Pg 16 My Path, My Journey
Cloverdale, CA. ~ It seemed like a dream, but I was awake—and I knew I was awake. What appeared before my eyes, as if in a vision, was a path and a journey. The path was straight and nar- row, bordered with flowers, and very, very clean. As I walked through the freshness, I inhaled its fragrance. In the
sweetness of all perfection, they were the most beauti- ful flowers I had ever seen— or might ever imagine in the most perfect of dreams. As I walked this perfect path- way, I wanted the experience to last
forever. There were
no stones, stickers, or debris of any kind to make me fal- ter; just an endless variety of
beautiful flowers, ferns, trees and leaves, created to delight the mind, the senses, and the spirit. Through the spirit of my awake vision, I requested the gift to “see beyond.” My wish was not granted. I knew it was pointless to ask a sec- ond time. Instead, I asked if my gift might be transferred to the people of the world, so
From the personal collection of Vivian Menicucci (1927-2008) Published posthumously with permission from the Menicucci family in Clovedale, CA.
they might truly see beyond. I continued walking down the lovely pathway, intending to accept whatever was meant to be. All too soon my jour- ney ended. Suddenly there appeared before me a picture. The picture blocked the path- way and blocked my vision. It made me unhappy. At first I found the picture interesting, but upon closer examination I saw it was just a cardboard reproduction, like one of those old-fashioned, stereotypical primrose gar- den paths found on occasion cards from the ’30s, with a sun, a rainbow, and flowers. It was used, faded, dusty. Through time it had lost not only its beauty, but also its meaning. It was out of date and out
of touch with my
today. I searched for a way to get around the ugliness that enveloped me. Mentally, in my awake dream state, I tried to think my way around the picture, or to erase it some-
how. I wanted to recapture the wonderful feeling of fresh- ness, hope, peace of mind and heart I experienced on my perfect pathway. I began to lose hope. I was deeply frustrated.
However hard I tried, I could not make the transition back to the beautiful, perfect pathway. There was no place left to go. It was the end of my jour- ney on that path and I knew it. Now it was time to take another path, to find another way. I was confused and tired. I tried to make sense of the awake dream. Somehow, I knew the pathway I had just experienced was a symbol of my journey through this life. Reason within the limited human condition told me I might never fully understand everything presented in that one brief moment.
Still,
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www.santarosa.edu/BOG 16 • December 2011 • UPBEAT TIMES Real elation is when you feel you could touch a star without standing on tiptoe. ~Doug Larson I
knew I must continue to try. Bits and pieces of the puz- zle come slowly, but they do
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