My thoughts!
I was brought up as a Christian. I'm not a church attendee but I do have Christian faith. I've had two experiences that have been surreal. This is one;
Harry was a friend and had worked for me for a few years. He had been a prisoner of war working on the Burma railway. We kept in touch after he retired and i had relocated out of that area. I often travelled through there on business.
I had gone a couple of monthswithout calling on Harry and had bypassed his place a couple of timeson my trips that were always hurried. There was this day when I hadmade up my mind that I would make a point and call in. I was held upin Brisbane and as I approached Brunswick heads I looked at the timeand thought “next time”. The next thing my car stopped. As ithappened right outside the NRMA garage. I went over and asked themechanic if he would look at it, which he did. After 10 minutes hegave up and decided it must be electrical and decided to tow me downthe road to an auto electrician.
The auto electrician told ushe had a job to finish but could look at mine in half an hour or so.Was there anything I could do to fill in the time. I wasonly a few doors from Harry’s home, so I took off to visit. I wasabout to knock and the door opened. Dot Riches looked at me and saidthat Harry was not at home. He was in hospital, in a bad way and notexpected to live. I told her about the car and said I would go toMullumbimby and see him on my way home. I was told that there wouldbe no purpose that Harry had not recognised any of the family for thelast few days and was in a coma most of the time.
I left and went back to theauto electrician. When I got there the car was running. He switchedit on and off and told me there was no problem that he could find. Idrove off. When I was approaching the turn off to MullumbimbyI decided to go and see Harry anyway. At the hospital I asked if Icould see him and was sent up to the ward. At the ward the nursepointed to an open door and showed me where Harry was and told methat he was not conscious but I could go over. I looked at this thingaunt man laying back, eyes open but looking lifeless. His hand washanging over the side of the bed. I picked up the hand to give it agoodbye squeeze. As I did that his eyes opened and he said "good to see you. They are about to kick me over the hill. I’ve beenlying here thinking of all the good times we had together over theyears. When I get there I am going to put together a herd of ourMurray greys and wait for you. We will have those times over again."
We spent the next half hour talkingabout particular events, bulls, horses, shows and sales. His memory wasgreat and accurate. Eventually the nurse came and suggested I shouldleave as Harry’s monitor was saying he was too excited.
Another time there was someone that had abused my friendship. I had once said that if he was a dog I would shoot him. In those days I carried a rifle in my work vehicle as a normal tool of trade. I pulled up outside a post office and found myself parked behind his ute. I though, this is my chance. As I loaded a round into the gun, I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard the words "vengeance is mine, sayeth the lord" coming from my grandmother who had passed on a few years before then.
He came out, got into his vehicle and drove off.
