Amy was heading south. We were going north. Both of us hoping to escape the smoke from the fires in our respective areas. Along with hundreds of other people from all over the place, we all lodged at the same place. The Oxford Suites in Pismo Beach, along the Central California coastline.
Amy sat beside us around the fire pit. I had done the same thing about 30 minutes prior. It was there a met John, Shawna, Greg, Jeff and their collection of kids and grandkids. They were from the Central Valley where smoke from both fires settled and stayed. Amy came alone. But my wife and I learned she was traveling with her 78 year old dad and 15 year old son. I also sensed she packed a lot of baggage that she had been carrying since her son was born early after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in utero. Fresh out of college, her son came into her life around the same time his father left. As everyone retired for the night and went back to their respective hotel rooms, I sat with Amy and my wife, and talked until the propane tank ran out of gas. And then we talked some more, long after the hotel manager rekindled the fire with a new tank. Most of what I learned about Amy I can not repeat without betraying her trust. I can say she’s 44, single mom, and works doing behavioral therapy with preschool kids in the Head Start program. She has a good understanding of life, but just doesn’t like the way life works. I understood her completely. She also loves Michael Franti, who sings about...love. Amy has kind eyes that both tired and compassionate. She has a warm smile that is also tired and compassionate. And a gentle heart, which I suspect is tired too. But compassionate. Off Highway 101. In dog friendly hotel. We shared our hearts. We shared our faith. We shared our fire. As the Spirit of love burned warm and brightly. Some strangers pass like ships in the night. Then there are the other ones. Like Amy.
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Ivan. A Mexican-American with a Russian name. “I’ve been explaining that to people all my life.” It doesn’t surprise then that Ivan would be a technician who’d have to explain to me how to use my Nest thermostat that his company installed. And he did a great job at it.
If I weren’t interested in meeting Ivan, I’d say he was just an ordinary, nice guy who takes great pride at his job. But I did want to meet him. Something told me there might be more to him. For example, the last thing Ivan wanted to do after graduating high school was to sit at a desk doing the same thing everyday, over and over again. So, he went to trade school. There he studied Heating and Air Conditioning because it taught him a little bit of everything - wiring and electronics, plumbing, and construction. “I wanted to learn everything I can so I can know how to make the repairs on own house one day.” That’s his goal, to be a home owner. Today, however, Ivan is helping me maintain my home while he works a lot and saves up his money. In his words, “There’s time for trouble or fun.” Born and raised in the Koreatown neighborhood in Los Angeles, Ivan has lived in the same zip code and on the same street pretty much all his life. “Maybe one day I’ll have a wife that will want to move,” but for now Ivan has made his home around a community that he knows well. In a city filled will people who come and go, Ivan is here to stay. When I asked him what he wanted the world to know about him, Ivan told me that he had just been talking about that very question with his parents this weekend. He said, “It’s hard to change the world. But it doesn’t matter as long as I live up to my full potential in this life.” Maybe, if we all lived up to what we were born to do, then maybe the world might change for the better. Although, if my new digital thermostat worked like it was supposed to then I never would have met Ivan or been blessed to have been reminded of my own calling. So I’m glad I got to know him, and discover that he is a lot more than just an ordinary nice guy.
I don’t know if Blaine and Christine are a couple, or if it’s serious and all that other stuff that others might ask. I didn’t see any rings on their fingers, so I didn’t ask. I did learn, by asking, that he lives just down the street, and walks to the park to exercise everyday. Due to some construction, the two decided to take a new route to the park. And that’s how come we met.
Most of what we shared was small talk. Light chit-chat, you might say. It was the kind of conversation that is often reserved for someone who is standing in line at a popular Manhatten deli waiting to pick-up an order. But still, we were engaged; at least as far as listening and sharing our favorite food joints in the neighborhood. Even though it was quick and still, it was nice to meet a neighbor. And it was also nice to be able to introduce him to Abraham who makes a wonderful chicken burrito, some of the best and freshest juices in the world, and the best ceviche I’ve tasted. But unfortunately for Blaine he doesn’t make a turkey sandwich despite what the sign might suggest.
Sage is a ridiculously good listener. An equally ridiculously good talker. An astute observer of everyday. And a thoughtful, kind human being. Yes, it took a small collision to get us to meet. But it certainly was no accident. Like minded people eventually find one another.
As my dad and I slowly walk back to our hotel, we heard a sound in the distance. One we should have recognized. But didn’t. At least not until the hail started dropping.
Empty wet streets. Sirens. Hail. You could say God was giving us a pretty clear warning that something bad was about to come. We needed to get to safety. And fast. But here’s the thing, we were standing in the middle of an empty parking lot. Even though we could see our hotel in the distance, it was still a couple of blocks away. With nowhere else to go we took off running. The sounds of sirens blaring not only heightened my fear, but also my awareness that my running days were long behind me. And so was my dad...who did his best to keep up. As you can see, it wasn’t the end of the world. We made it to our hotel room just in time. Still wet from the rain, my dad stretched out on the bed as calm as calm can be, and began to peacefully read a book I, on the other hand, quietly freaked out as the walls began to shake, and the window began to rattle. I didn’t really lose it until I saw the flagpoles outside bending sideways. Not a good sign. Wind. Rain. Rattling. This was it. The end of the world. I was going to die in a hotel room...in Indianapolis...with my Dad reading his Kindle without a care in the world. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, wars, fires, and yes, even the 2016 presidential election...I can honestly say have weathered my fair share of storms. And that night, in Indianapolis, I learned a valuable lesson while watching my dad sleep peacefully: you can’t predict what happens in life, but you can prevail in how you respond. In the reading from Daniel we learn there will be a “time of anguish that the world has never seen since it came into existence.” Believing that what happens in our day-to-day life will have some cosmic implications, Daniel points to the hope of deliverance from tough times. That hope for us is God’s faithfulness to those who are faithful to God. Jesus, also tells us that there will come a time when some pretty weird things will happen. Oh, but don’t be afraid, he said... “they are just birth pangs” - a thing that happen right before something new is born. Like a tornado or an out of control fire, Apocalyptic scripture is a wake up call. It is a reminder that while our work is here on earth, but our hope comes from heaven. We might not have control over what happens around us but we can can control how we deal with them. With fear. Or by putting our faith in the faithfulness of God. Still many believers continue to wrestle with fear and anxiety. That is understandable. With all that is going on in our world, there can be a lot to stress out about. But as Henri Nouwen wrote, “The challenge is to let go of fear and claim the deeper truth of who you are. When you forget your true identity as a beloved child of God, you lose your way in life.” When we focus our attention on all that is horribly wrong in the world, there’s a good chance we’ll neglect our mission - what God has called us to be - to be the good in the world...a living witnesses of Christ. When our mind is stuck in fear mode, we forget that we are the healing hearts and helping hands of Christ, who was called for a purpose...to bring good news to the poor and suffering. So it is Jesus who warns his disciples about the what is to come. When they freak out, he tells them not to worry about when the Temple will crumble, or when the air will swallow us up. “They are but the beginning of something greater to come.” But as long as there are natural disasters and human error that cause God’s children to suffer, Jesus tells us there is work to be done. We are not a building. We are people. God’s beloved children. Our call is not to protect or worry about the structures humans make, but to care and watch out for the one’s God made. And just like Jesus we must act out of faith, not fear. There’s no reason to waste a single second worrying about the end times.It is just the beginning of something new for the people of God. Instead, we ought to remain focused what is happening now...where God has never stopped redeeming or resurrecting life out of death. Jesus shifts our focus away from the Temple building itself, and sets our eyes on being the Temple - the body of Christ. We are the church - a living sanctuary where all people can be filled with God’s peace and love. To live in such a way for others allows God’s glory to shine in the darkness. And it allows us to find hope in the ashes of our life. As we move from ordinary time into the Advent season, these passages remind us of God’s faithful promise...that something greater is coming. Hope. Grace. Peace. Salvation. Unconditional love. This is the good news God brings to life in that dirty, cold stable in Bethlehem. In the Incarnate Christ, God comes to be with us. And through our faith in Christ, God continues to be here for us in all our glorious messiness. God’s faithfulness remains true, even when our world seems to be crumbling down. No fire, earthquake, or human action can destroy what God has done in the world. Nor can it disrupt what God is doing right now. In us. And through us. We can’t predict what others will do, including what God will do but we can prevail by how we respond to others as well as to God. We can be fearful. Or full of faith. We can hurt and harm one another, or we can heal and help and care for all. We can worry about the end of the world...and freak out accordingly in a hotel room. Or we can trust in God’s faithful promise and get a good nights sleep. We can place our life, all of it, in the care of God’s steadfast and everlasting love...Or not. The choice is yours. But so too are the consequences. So choose wisely. In closing I want to remind you of the words God gave to Daniel, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will be like stars.” It’s my hope that you will go out and let you light shine brightly. To be that beacon of hope that sits on a hill and navigates people through every storm in life. As long as there is suffering and pain, loss of life and livelihoods...there is a need for the Light of Christ to shine. Go and shine brightly as God builds the new Temple in you.
For 15 years I have been trying to meet Art. I have never stopped waving or smiling. I’ve never stopped saying good morning whenever I jogged past him as he worked his way down the sidewalk. But until today I had never stopped and taken the time to meet him. Like all of us, who he once was or whatever he used to do doesn’t really matter in the big picture. It’s who they are in the moment you meet them.
This is Art. By the way, I didn’t tell him what I was doing, or why I was doing it. I didn’t ask for a picture or his permission to publish our moment together. I fear it would have taken the joy and reverence out of the moment. But I met him. So it counts. Probably more than I will ever know.
I recognized by one of his tats that he might be a skater. He was. As in the past tense. Like me, he had enough of the tumbling and falling. Just days after his 30 birthday, Christian suffered a bad accident that had him in the ICU for 5 days. When he came too, Christian learned he had suffered major nerve and brain damage. Meeting him, you’d never know he had to relearn how to use the right side of his body all over again. His goal of being a psychiatrist no longer seems possible because the trauma his brain experienced makes researching and writing difficult. Born in California, his parents moved him to the Bronx in New York. He would live there until just after September 11th, when his mother moved to Richmond, VA. While going with his friend to the recruiting office, Christian found himself signing up too. And after nine years, he left. And a few months later, it would be a skateboarding accident that would take him down. But in a sense it freed him too. This past February, after moving back to California to live and rehabilitate with a brother who was a physical therapist, Christian took up drawing. Using the right side of his brian for the creative good. He was happy to show me his portfolio, and to have the conversation. He says he likes to talk and, like me, learn people’s stories. After narrowly escaping death, Christian has learned to embrace life, and all the joys in it. Like meeting other people. The accident had also kept him spiritually grounded. Having grew up in a Jehovah Witness family Christian seems to relate more with Buddha than anything else. He told me he likes to study all religions. But today it’s people, art and life. I think Christ would agree, and would enjoy spending the time I got to spent with someone who bears his name. Pan and Virginia smiled at me. So I smiled back. And then introduced myself. They seemed very surprised. Perhaps I wasn’t the one they were smiling at? Perhaps they just didn’t know what they were doing? They wouldn’t tell me their age, so perhaps it could have been a little of both. I sat down at their table where they gather every day at the food court in the Mall. They’ve been going there for years. But how many, well again, they didn’t know or wouldn’t tell me. When I told them I was trying to meet 30 people in 30 days, they didn’t seem too impressed by that. “How’s that going for you?” Pan asked with a slight snickering smile. So I told her. The whole truth. Pan was born in Brooklyn, NY and wore an all red ensemble. Virginia had a cross around her neck, and couldn’t use her cell phone. I would like to say that I met two people for the price of one, but that wasn’t the case. Even though I sat with them as they waited for their food to be ready, I didn’t get much from them. And believe me, I tried. For example, when I asked them to tell me a story about themselves they actually said, “No” in unison.
They did, however, tell me stories of the other people who share their sacred space in the food court. Just at the table next to us were a brother and sister, somewhere in their late 70’s or early 80’s. They are there everyday, all day long. She can’t walk so someone drops them off “and eventually they come and pick them up.” They know the people because they talk to them, spend their days and afternoons with them, and share stories with them...but not with me. I made a few jokes that didn’t seem to work for them. And made very little in roads to get to know them better. I learned that they always sit at this particular table, they share their meals with other’s who join them, and they laugh, argue, and keep each other company. “Sounds like church,” I told them. They both shook their head and once again in unison said, “Yes, it does.” And they both smiled again. I finally asked them what they would like the world to know about them. Pan stated, “The world is so full of bad people,” while Virginia just screamed at her cellphone, “How does this thing work.” Sometimes it just works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes getting to know someone or some people isn’t as easy as it should be, perhaps because the world is so full of bad people. But here, in this food court, in the mall, we sit and make the best of the moment. A giant party of young school kids climb over the seats near us to have a pizza party. And it doesn’t shake or rattle them. In fact, they welcome the youth and their noise. I walked away feeling like I had somehow not gotten what I had hoped for. And it wasn’t until I was sitting in traffic that I realized, meeting people takes presence as well as patience. Much like church. No matter where we find our sanctuary, one thing is for sure. If I want to draw people in all I have to do is smile. Seriously...that’s about all I got out of them. And at the end of the day, I’d say that’s all I really needed. Robert fixes watches. And rings. And I’m sure he does other jewelry as well but those where the two things I brought to him to fix. Which he was happy to do for me. Robert is a hard worker who takes great pride in his work. And it shows. Especially on the faces of the people who stopped by to pick up and drop off their rings and watches to his care. This one time high school drop-out eventually got his GED, and got a couple of years of college under his belt. But that isn’t how he got to where he is today, a watchmaker and repair man. “School wasn’t my thing,” he said. After leaving high school, his father took him to do an apprenticeship with a watchmaker where he got his real education.
Robert eventually took another job, and learned the jewelry trade as well. His boss eventually sold the business to this young, Lebanese born Armenian. And from there, his life was set into motion. He no longer seemed ashamed by his choice to leave school, or feels like he’s living in the shadows of his brother’s and sisters who are all professionals in law and medicine. It might be bold for me to say, but it seems to me the best part about Robert getting to this place in life, is that he gets to share it with the love of his life – a wife of ten years (event though they’ve known each other for 30). That’s another story for another time. But he wants the world to know that he “Falls in love with his wife 100 times more than I did the day before.” Robert was super appreciative that I wanted to get to know him better. He lives and works in my neighborhood, and he too believes the world would be in a better place if we talked and listened to one another. “So many people only want to talk about themselves,” he said before wanting to know my story. I was happy to share the quick, “elevator pitch” of my life with him. I have a feeling I will probably return to see Robert again. Not to just fix a broken watchband or to repair an old ring but to find ways to fix the brokenness in our world. With each person I meet, I’m learning more and more about the people I share this sacred space called life. We are different that is for sure. But we all bleed and love the same. We share commonalities even though it might not seem like at first. People like Robert help me to understand what life in community ought to be about. As we share our stories, our business, and our concerns or joys or fears…we begin to also share the responsibility to care for those around us in ways that add to our stories and our blessings. |
Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
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