Rules are stupid.
Especially self-imposed rules about blogs (which are also stupid).
Well, y'know, sometimes. Anyway, I guess I'm starting over, if I'm starting at all.
Let me just say this: "you could at least be honest about lying to me." Brilliance (and I mean that unsarcastically) from Cram Raisin.
A couple of days ago, I was riding a bike to a Sprint store here in Olympia, WA, and I was going quite fast because the technician was leaving at 5pm and it was already 4:45, and I think the bike may have had little air in its tires, and I haven't biked much in a while, and Olympia has a bunch of difficult hills, and for some reason I hadn't had anything to eat or drink that day...
Anyway, I got to the store, stood in line, had a short conversation with a Sprint employee, and the whole time I felt a bit light-headed, like everything was a little far away, like I had cotton-balls in my ears (and the metaphorical equivalent in my eyes). I then, as far as I can figure, collapsed. Not totally, not unconscious on the floor, I caught myself on the counter. I didn't even think it was a big deal, I tried to collect myself and continue finding out what I could do about my broken phone, but then it happened again. And the gentleman with whom I was speaking quickly sat me down and got me some water, which he did partly because he was kind, and partly because at this point I was making a scene in this Sprint store.
But this is not about that. This is about the short, mid-40's black woman who came over and asked if she could pray with me. Largely confused, and having no particular to say no, I agreed. So there I sat, with my eyes closed, and she placed one hand on top of my head and another on the back of my neck. And she began to pray. She had asked me my name, and so she was able to ask Jesus "to watch over Lee and help him to feel better" and affirm her knowledge that "Jesus will help Lee to be okay". Some of her prayer was in English, some in a language I did not recognize. She prayed for me for about five minutes, while I sat there, with my eyes closed, listening, regathering myself.
She finally stopped, and for a moment we just sat there and smiled at each other. There was a young man with her (probably her son) and, when the aforementioned kind and concerned Sprint employee brought another cup of water, the son took it from him in order to give it to me. And so we sat, and I smiled and drank and smiled, and then finally she got up and went about her business (whatever he reason for having been in line at the Sprint store in the first place).
I will admit that, at first, I felt a little weird. I wondered whether, as a Jew, there was a problem with silently allowing her to pray, with my name, to a god a don't believe in. Also, the physical contact with a total stranger was a little surprising, her hands on my sweat-soaked head. But really the overwhelming feeling was just how sincere it was. How her religion manifested in a concern for me, a total stranger, to the point that she felt the need to appeal to her faith to help me, and her son felt the need to be the one to hand me the water. I think that there are a lot of problems caused by religion, and I think that recently I've been exposed to a lot of cynicism toward faith, but right then, I felt good about it, like sometimes it's as nice as anything.
So, there. Jesus inspired me (to Blog).
Especially self-imposed rules about blogs (which are also stupid).
Well, y'know, sometimes. Anyway, I guess I'm starting over, if I'm starting at all.
Let me just say this: "you could at least be honest about lying to me." Brilliance (and I mean that unsarcastically) from Cram Raisin.
A couple of days ago, I was riding a bike to a Sprint store here in Olympia, WA, and I was going quite fast because the technician was leaving at 5pm and it was already 4:45, and I think the bike may have had little air in its tires, and I haven't biked much in a while, and Olympia has a bunch of difficult hills, and for some reason I hadn't had anything to eat or drink that day...
Anyway, I got to the store, stood in line, had a short conversation with a Sprint employee, and the whole time I felt a bit light-headed, like everything was a little far away, like I had cotton-balls in my ears (and the metaphorical equivalent in my eyes). I then, as far as I can figure, collapsed. Not totally, not unconscious on the floor, I caught myself on the counter. I didn't even think it was a big deal, I tried to collect myself and continue finding out what I could do about my broken phone, but then it happened again. And the gentleman with whom I was speaking quickly sat me down and got me some water, which he did partly because he was kind, and partly because at this point I was making a scene in this Sprint store.
But this is not about that. This is about the short, mid-40's black woman who came over and asked if she could pray with me. Largely confused, and having no particular to say no, I agreed. So there I sat, with my eyes closed, and she placed one hand on top of my head and another on the back of my neck. And she began to pray. She had asked me my name, and so she was able to ask Jesus "to watch over Lee and help him to feel better" and affirm her knowledge that "Jesus will help Lee to be okay". Some of her prayer was in English, some in a language I did not recognize. She prayed for me for about five minutes, while I sat there, with my eyes closed, listening, regathering myself.
She finally stopped, and for a moment we just sat there and smiled at each other. There was a young man with her (probably her son) and, when the aforementioned kind and concerned Sprint employee brought another cup of water, the son took it from him in order to give it to me. And so we sat, and I smiled and drank and smiled, and then finally she got up and went about her business (whatever he reason for having been in line at the Sprint store in the first place).
I will admit that, at first, I felt a little weird. I wondered whether, as a Jew, there was a problem with silently allowing her to pray, with my name, to a god a don't believe in. Also, the physical contact with a total stranger was a little surprising, her hands on my sweat-soaked head. But really the overwhelming feeling was just how sincere it was. How her religion manifested in a concern for me, a total stranger, to the point that she felt the need to appeal to her faith to help me, and her son felt the need to be the one to hand me the water. I think that there are a lot of problems caused by religion, and I think that recently I've been exposed to a lot of cynicism toward faith, but right then, I felt good about it, like sometimes it's as nice as anything.
So, there. Jesus inspired me (to Blog).
posted by lee at 6:37 PM
2 Comments:
Well Lee, the Lord works in mysterious ways.
Lee, as moving as I found your story and your comments on religion, which I did find sincerely moving, all I can think about is why had you not had anything to eat or drink all day? Are you not taking care of yourself? Please take care of yourself.
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