Work on the Hospice Healing Garden continues and we are glad to be close to participate with the building of "Eric's cabin" and the planting. This week trees are being planted and walking paths are being roughed in.
It is odd being back here where we spent so many years... 31 years, raising our family, working careers, mowing lawns, shoveling snow. So many memories.
Speaking of "odd", I rode my bicycle down on Main Street this morning and spent an hour talking to John Lewis, a local, longstanding oddity. For the last decade or more, I had watched him walking the streets of Waterville with a homemade cross in one hand, wearing a red mackinaw wool cap, summer and winter. Snowmobile suit in winter, shorts and tee shirt in summer, he wears a small backpack, chartreuse earphones and wrap around sunglasses and blesses cars and pedestrians as they pass by. Anyone from Waterville would recognize the "Jesus Man" and, though I had not thought of him for 3 years, I was not surprised to see him walking down Elm Street in front of the library.
One of the blessings of being "unplugged" is the gift of time. Perhaps, in the past, I was too busy or too self important to take time to speak with this unique individual, but today was different. Or maybe I am different... not necessarily better... just different.
John is almost 70 years old. A native son, he attended Waterville High School through the 10th grade and worked for 30 years at the Wyandotte Woolen Mill in the carding department. Hot, brutal, menial factory work. Difficult work according to John. Difficult people, he emphasized. He spoke of his loving mother who "went with Jesus" years ago. The churches turned him out, were not interested in his evangelizing and prophesying of the impending Armageddon. "Churches only want your money. Yahweh will not be pleased with them on the Judgment Day." he lisped passionately.
"They" tell him who is good and who is from "the dark side". People, houses, vehicles, he claims he can sense whether they are of God or the devil. "You will know them by their works" he quoted. "Obama is the anti-Christ" he rasped. Nancy Pelosi also made the list of the damned, spawn of Satan.
At some point, he was institutionalized; "Locked me up for crazy until I learned to keep my mouth shut", he offered furtively. I told him I had seen him at the cemetery before. "50 years ago, as I walked up the steps to the large cross, the gates of heaven opened to me. It was so beautiful!" and he started to weep. "But them I was shown the gates of hell. It scared me so much. I almost went insane." So for the next 50 years he kept his vigil at that cross until he was "purified" and now he "marches for Jesus" on the streets of Waterville blessing everything and anything that comes his way.
He gave me his blessing as we parted, waved his cross over my head and warned me to be ready, to be among the chosen, when Jesus comes to save the faithful from the wrath of a vengeful God. And it will be soon... 2012 he stated with conviction.
The "Jesus Man" walked slowly across Main street waving his cross at buildings, dogs, passing ambulances and telephone poles happily living his own reality on the streets of Waterville. Nice to finally meet him. As the country song goes "These are my people..."
