Opportunity comes to those who don't waste time.

But that's not the same thing as being busy.

You know when you're wasting time.

Just stop doing that

And opportunity will come to you.

It turns out that relative morality

Is actually founded in a moral absolute.

Some things are easy. Rape is always wrong.

But it is the grey areas that make us wonder

If there is no firm moral law.

But when we look closer,

We discover that circumstance decides.

There is still a right and a wrong answer.

We just may not be wise enough to see it.

And there are even times

When the right answer

Is that any choice will do.

But in those circumstances,

Choosing to not worry about it

Is still the right thing to do.

And those who keep that law

Are blessed with sanity.

Those who violate it

Fraught with mental instability.

And it all depends upon the circumstance,

Upon the person, the place, the situation.

So, when our world presents us

With a thousand shades of grey,

Where do we turn for the right answer?

To God, and to that Spirit which is Holy

Which will tell us all things that we should do.

Lessons from Raymond, the homeless man

Who helped prepare me for the road.

To view previous lessons, find my playlist entitled: Raymond Lessons.

Lesson 8 - Keep Asking

“Make a trade,” Raymond said.

“Ok,” I said. And off we went.

We tried a dealership

But they were closed.

And then we tried a guy

Who just sold cars but he said no.

“Do you know of anyone who might be interested?” Raymond asked.

“Yeah, so and so.”

“Ok,” we said.

And we tried them, and they said maybe.

“Ok,” we said.

“Do you know of anyone else who might be interested?” Raymond asked.

“Sure,” they said. And just like that, we kept on going.”

And Raymond drank Vodka. “I want to be authentic,” he said.

He was. And more and more merry.

Till finally, we were done.

We both knew it.

We had enough leads.

And one of them turned out.

Melancholy and reflection are the poet’s friends.

They leave and come again.

They are the fertile soil

That works its way

Between the toes of his imagination

And prod and shift the kindling fires

Of his unknown, unseen, deeply buried passion.

And, in time, with much wrestling,

They bring forth the most delicate of flowers,

Perfect curves and colors

For the reader’s pastime hours.

But little does the reader know what strivings,

And what great waves heave within the soul.

At times, the poet wonders if he’s been swallowed,

Buried whole. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

For so are flowers made

That sprout and bloom

Then fade away.

They seek for their lost culture in the language,

In the fishing, the ricing, and the dance.

But they will not find it there.

It was always found

In the need

That they had for one other.

That was what gave meaning to it all.

Lose the need and you lose the culture.

The gifts of God are multitudinous,

But the witness of God is the same

To the heart and soul of man.

And he who has experienced it

Knows it.

Lessons from Raymond, the homeless man

Who helped prepare me for the road.

To view previous lessons, find my playlist entitled: Raymond Lessons.

Lesson 7: Tell them

If you are to receive the things you need,

You will need to let people know

What you are about

So be authentic.

It is how every needful thing will come.

Lessons from Raymond, the homeless man

Who helped prepare me for the road.

To view previous lessons, find my playlist entitled: Raymond Lessons.

Lesson 6: Only Ask for What You Need

“Only ask for what you need.

Calculate how much gas you’ll need

To get to the next town of any size.

And then ask for that amount.

If they give you more,

Give it away.

“This is how it comes to me,” he said.

And as if to punctuate this point,

A little later, he came out of the grocery store.

“Someone just gave me $35,” he said.

“Come in and I will buy you lunch.”

“Did you ask?” I said.

“No,” he said.

“Something like this happens every day,” he said.

And when we had eaten,

He gave me seven dollars

And spent the rest on

Cigarettes and alcohol

So that the $35 was spent.

And I don’t need cigarettes or alcohol,

But there are those who can use what I don’t need.

And I thought this sounds familiar - a life of daily faith.

Constantly letting go of all I do not need,

Trusting that more will come.