Home — a place where we long to be
Winter of 1968 — I walked across the bridge over the Danube in Linz, Austria, when an older man approached me. He asked me for some change for the bus fare. Immediately, I heard the voice of my Dad in my head, “Don’t give anything to beggars; they just use it for booze.” But I heard another voice in my heart — “Well, I don’t know anything about this man’s situation, so I’ll give him something.”
I opened my wallet and saw I had no small change, only my card for the bus and the equivalent of a $ 20 bill. I could afford to give away the money. But I wouldn’t be able to go to my favorite coffee shop.
In those days, coffee shops in Austria were amazing — upholstered beautiful furniture. — Soft music playing, magazines to read, etc. I looked forward to these visits. Now, I had no money or credit card. (no credit or bank cards these days)
Instead, I would have to go to the waiting room at the bus station. This was a sacrifice. I handed him the $20 and told him to get a nice meal as well.
After we partied ways and went our way in different directions, this man turned back many times, shouting, “God bless you.” I would not want to be cursed with that intensity. As I entered the waiting room for the bus, I looked around.
Indeed, there was no place to sit. I shivered from the cold and the unfriendlyness of the place. I found a small place to crouch on my heels and tried to get comfortable.
Then I thought of that man. I had no regret that I had given him my money. I just hoped that he would enjoy a good meal somewhere. At that moment, I felt a warm embrace, a sense of well-being, deep joy from within, and feeling completely at Home. This was the best experience I’ve ever had in my life. Being in a palace could not give me more pleasure. These feelings lasted until it was time to enter the bus. This experience was carved deep in my heart. After all these years, it feels like it happened yesterday.
Years later, I came across an article by SMM where he describes a very similar experience, and this is how one feels God’s presence. He also emphasized that God was not somewhere out there but inside of us. We ALL are born with an original mind with which we can relate to God as our Father.
Of course, we know the reality of being sinful, hateful, jealous, etc. — attributes that have nothing to do with God. This is a topic for another time. I grew up Catholic but never heard about a personal God, let alone how to experience God. I deeply believed that to meet God, I would have to be a saint or someone extraordinary. But I was far from that. I was, at best, an ordinary person. My family didn’t even go to church. They just struggled to survive. I want to focus on what it means to be “HOME” for this article. Once, I read in one of Rev.Moon’s speeches where he describes the presence of God as feeling completely “At Home.”
How do our homes feel? My house and I am not proud to say that — felt more like a train station where everyone comes and goes at different times. Very little time is spent being together and sharing our lives. Understanding each other, supporting one another, and so on. This is not a Home! I have tried to get everyone together for family meals at least once a week but rarely succeeded.. — Why? Because of our busyness, wrong priorities.
At certain moments in our life — for example, during camping — we sensed, at least I did, that we need so little to be truly happy. One can truly enjoy what is in times like this. We are together, paying attention to one another and the environment.
Once I retired and moved with my husband to the Dominican Republic, I experienced again the profound joy of just being. We lived there for five years and then moved back to the US to be close to our family.
How can we incorporate the good from each culture into our life? It will take some courage and focused effort.
We live now in Miami — one can enjoy a lot of the South American culture — Cuban, Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Brazil, to name a few.
All my in-laws are from a different South American country. Except one is from Ireland.
I hear about the long lunches and the leisurely get-togethers.
No hurry! Just enjoy the company of friends and family.
Nobody is ever late because it’s OK to come and go as you wish!
In conclusion, there is a better way to live than to be under constant pressure and hurry from one place to another.
Once we get older, we can finally realize what counts most in life. Let’s not waste our precious lives and re-prioritize.
Now that the whole world is in such turmoil and changes are happening faster and faster, one can feel anxious and unsettled. But it is also an excellent opportunity to stop and think about what is truly important to us and create our lives around that.
We need to stop and think about how we want to live our lives. It is very simple: the more we love and serve others, the happier we become!
Maria De La Rosa
Retired
Enjoying Life