A Bark Boat on the Rio Grande

I write on November 20, Justin’s 95th birthday. A friend and I decided to go to the Bosque by the Rio Grande to celebrate this day, this teacher, this life. Feeling somewhat awkward about the unplanned ceremony about to unfold, I brought along a candle, some dried rose petals from my garden and a sage smudge stick.

It was a magnificent afternoon. As we walked along the path, the trees whispered majestically to us. The sun played hide-and-seek through the cottonwoods, kissing us softly on our cheeks and the sky shone a brilliant blue. I bent over and picked up a stone to add to my collection. We travelled on for a while, looking for a place of eminence, then realized we needed to go back to find a bathroom. I was impatient and disappointed with the thought of turning back. My friend wisely noted however, “You can’t rush these things. This is perfect. There are always obstacles to overcome. It’s all part of the process.”

“Obstacle” completed, we returned to our journey and discovered a different, more beautiful trail. Silently we hiked along, continuing to scan for a good place in which to settle. Finally, we discovered a niche along the river’s edge. I smudged the area and lit the candle. A feeling of reverence descended. We scattered rose petals in the gently flowing water. They circled around according to the swirling pattern of the undertow, then unfurled and proceeded to float away in a single-file line.

Spontaneously, my friend began to create a boat out of large piece of bark. I soon followed suit. On the bark I placed a few bright pink petals as a bed, then the stone, which I secured onto the bark platform with pieces of tall grass. At last, it seemed prepared for its ride down the river.

Before I launched the boat I sat quietly. A few phrases came into my mind, repeating themselves over and over, “Thank you. I love you. I’ll do my best to live and express these teachings.” As I sat there a little longer, the phrases dropped off one by one, leaving in their wake only, “Thank you.”

“It’s been really fun, Justin.” “It’s been fun for me, too,” he answered.

Readying the boat in the water for its passage, a few more phrases showed up, “May I be free, May you be free, May all sentient Beings be free.” Well, okay! Giving the boat a gentle push, off it went. The moving stream swept the little vessel up into its current. Steady, it passed through a tricky spot, but then, Oh! A protruding tree caught the boat in its branches. The force of the river wanted to ferry the boat along, yet the boat didn’t budge. The whirling movement of the water flipped the boat over and a single rose petal broke free, bobbing cheerfully along the river’s downward flowing current. Still held upside down, the stone then dropped away from its tether. Suddenly lighter, the boat righted itself, and it too made its way effortlessly downstream. What a glorious way to say, “Yes!”