Carpe Diem #395, Kirihataji (temple 10)

Dear O-Henro ... Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another day has come, and there will be more days coming while we are on our pilgrimage on Shikoku Island and to Santiago De Compostela. Today I love to do something else and I hope it will fit in our visit of today's temple (as I start writing this post I can't recall which temple we will visit today).
I love to tell you a little story. I have given it the title "one Listener".

One Listener

Yesterday (February 7th) I had a busy evening shift at the hospital and I was home around 1.00 AM (CET). My lovely wife already had gone to bed and our youngest son, 23 yrs and still living at our family-home, wasn't at home. So I was alone. I drank and ate something and watched TV for a while. I decided to visit our Carpe Diem weblog to see if there were already submisions. There were at that moment 5 submissions linked which I have read, but didn't comment on right than, simply because I couldn't find the right words.
Around 3.00 AM (CET) I went to bed. I fell to sleep immediately, I was exhausted.
Around 7.00 I awoke. The exhaustion was gone and I remembered my dream, and that's extra-ordinary to me, because I never remember my dreams. So this was very strange to me, maybe I had a lucid dream? I don't know, but I had to do something with it and, yes maybe it fits today's temple, I don't know.

Next to walking I love to cycle and in my dream I was making a long trip on my bike through one of the provinces of The Netherlands, back-pack on my back filled with food and drinks and clean clothes to change my biker clothes after my cycling trip.
I stopped at a wonderful church, maybe it was a temple or cathedral, I don't recall that. I went inside whispered a prayer and lighted a candle and sat down in one of the church-benches. I looked around me and saw the beauty of the place. This church was really an oasis in the middle of the city.
There was a group of tourists, maybe pilgrims, which was given a tour through the church. A young man, I think 35 yrs, guided them and told them about the history of that church. He pointed them on the fine details of the church and the beauty of the Icons and statues of Saints and the Virgin Mary, mother of God.
As I sat there a good looking young woman walked into the church silently praying as I could see ... here lips moved. She sat down a few rows behind me and gave me a bright smile and a nod. I nodded and smiled back to her. Suddenly the group stood around me and the young guide tapped me on the shoulder. I looked at him .... "yes, what can I do for you?" I asked. He looked at me and turned his head to the group. "It looks like we have a new guy in our group", he said. The group looked at me. The guide smiled. "Will you tell something about yourself and what you've done today. Did you visit heaven?" I don't know what he meant, but I answered: "Well ... if you like to hear my story than I will tell you". "That will be exciting", the guide said. I started telling what I had done.
"I was making a trip on myy bike and have seen wonderful houses, churches, people, fields, flowers, waterfalls and meadows. I listened to the birds, the mowing of the cows, the sweet song of a brook, the laughter of children and an awesome group of young street musicians". I was telling them my story full enthousiasm and wasn't àware that they already were gone. The only listener was the good looking womañ a few rows behind me. ''They listened not really to your story. The guide said that it wasn't worth listening to, because it wasn''t an exciting story and the went on. Sorry for their inconvenience''. She smiled and I felt that I was blushing. ''But ...", she said. ''Please go on with your story. I liked it. You told it like a poet''. I smiled and walked towards her and sat down next to her. I told her the remaining part of my story and finally we went both our own way.
I gave her a postcard of the church on which I had written a haiku for her, especially for her.

in the house of God
you were the only one -
the song of a skylark

(c) Chèvrefeuille

I had to tell you this dream, but what has it to with our temple, Kirihataji, of today? Nothing except maybe that it refers to something I have said in an earlier post of mine in our pilgrimage on Shikoku. ''All and everything will become Buddha once''.
I was one with the Universe as I told my story in that church. I was full of joy, sadness, compassion and love and that good looking woman was there with me. She really listened to what I told and was part of it, part of my Universe at that moment. We had a spiritual connection and that connection will last forever and ... I don''t know her name, I didn''t ask her ...

This was just a story about a dream I had and I had to tell it before we went on with our pilgrimage to Kirihataji, the 10th temple.

Kirihataji (temple 10)

on an old branch
a young Azalea flower blooms
everlasting circle

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 10th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Fujiidera (temple 11), later on today. For now ... be inspired and share your haiku with our haiku-family Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.