Today's MOZEN: Between The Lines 5/30/2015

Words and photo by F LoBuono

It had been a particularly frenetic day - there were raging floods in Texas, a murder trial in Colorado, and the new One World Trade Center in NY was being opened to the public. I was in the Record Room at CBS and it was my responsibility to make sure that the videos being sent from these remote locations were being recorded for use by the network. The information can come in fast and furious and you must be attentive at all times.

After my eight hour shift I was more than glad to be finally ready to make my way home. It was a warm Friday and I knew that leaving at 4 pm meant traffic - heavy traffic that starts early and stays late. So, I wasted no time getting to the elevator, down to the street and towards my car to begin the challenging ride home. As I cleared the revolving door to exit the CBS building, I noticed that my car (which was parked nearby on W57th St) had something on the windshield. It didn't appear to be a ticket. I was legally parked anyway. It was a sheet of paper. My curiosity was piqued and I picked up my pace. Just before I pulled the paper from my windshield, I remember thinking, I wonder who I pissed off this time to the point where they're leaving notes on my car? It wouldn't have been the first time! Anyway, I noticed that there seemed to be writing on it but that the paper had been placed so that the words were facing away from the street. Apparently, someone wanted only me to see it. Also, strangely, none of the other cars parked near me had similar notes.

It was hand-written in a simple script. In some ways it reminded me of the style that Europeans use. I think that it may have been a photocopy because I did not see any letter impressions made by the use of a pen on the back of the paper. I started reading it immediately. It began:

God our father
         is a Good God -
The God of Abraham, issiac &
Jocob is A Good God - 

It was written exactly in this form, spelling errors included. Now, anyone who knows me understands that I am not a very "religious" person. I was raised in the Catholic religion but found no lasting purchase there. In fact, I can be pretty iconoclastic. However, I do consider myself a "spiritual" man and am very interested in how our material and spiritual lives intertwine. So, after an initial revulsion, I read on. It continued:

       His greatness is beyond
Comprehension & imagination-
       He is Love -

I paused for a moment to see if anyone may have been watching my reaction. It was just so strange to me that I would receive this particularly note, where and when I did, and written in a form that was so poem-like. Why? Was it the raving of some religious fanatic? Should I read "between the lines" and search for a meaning within its framework? As part of my spiritualism, I believe that everything happens for a purpose. Everything. This must have some purpose. But, what?

The last paragraph contained this:

Lord Jesus Christ had Conquered
death, satan, grave, & hell.
praise His name - Amen
ISAIH 66 =13

Then he/she added an epilogue:

As the mother comforts her child, so
God does to you

I am not a man of scripture, so I have no idea of where these particular passages came from. Or, if they came from anywhere besides a person's imagination. What I do know is that the MESSAGE struck me. I thought of what it all may mean for my entire ride home. I could dismiss the religious nature of the writing and still appreciate what was being conveyed. It reinforced, in its own way, what I have always believed - God is Love. How simple. How sublime. However you form the words, the meaning is always the same. The messages conveying that are everywhere. Sometimes, you just need to read between the lines.