Believe It (or not)

It’s time for the 24th day of Just Jot it January. Thanks to our host Linda Hill for keeping us going and to Jill for today’s thought provoking prompt: “unbelievable.”

With the title of my blog being “Anything is Possible,” there aren’t many things that I find unbelievable. Unlikely maybe. Unimaginable, perhaps…. It is possible to believe in the possibility of most things. So how do we choose? Logic helps. We can look at our own experience which grows with the years. Sometimes it helps to ask people we trust what they believe. Sometimes we just feel it in our bones.

One thing I find difficult to believe is the possibility that there is no divine higher power. Call it what you will, experience leads me to believe in some kind of intelligent, benevolent power beyond this material world. I feel it in my bones. The easiest thing for me to call this power, is God, but that’s mostly out of habit and upbringing. When I see the word, “Father,” I tend to change it to Creator, Mother, or Great Spirit. Sometimes I change God to Goddess. “The Universe” works, because it’s all encompassing.

Like the blind men and the elephant, we may each perceive this divine higher power in different ways. We all have the right to believe what we want to believe. Or not. As long as we don’t hurt anyone. Karma steps in, sooner or later. We reap what we sow, though it might take a while. Perhaps Karma and angels are helpers or appendages of the Great One with many faces.

What do you believe?

Have your beliefs changed over the years?

For more Just Jot it January posts, rules, and a link to Jill’s blog, visit our host, Linda Hill by clicking HERE.

Instant Karma

After work, I drove to pick up our Monday night pizza for $7.99 and some dog food. The traffic was predictably heavy as I approached an intersection and saw a tall, black man with a beard and a knit hat, holding a cardboard sign that said, HOMELESS VETERAN. Something about him looked safe. I don’t know what. Maybe it’s because my dad is a veteran. Maybe it was because he looked to be about my age, like he could have gone to high school with me.

I realized I had an extra Nature Valley protein bar in my purse. He’d have to cross one lane of stopped traffic, waiting at the light with me, to get it. But I got the protein bar out of my purse and “rolled” down my window. When he saw me, I held the bar out to him.

“Do you want a protein bar?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll take anything!” he said. “Thank you!”

As the light changed and I drove on, I realized that I should have asked him if he knew about the  Rescue Mission, downtown. It would be a cold night. I should have at least mentioned it.

I got the dog food, and picked up a Vitamin Water, as I developed a plan to go back the same way. If he was still there, I would give him the water and tell him about the Mission.

When I got to the check out, the cashier kept looking at the pizza box. Then he told me they’d forgotten to put a price sticker on my pizza.

“It’s Monday, so it’s $7.99, I  said.”

“Well, today it’s zero.”

“What, you mean its free?”

“Yeah. We want you to come back.” He said.

“Wow. Thanks!”

I looked carefully for the homeless veteran as I turned at the intersection where I’d seen him last. He wasn’t there. I looked for him most of the way home. What if he was walking the same way I was going? Should I offer him a ride to the Mission? Would that be crazy?

As it turned out, I didn’t see him.

I hope he has a warm place to stay.

I keep thinking about him.

My slice of pizza seems like a feast.

It’s not awful that our gas furnace is on the fritz and we have to use space heaters.

We will be plenty warm in our little old house.