ground.

I listened,

But apart from the river tinkling nearby,

I heard nothing.

Well,

I'm awake now,

I thought,

Might as well build up the fire for breakfast.

As I stood and stretched,

I heard it again.

My name whispered in a sing-songy way in a voice I couldn't quite place.

Truthfully it didn't seem like a human voice,

It sounded like wind blowing in the pine trees.

I looked around and saw no one.

Shaking it off,

I went to gather wood for the fire.

I've been alone too long,

I thought.

Now I'm hearing things.

Suddenly he was there.

I say he because it was definitely man-shaped,

But then the shape was gone.

I dropped the twigs and small sticks I was carrying.

The mist rolling from the river surrounded me and I realized that the voice calling my name was coming from the mist.

Okay,

This is not cool.

If this is a joke,

It's not funny,

I said,

Looking around ready to fight.

If I played a joke on you,

You would think it was funny,

I promise.

I spun around to see him step from the mist like he was born from it.

Who are you?

I asked,

Not ready to stand down.

I'm the source,

I'm the river,

I'm the space in between,

I'm the one you've been looking for.

Who said I was looking for someone?

He looked at me like I must be joking.

You've been on a long journey,

Looking for something to give your life purpose.

He sat on the boulder that I had put next to the fire for seating.

How do you know that?

He had my attention.

He was telling me things no one else knew,

Truthfully that I didn't know until that moment he said it.

I know all things and I know you.

He put out his hands toward the fire like he was about to warn them and suddenly the fire sprang to life,

Bringing light and warmth to my camp.

I don't think we've met before,

I said,

Moving to sit opposite him next to the fire.

I would remember that.

Oh,

You and I have met many times before and will many times moving forward.

You don't know it yet,

But you and I are already friends.

He smiled and leaned back.

This conversation would be easier with some coffee,

Don't you think?

He added.

I actually don't have any left,

I said.

I ran out yesterday and won't reach Millerton until tomorrow.

Humor me and check again if you don't mind.

I huffed to myself and got up to check what I already knew to be true.

I had searched my gear for more coffee yesterday morning.

Believe me,

I'm not the same without early morning caffeine.

Rolling my eyes toward him as if to say,

See,

I opened my pack.

Yes,

That'll do nicely,

He said.

My eyes snapped back to my pack.

There was a full bag of coffee,

But not just any coffee,

Premium coffee,

The kind I only bought for special occasions.

I picked it up out of my bag and looked underneath it.

What else is in here,

I thought.

I mean,

Everything else looked the same.

I looked back in disbelief at the pack of premium coffee in my hand.

I looked around as if there were a magical coffee box popping out packages of coffee.

How many cups do you think you'll drink,

He asked.

I had honestly forgotten he was even there.

I,

How,

Where,

I stammered.

Two it is,

He chuckled as he hung a full pot of water on the stand,

Spread over the hot coals to boil.

But,

I mean,

How did you do that?

I asked.

He took the package of coffee from my hand and said,

That's like asking the river how it flows.

I suppose,

I mean,

I guess so.

My mind was blown and there was no hope of getting it back today.

He could have told me anything and I'd have believed him.

He smiled at me knowingly as he brewed our coffee.

Do you have two cups in there?

I looked back at my bag.

I don't know,

Do I?

He laughed loudly in a way that made me start to laugh.

The coffee was by far the best coffee I had ever tasted.

He sipped his from the second cup I didn't know I had.

He leaned over toward the fire and rested his elbows on his knees,

His cup between his hands.

You have questions.

I'm not sure I have anything at the moment,

To be honest.

I don't even know what to think right now.

Why did you start this journey?

Well,

What you said was true.

I was looking for something to give me purpose.

I looked down,

Suddenly ashamed.

I haven't always been a good person,

I said.

I've hurt people and they've hurt me.

I was traveling up north and ran into a woman standing on a podium pointing down a road.

She said that the road went to God's house,

But I know I don't belong there.

She told me that God wouldn't care,

That he loved me regardless of what I've done,

But that's only because she doesn't know what I've done.

God does,

And there's no way I'd be welcome there.

Still,

The idea stirred a hunger inside me,

Something I didn't know was there.

I started to want my life to be about more than just using people and getting what I wanted.

I wanted to be about more than that.

I thought I might find something in one of the towns that could give me purpose and meaning.

I feel like I've been close a couple of times,

But each time that feeling of belonging wasn't permanent and the hunger came back.

He looked at me so intensely that I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

You've been looking for a what to give you what only a who can.

I had no idea what he meant and was beyond pretending to.

I sipped my coffee.

You were made for a relationship with me.

You were made to be loved by me.

That's why I shaped you.

That's why I have walked with you during this journey.

That's your purpose.

I'm so sorry.

That sounds like a really great story,

But it can't possibly be that easy.

I know I haven't been a nice person,

And I have to pay for that.

I can't just be loved like that.

Why not?

Well,

Because I started.

I thought for a few seconds before continuing.

Because people would just live any way they want to,

And there would be no consequences.

He looked at me like I was not the sharpest tack in the box.

What have you learned about trying to control the river?

He smiled patiently.

Confused by the change in subject,

I said,

Well,

That never ends well.

I tried to control the raft in wonder,

And I got soaked.

The people of Dry Gulch tried to control the river,

And it got them dry and unhappy.

I didn't listen to the river at the reflecting pool,

Because I thought I already knew how it worked,

And almost drowned.

If trying to control me doesn't work,

Why would I try to control you?

I,

Hm,

That's a really good question.

I've never thought that way before.

I cocked my head slightly as if trying to make room in my brain for a new line of thinking.

That really doesn't make sense,

Does it?

I remembered what the young man in Dry Gulch had said.

Is it possible that interacting with the river teaches us how to live as we should?

He smiled at me.

You've been talking with Lester in Dry Gulch,

I see.

Was that his name?

I didn't catch it when I was there.

Les and I go back several years.

He's quite the revolutionary.

In fact,

I created him to tear down that dam that's been keeping me out of Dry Gulch.

He just needs to grow into himself.

You helped him move down that road when you were there.

Thank you for that.

I just told him my experiences.

I didn't really do anything.

You helped lay the foundation for Dry Gulch to become Pleasant Valley.

Did you know that that's what Dry Gulch used to be called before the dam was built?

I'm going to turn it into Pleasant Valley again.

He seemed very determined,

And I did not doubt him.

I thought for a moment.

Why does the river change us so much?

I asked.

Because the river is me.

The river is love.

It's love in action,

In motion.

When you work with the flow,

You're working with love and not against it.

Love flows into you and out of you.

You become part of me,

And I become part of you.

That tends to change a person.

I raised my eyebrows in recognition.

Yeah,

Yeah,

I imagine that it would.

When you close yourself off from love,

You become dry and bitter.

You weren't made to live that way,

So you're unhappy.

He squinted his eyes at me as if trying to gauge whether I understood.

Does that make sense?

Yes.

Yes,

It does.

I wish someone had told me this at the start of my journey.

I might have understood more of what was happening.

Not felt so much like an outsider.

People hear me when they're ready to hear me.

Until then,

I sound like many waters rushing past.

Now that you know me,

You'll hear my voice in the river.

I realized my coffee cup was empty and reached for the pot.

Do you want another?

I was alone at the campfire.

I stood up and looked around.

He was gone.

In his place was a second metal cup I didn't know I had.

Meeting the source brings the story full circle.

The traveler's search for purpose leads not to a destination,

But to a relationship.

Not to something to do,

But someone to be with.

The conversation reframes everything the river has been teaching.

That love,

Freely given and received,

Is what carries us forward.

It's a quiet kind of awakening.

The realization that the river has never been just water.

It has always been presence.

As you consider this story,

Ask yourself,

Have you ever realized that what you were seeking wasn't a thing to find,

But a connection to deepen?

What does it mean to you that love doesn't try to control,

But to flow?

How might your own dry gulches begin to soften if you stopped resisting and let the river move through them?

When has life surprised you with an unexpected gift,

Like that bag of coffee you were given?

Reminding you that you are cared for,

Even when you didn't expect it.

The source reminds us that the river's wisdom is never far away.

It lives in the stillness,

In the questions,

And in the quiet ways love shows up when we least expect it.

If this chapter stirred something in you,

I'd love to hear your reflections in the comments.

Your insights help others see the river from new angles.

Follow along for the next chapter.

We're not at the end of the journey yet.