THREE AT THE RIVER
~
A Story by Joseph Babinsky
Copyright August 2012. All Rights Reserved.
PART TWO – A Friend Helps
Later that same day, in the evening, I asked for help from my friend, Malachi. I asked if we could meet the next day. I wanted to share my dream with him.
“Malachi,” I said, “Now that I have shared with you my dream, I want to say that I am deeply moved by this experience with Joe and Joey. What do you feel about it? Do you believe it was as real for them as it was for me?”
“Joseph, they were also very deeply moved; not only that, Joe and Joey were changed. You did well Joseph. Would you like to hear their side of the story?”
“Would I ever! Tell me what you see.”
“I will do more then tell you their story. I will open the door and you will see and hear what they said. I want you to sit back and relax. Close your eyes, and breathe slowly. Be still and wait.”
Joey Remembers his Dream
I saw Joey waking from his night of sleep. His brother Charles was in the bedroom. He looked toward Joey and said, “Joey, are you alright? You seem to be staring at something. What is it? Are you okay?”
Joey looked at his brother and smiled; he jumped from the bed and hugged Charlie. “I had the best dream ever! It was better than going to the movies. It was so real!”
Charlie laughed and said, “Well, that’s something. Want to tell me about it?’
“It’s kind of hard to do; I don’t remember all of it. I remember I was walking down this beautiful hill to a river. It was smaller than the Niagara and there were hills and mountains…big mountains just like in movies. Two men were there at the river and they seemed to be waiting for me.”
“You mean like in your scary dreams, Joey? Were you afraid?”
“No, I wasn’t a bit afraid. I ran toward them and we played for awhile near the water; we tossed stones and things like that. We even went for a walk in the water without our shoes and socks”
“Who were these men? Did you know either of them, or recognize them?”
“I didn’t know either of them; I mean I don’t think I ever met them before this dream. But I felt that I had seen them before, or knew them. One of them was much older than the other. He had a white beard. He was tall. So was the other man. He was tall too. I think both of them were taller than you, Charlie. They both were real nice and I felt good being there with them.”
“Do you remember anything else about the dream?”
“I know we talked, but I can’t remember all that we talked about. I know I woke up feeling real good. Charlie, you know how I am always afraid of things, especially the dark?”
“Yea, Joey, I know.”
“This sounds crazy, but the older man, the one with the white beard…he said I would feel stronger and that I could walk through my fears. He told me to remember his name.”
“His name, Joey? What did he say his name was?”
“He told me to remember to say Joseph.”
“Joseph! Why, that’s your name, Joey…well, it is your full name; your birth name. We only call you Joey for short.”
“He said that if I ever get scared, or feel that I am in trouble, I am just to say Joseph, and he would be with me.”
“Joey, that’s real nice. I’m sure it will work for you. I liked the dream too…just say the name Joseph. I’ll remember your dream, Joey. Thank you for telling me.”
Malachi Helps Again
“Malachi…that was beautiful. Joey did remember!”
“Yes, Joey did remember. You helped him a great deal. But that is not all; do you want to go on further with this and find out what happens with Joe?”
“Yes, of course I do, Malachi.”
“Then let’s do the same exercise that we did for Joey…. I will open the door and you will see and hear what happened with Joe. I want you to sit back and relax. Close your eyes, and breathe slowly. Be still and wait.”
Joe Remembers his Dream
Joe woke up from a long night’s rest; he lay in bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling yet not really looking at anything in particular. He was rehearsing a dream that he thought he had. He thought, “Was I dreaming, or did this experience really happen?”
Joe got out of bed with a purpose. He was going to record this dream in his journal.
His wife, Ruth, was still sleeping, so he was very cautious to be as quiet as possible. Thankfully, their dog was not whining to go outside; Joe went to his office and sat down at his desk.
He opened the desk drawer and pulled out his dream journal, and wrote the following …
This is strange. I never had a dream this real before. I awoke so peaceful, so happy. What I am feeling has to be a carry-over from the dream.
I remember walking down this long hill toward a river. It was situated in a valley; there were many hills around, and high mountains in the far distance. I don’t think this was in Arizona. It looked more like something in the plains. Wherever it was, it was very beautiful and peaceful.
I saw a man standing down by the river. He looked old and he didn’t seem to notice my presence. He was just standing, looking at the river. When I greeted him, he looked around and had the nicest smile and friendliest eyes. I felt good being with him. There was something very familiar about him, like I had met him before. We talked, I remember that, but I just can’t seem to recall what we talked about.
Then the strangest thing about this dream was that a young kid joined us and the three of us hugged and laughed…it was as if we all knew each other and we were having a reunion of some sort. Yet I knew this was not one of our family reunions. This was different. This is strange…but I feel that I was looking at my self; I mean that I was looking at me when I was nine, and I was looking at me when I was about seventy. This is so strange, how can I dream about me in the future? Is this possible?
I can’t explain this dream. At least not yet, I can’t. I can’t remember all the details; I do remember the feelings I had, more than anything else. It was that real. I feel that Joey was really there; and my older self, he was there too. I remember Joey appeared to know him right away. It was like Joey was there to help me to recognize who the older man was.
I came away from this dream with a deep feeling that everything is going to be alright. I wonder why I have this thought. What does it mean? Does it mean that trouble is coming and that I am not to worry? Everything will be alright, what does that mean? I also had this feeling when I woke up that I am to remember something. I remember the older me – if that’s who he really was – saying that his name was Joseph. That’s my name too, but hardly anyone calls me Joseph. Once in awhile my sister Margie will. Mother does too, but not always. If this man was the future me, maybe he wants me to remember him by saying his name? Is that the message of this dream?
I remember something else. The three of us talked about fear. I think we talked about Joey’s fears, especially his fear of the dark figure in his dreams…we talked about my fears also! I remember now…Joseph told both Joey and me to use his name whenever we felt afraid, felt alone or troubled. Two messages seem to come out of this dream. One, everything will be alright; two, remember the name Joseph. This is very, very weird. I know I will never talk to anyone about this dream. Who would ever believe me!
I cannot deny that I liked this dream. How can I ever forget it? Remember the name Joseph when I am afraid. Maybe I am supposed to say the name? Is that it? Just remember to say “Joseph” when I am in trouble and need help? I don’t think I will tell Ruth about this dream. I’ll just keep this dream tucked away in my journal.
One thing more; if that older man was really me in the future, I have to admit that I looked pretty darn good. The three of us at the river were throwing stones and he could really toss a long way. He wasn’t fat or stooped over. Except for his whitish beard, he certainly didn’t look 70. He still had hair and it wasn’t white like his beard. This is encouraging; I’ll have to remember this.
Malachi and Joseph
“Malachi, I said, “this is great, but I have to admit that I felt Joe was not as enthusiastic about the experience as Joey!”
“What did you expect? Remember how old Joe is in this dream. He is about 33; and he is a bit more critical of life’s experiences than Joey. Joey was willing to reach out for help; Joe wasn’t, especially receiving help from someone so far out as his future self. But he was willing to record the dream, and think about it. I believe you helped Joe too, Joseph, don’t you?”
“I feel that I did. I felt the experience was good for him. I am present to help him whether he calls my name or not. Besides, I feel he has someone else inside him to help him, and that’s Joey. Joe has a long journey in front of him; he will need help from both Joey and me.”
“Don’t forget me, Joseph. As you friend and guide, I’ll be there too.”
“Yes, Malachi…thanks for the reminder. I guess I am pretty new to this too, just like Joe. That must have been quite a shock to his theology, to think about the presence of his future self coming to him in a dream!”
“Is it really so strange or shocking? What about you, Joseph? What about your experience now, learning that you are communicating with your spirit guide?”
(Laughing) “You are absolutely right! I can see that now. Just as I am learning a whole new perspective, so is Joe. We are learning together! Wow, this is great to know. At the same time I am learning about my other aspects, Joe is learning about his other selves, past and future.”
“And do you think I am not learning also?”
“Oh, my,” I said, more than a bit startled, “I hadn’t considered that possibility. Now that you bring it up, you must be learning too! You are moving also…changing. Is that right?”
“This is accurate. Remember, we are One.”
“Malachi, I just remembered something from Joe’s story. I don’t think I need to look around for Joe’s dream journal, do I? I won’t find it. He threw it away with all that other stuff he tossed into the garbage back in 1973. Is this true?”
“This is so. Tell me, how did you arrive where you are today, Joseph?”
“Joe didn’t forget. Of course, he did remember!”
“Yes, Joe did remember, and so did Joey. They both remembered to walk one step at a time. Each remembered that everything would be alright and that they were not alone.”
“And that is the message I need to remember now, isn’t it? I need to keep this message alive in my heart too. I am not alone, I am not separated. I am One.”
“Yes, Joseph, we are One.”
I responded, “We are ONE!”
“Joseph, there is one more thing we need to do. Try to remember what you saw when Joey woke up from his dream. Who was in the bedroom with him? And if you can, see what he was wearing.”
“Yes, of course, I know. It was Joey’s big brother Charles; he was in the bedroom with Joey when Joey woke up. They shared the same bed, even when Charles came home on furlough.
“Oh, my goodness! Malachi, I just received a flash of inspiration!
“Charlie was putting on his uniform! I believe Charlie was leaving home this day…his furlough was over and he was returning to army camp. Charlie was being shipped overseas! This would have been the last day that Joey ever saw Charles.”
Malachi said, “You are doing well, Joseph. You are remembering quite accurately. Now… remember and tell me the words that Charlie spoke to Joey when Joey told him his dream.”
“I believe you are referring to the name Joseph, and also that Joey really is never alone. Charlie said that he would try to remember Joey’s dream. That is it, isn’t it Malachi?
“Oh, my goodness, Malachi! I believe I am seeing the connection! Charlie did remember and he took this dream with him when he went overseas to fight in Europe! He remembered Joey’s dream when he was in battle in France! Charles remembered it when he was injured, and when he was dying.”
And then Malachi said, “This is something that you will understand more completely in the future, Joseph.
“Blessings to you, Joseph; we are ONE.”
Later that same day, in the evening, I asked for help from my friend, Malachi. I asked if we could meet the next day. I wanted to share my dream with him.
“Malachi,” I said, “Now that I have shared with you my dream, I want to say that I am deeply moved by this experience with Joe and Joey. What do you feel about it? Do you believe it was as real for them as it was for me?”
“Joseph, they were also very deeply moved; not only that, Joe and Joey were changed. You did well Joseph. Would you like to hear their side of the story?”
“Would I ever! Tell me what you see.”
“I will do more then tell you their story. I will open the door and you will see and hear what they said. I want you to sit back and relax. Close your eyes, and breathe slowly. Be still and wait.”
Joey Remembers his Dream
I saw Joey waking from his night of sleep. His brother Charles was in the bedroom. He looked toward Joey and said, “Joey, are you alright? You seem to be staring at something. What is it? Are you okay?”
Joey looked at his brother and smiled; he jumped from the bed and hugged Charlie. “I had the best dream ever! It was better than going to the movies. It was so real!”
Charlie laughed and said, “Well, that’s something. Want to tell me about it?’
“It’s kind of hard to do; I don’t remember all of it. I remember I was walking down this beautiful hill to a river. It was smaller than the Niagara and there were hills and mountains…big mountains just like in movies. Two men were there at the river and they seemed to be waiting for me.”
“You mean like in your scary dreams, Joey? Were you afraid?”
“No, I wasn’t a bit afraid. I ran toward them and we played for awhile near the water; we tossed stones and things like that. We even went for a walk in the water without our shoes and socks”
“Who were these men? Did you know either of them, or recognize them?”
“I didn’t know either of them; I mean I don’t think I ever met them before this dream. But I felt that I had seen them before, or knew them. One of them was much older than the other. He had a white beard. He was tall. So was the other man. He was tall too. I think both of them were taller than you, Charlie. They both were real nice and I felt good being there with them.”
“Do you remember anything else about the dream?”
“I know we talked, but I can’t remember all that we talked about. I know I woke up feeling real good. Charlie, you know how I am always afraid of things, especially the dark?”
“Yea, Joey, I know.”
“This sounds crazy, but the older man, the one with the white beard…he said I would feel stronger and that I could walk through my fears. He told me to remember his name.”
“His name, Joey? What did he say his name was?”
“He told me to remember to say Joseph.”
“Joseph! Why, that’s your name, Joey…well, it is your full name; your birth name. We only call you Joey for short.”
“He said that if I ever get scared, or feel that I am in trouble, I am just to say Joseph, and he would be with me.”
“Joey, that’s real nice. I’m sure it will work for you. I liked the dream too…just say the name Joseph. I’ll remember your dream, Joey. Thank you for telling me.”
Malachi Helps Again
“Malachi…that was beautiful. Joey did remember!”
“Yes, Joey did remember. You helped him a great deal. But that is not all; do you want to go on further with this and find out what happens with Joe?”
“Yes, of course I do, Malachi.”
“Then let’s do the same exercise that we did for Joey…. I will open the door and you will see and hear what happened with Joe. I want you to sit back and relax. Close your eyes, and breathe slowly. Be still and wait.”
Joe Remembers his Dream
Joe woke up from a long night’s rest; he lay in bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling yet not really looking at anything in particular. He was rehearsing a dream that he thought he had. He thought, “Was I dreaming, or did this experience really happen?”
Joe got out of bed with a purpose. He was going to record this dream in his journal.
His wife, Ruth, was still sleeping, so he was very cautious to be as quiet as possible. Thankfully, their dog was not whining to go outside; Joe went to his office and sat down at his desk.
He opened the desk drawer and pulled out his dream journal, and wrote the following …
This is strange. I never had a dream this real before. I awoke so peaceful, so happy. What I am feeling has to be a carry-over from the dream.
I remember walking down this long hill toward a river. It was situated in a valley; there were many hills around, and high mountains in the far distance. I don’t think this was in Arizona. It looked more like something in the plains. Wherever it was, it was very beautiful and peaceful.
I saw a man standing down by the river. He looked old and he didn’t seem to notice my presence. He was just standing, looking at the river. When I greeted him, he looked around and had the nicest smile and friendliest eyes. I felt good being with him. There was something very familiar about him, like I had met him before. We talked, I remember that, but I just can’t seem to recall what we talked about.
Then the strangest thing about this dream was that a young kid joined us and the three of us hugged and laughed…it was as if we all knew each other and we were having a reunion of some sort. Yet I knew this was not one of our family reunions. This was different. This is strange…but I feel that I was looking at my self; I mean that I was looking at me when I was nine, and I was looking at me when I was about seventy. This is so strange, how can I dream about me in the future? Is this possible?
I can’t explain this dream. At least not yet, I can’t. I can’t remember all the details; I do remember the feelings I had, more than anything else. It was that real. I feel that Joey was really there; and my older self, he was there too. I remember Joey appeared to know him right away. It was like Joey was there to help me to recognize who the older man was.
I came away from this dream with a deep feeling that everything is going to be alright. I wonder why I have this thought. What does it mean? Does it mean that trouble is coming and that I am not to worry? Everything will be alright, what does that mean? I also had this feeling when I woke up that I am to remember something. I remember the older me – if that’s who he really was – saying that his name was Joseph. That’s my name too, but hardly anyone calls me Joseph. Once in awhile my sister Margie will. Mother does too, but not always. If this man was the future me, maybe he wants me to remember him by saying his name? Is that the message of this dream?
I remember something else. The three of us talked about fear. I think we talked about Joey’s fears, especially his fear of the dark figure in his dreams…we talked about my fears also! I remember now…Joseph told both Joey and me to use his name whenever we felt afraid, felt alone or troubled. Two messages seem to come out of this dream. One, everything will be alright; two, remember the name Joseph. This is very, very weird. I know I will never talk to anyone about this dream. Who would ever believe me!
I cannot deny that I liked this dream. How can I ever forget it? Remember the name Joseph when I am afraid. Maybe I am supposed to say the name? Is that it? Just remember to say “Joseph” when I am in trouble and need help? I don’t think I will tell Ruth about this dream. I’ll just keep this dream tucked away in my journal.
One thing more; if that older man was really me in the future, I have to admit that I looked pretty darn good. The three of us at the river were throwing stones and he could really toss a long way. He wasn’t fat or stooped over. Except for his whitish beard, he certainly didn’t look 70. He still had hair and it wasn’t white like his beard. This is encouraging; I’ll have to remember this.
Malachi and Joseph
“Malachi, I said, “this is great, but I have to admit that I felt Joe was not as enthusiastic about the experience as Joey!”
“What did you expect? Remember how old Joe is in this dream. He is about 33; and he is a bit more critical of life’s experiences than Joey. Joey was willing to reach out for help; Joe wasn’t, especially receiving help from someone so far out as his future self. But he was willing to record the dream, and think about it. I believe you helped Joe too, Joseph, don’t you?”
“I feel that I did. I felt the experience was good for him. I am present to help him whether he calls my name or not. Besides, I feel he has someone else inside him to help him, and that’s Joey. Joe has a long journey in front of him; he will need help from both Joey and me.”
“Don’t forget me, Joseph. As you friend and guide, I’ll be there too.”
“Yes, Malachi…thanks for the reminder. I guess I am pretty new to this too, just like Joe. That must have been quite a shock to his theology, to think about the presence of his future self coming to him in a dream!”
“Is it really so strange or shocking? What about you, Joseph? What about your experience now, learning that you are communicating with your spirit guide?”
(Laughing) “You are absolutely right! I can see that now. Just as I am learning a whole new perspective, so is Joe. We are learning together! Wow, this is great to know. At the same time I am learning about my other aspects, Joe is learning about his other selves, past and future.”
“And do you think I am not learning also?”
“Oh, my,” I said, more than a bit startled, “I hadn’t considered that possibility. Now that you bring it up, you must be learning too! You are moving also…changing. Is that right?”
“This is accurate. Remember, we are One.”
“Malachi, I just remembered something from Joe’s story. I don’t think I need to look around for Joe’s dream journal, do I? I won’t find it. He threw it away with all that other stuff he tossed into the garbage back in 1973. Is this true?”
“This is so. Tell me, how did you arrive where you are today, Joseph?”
“Joe didn’t forget. Of course, he did remember!”
“Yes, Joe did remember, and so did Joey. They both remembered to walk one step at a time. Each remembered that everything would be alright and that they were not alone.”
“And that is the message I need to remember now, isn’t it? I need to keep this message alive in my heart too. I am not alone, I am not separated. I am One.”
“Yes, Joseph, we are One.”
I responded, “We are ONE!”
“Joseph, there is one more thing we need to do. Try to remember what you saw when Joey woke up from his dream. Who was in the bedroom with him? And if you can, see what he was wearing.”
“Yes, of course, I know. It was Joey’s big brother Charles; he was in the bedroom with Joey when Joey woke up. They shared the same bed, even when Charles came home on furlough.
“Oh, my goodness! Malachi, I just received a flash of inspiration!
“Charlie was putting on his uniform! I believe Charlie was leaving home this day…his furlough was over and he was returning to army camp. Charlie was being shipped overseas! This would have been the last day that Joey ever saw Charles.”
Malachi said, “You are doing well, Joseph. You are remembering quite accurately. Now… remember and tell me the words that Charlie spoke to Joey when Joey told him his dream.”
“I believe you are referring to the name Joseph, and also that Joey really is never alone. Charlie said that he would try to remember Joey’s dream. That is it, isn’t it Malachi?
“Oh, my goodness, Malachi! I believe I am seeing the connection! Charlie did remember and he took this dream with him when he went overseas to fight in Europe! He remembered Joey’s dream when he was in battle in France! Charles remembered it when he was injured, and when he was dying.”
And then Malachi said, “This is something that you will understand more completely in the future, Joseph.
“Blessings to you, Joseph; we are ONE.”
The End