We were sitting in a coffee shop discussing how quickly life goes by. My young friend was talking about all she hoped to accomplish in her journey here on Earth. She didn't really want anything but for someone to hear her. She was saying she wasn't comfortable in her own skin. She wanted to move up in the company where she was employed, increase her income, get back a smaller size in her clothes, and then she stopped talking as another woman about her age walked past us to order her coffee.
My friend leaned closer to my direction and whispered, "I heard Cathy is behaving in inappropriate ways in public recently. She has had outbursts of anger and said some pretty strange words to total strangers in a parking lot! I heard her husband is horrified. Can you believe that?!"
I took a deep breath and smiled. The woman whom she was referring to exited the coffee shop with her latte. My friend gave me a look of suspicion. "What are you smiling about?"
I sat my cup down and pulled my chair closer. "We don't know what all is going on in her heart. Maybe she's fighting hormone imbalance, or her marriage isn't perfect, or her Mom's health is failing, or she's having financial woes... We don't know. We can't judge her. Or anyone as far as that goes.
My friend sat up straight and with wide open eyes looked at me and answered, "Why are you defending her?"
I smiled again with my reply. "Who are we to cast stones? What if instead we just quietly in our own prayer closets bring her name to God and Jesus and Mother Mary and her angels and her family that has crossed over and request that she may know peace and answers in her time of turmoil or heartache?"
"But you aren't Catholic! Why bring Mother Mary into this?" My surprised young friend said.
"Well, neither is Mother Mary! And she hangs out with Jesus on a regular basis! Its not about being Catholic, or Baptist, or Jewish or whatever your religion is! It's about praying for someone instead of talking about them or judging them.
I gently placed one of my age spotted, wrinkled hands upon her young hand while leaning in even closer and whispered, "Because I am one who formerly had stones aimed at me and I formerly threw them myself at others."
"Our duty is to pray for one another and use our stones to build a rock garden. No one knows another's heart or story like God does. We Are beautiful souls here living in these temporary bodies experiencing Life. As one of my patients' family members told me, "Becki, this is Earth School. Pay attention to the lessons before you and learn. And bathe every soul in your path with as much Love and Light as you can. Because one day in your Life Review you will know the effects of it all in everyone you smiled at, helped to cross the street, held open the door for, bought their supper, forgave their anger towards you, held their hand as that last breath was exhaled....and the same too if we wounded anyone with a frown, a discouraging look, an ignorance, ....."
I think I remember reading, "He who is without sin may cast the first stone." I'm thinking we can build many very nice rock gardens!
My friend patted my hand and quietly said, "Ok! Now I need to rethink my day! And you are crazy and I love you!!"
