The End Of Time

I went to a small bar in Tarrytown after again visiting Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. I was angry about life in general and wanted to get away.

There is a park or two in the area, really nice State Parks that you can just relax and take in the river.

Kingsland Point County Park is beautiful and a short ride from the Cemetery at Sleepy Hollow.

The view had me in a totally reflective mood. I thought about my existence, my demise and the quality of life for the generations coming next. Then I went to the bar.

Bridge View Tavern is a really nice quaint bar with nice late 19^th century woodwork and a comfortable neighborhood atmosphere. Nice people, decent service and a good place to have a burger and a beer. As I sat there the Saturday Afternoon crowd was mostly age 50 and up.

Apparently there had been some kind of local event and a good mix of locals and visitors were in the house. My spirits, still down did not escape the notice of an old man in an old suit, straight out of the 1920’s who took notice.

“Why so down kiddo”, the old timer chimed. I said “Just shaking off some bad news sir, I’m OK though, thanks for asking.” Two clergymen and a young street preacher who was handing out flyers were now at the bar and the young preacher piped up trying to pick up a conversation where one had already finished.

“All too soon Christ comes, the end of the world is at hand…too late to worry, prepare to meet your maker. Jesus will be here before the end of this month and all will come to an end.”

One clergyman in a black suit and a red clergy shirt with the white collar looked at the young preacher and said “If that’s so, then what message should we be giving to this good man? How do we tell him to stop worrying when the end is so near, what about this man’s family, what about his friends, what about his kids if he has any. Much too little time to prepare for so much pain, isn’t it?" “Don’t you believe that Jesus will come again Bishop?” The young preacher was then asked by the lady bartender to preach outside.

The other preacher in all black, a black man, a Methodist from an old church in Westchester said, “Bartender you are so right, no religion, no preaching…lets talk about relationships” he looked at me and asked “Sir are you married.” “Call me RJ, and Reverend I’m not married, my wife died over 10 years ago.” “Is that why you were at the Cemetery today…I ask because while officiating the interment by the river I saw you standing in front of a monument for a long while.”

“No, just checking out the artwork and appreciating the beauty of the place” I said as I took a swallow of beer. The Street Preacher said “It’s all for nothing, we will all be like those in the cemetery if the birds and the beasts don’t eat our rotting bodies first.”

The old timer laughed hysterically as the Reverend and the Bishop looked incredulously upon the poorly taught young preacher. “I remember when Judge Rutherford and C.T. Russell told the Millennial Dawn Society the end of the world was coming, those crooked unchristian criminals ripped off thousands” said the Old Timer.

I said “Millennial Dawn Society, tell me Sir, aren’t they called ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses now?” “You know your history kiddo. The world has been ending for the last thousand years and it will still be ending in the next thousand years.

Best we can all do is be as good as or better than the people who lived before us so we have something to leave more than a tombstone and have new living souls to remember us to the future that is surely coming” the old timer then hoisted his beer and gave me a wink.

The Reverend and the Bishop applauded and bought a round for the bar. Thoroughly embarrassed, the Street Preacher hit the street. The Old Timer, “Tom” said he was a writer and loved the area. I finished up my burger and shook hands with everyone I met before l left. I walked off the buzz before I started back to my car.

I saw the Old Timer crossing the Street and waved at him, I walked over to him and asked him if he needed a ride. Old Timer said, “Kid, I’ve been walking these streets for several decades, thanks for the offer, I’ll keep walking.”

I said, “it’s not a problem sir, where you going?” “To Sleepy Hollow…me and my friends enjoy the spring nights, take care kid.” I said , “I won’t forget you sir.” The old man in the old suit tipped his old worn hat and said, “Thomas Beer won’t forget you RJ” and walked toward North Broadway as the fog rolled in. I thought about what the man had said. I then got in my car and went home.

Recently, the news, theologians and others have been all squawking about the end of time. I don’t know when the day, date, hour, or year will come when Jesus gets back to hold court on humankind, keeping the believers and making unbelievers pay.

Jesus doesn’t even know when he’s coming back.

Some of you reading may ask, ‘how can you say that’? I didn’t, Jesus did (read Matt. 24^th chapter). I don’t know about you but I really don’t care when Jesus gets back, for those who are mortal when it happens, be ready when Jesus gets here.

When I went through my brochure from Sleepy Hollow of famous people I saw a familiar name. I thought about what Tom said, “Best we can all do is be as good as or better than the people who lived before us…”

It’s a long walk to Sleepy Hollow from Tarrytown, but apparently a much shorter walk out of time into eternity. Ancient texts all say the mortal must put on immortality. Thomas Beer has forever to get back to a place he already is.

RJ